Longevity

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are a class of medicines that mimic the incretin hormone GLP-1 to lower blood glucose and reduce appetite. The class includes approved agents such as exenatide, liraglutide, and semaglutide, used for type 2 diabetes and, for some agents, chronic weight management. This entry represents a drug class rather than a single molecule.

How it works: Members activate the GLP-1 receptor, enhancing glucose-dependent insulin secretion, slowing gastric emptying, and reducing appetite.

Type 2 diabetes; weight management; cardiovascular risk reduction

NAD+ is a coenzyme present in all living cells that carries electrons in the redox reactions of energy metabolism and serves as a substrate for enzymes such as sirtuins and PARPs that influence DNA repair. It is not a peptide and is not approved as a drug. Cellular NAD+ declines with age, which has driven interest in supplementation and infusion, but human clinical evidence that raising NAD+ improves outcomes remains limited.

How it works: It serves as an electron-carrying coenzyme in metabolism and as a substrate for sirtuins and PARPs involved in DNA repair.

Longevity research; metabolic support; cellular energy research; wellness infusions

Carnosine is an endogenous dipeptide composed of beta-alanine and L-histidine, found naturally in muscle and brain tissue and sold as an oral supplement. Laboratory studies describe antioxidant, metal-chelating, anti-glycation, and pH-buffering activities. It has been investigated as a possible protective agent in aging, although human clinical outcomes remain mixed and preliminary.

How it works: It acts in laboratory studies as an antioxidant and free-radical scavenger, chelates metal ions, buffers pH, and limits glycation.

Antioxidant supplement; geroprotection research; muscle pH buffering; metabolic research

GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide present in human plasma, where its levels decline with age. It binds copper and broadly influences gene expression, stimulating collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycan production while supporting wound repair and antioxidant activity. It is widely used as a topical cosmetic ingredient and is also studied for wound healing and skin regeneration.

How it works: It delivers copper into tissue and modulates gene expression to stimulate collagen and other matrix proteins and support skin repair.

Wound healing; skin regeneration; collagen stimulation; anti-wrinkle research; antioxidant support

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Glutathione is a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine that the body produces naturally and that serves as a major intracellular antioxidant. It neutralizes reactive oxygen species and acts as a cofactor for detoxification enzymes, helping maintain cellular redox balance. It is sold as a supplement and studied in small trials for liver disease, Parkinson disease, and skin lightening, though the evidence remains limited.

How it works: It scavenges reactive oxygen species and acts as a cofactor for detoxifying enzymes, maintaining cellular redox balance.

Antioxidant support; liver disease; Parkinson disease; skin lightening; detoxification research

Progeline is the trade name for Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2, a synthetic topical anti-aging cosmetic peptide. Laboratory studies report that it reduces production of progerin, a protein linked to cellular aging, and inhibits enzymes that degrade collagen and elastin. It is formulated into firming and anti-sagging skincare. Evidence comes largely from laboratory and manufacturer-sponsored studies.

How it works: It is reported in laboratory studies to lower progerin production and inhibit enzymes that degrade collagen and elastin.

Firming creams; contour products; anti-wrinkle serums; skin elasticity

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Cortagen is a synthetic tetrapeptide from the Khavinson bioregulator group, associated with the cerebral cortex. Animal microarray work reports broad changes in gene expression across nervous and other tissues, and it has been used as a neurological bioregulator in Russia in uncontrolled settings. No Western approval or controlled human trials exist for it.

How it works: It is thought to interact with DNA and histones, decondensing chromatin and modulating gene expression in nervous tissue.

Neuroprotection research; cortical function; nerve repair; gene regulation

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone is an endogenous peptide of 13 amino acids derived from proopiomelanocortin. It stimulates the melanin production that drives skin and hair pigmentation, and it also helps regulate appetite, energy balance, and inflammation through melanocortin receptors. The native peptide is not an approved medicine, although several synthetic analogues have been developed.

How it works: It activates melanocortin receptors, principally MC1R to stimulate pigment and MC3R and MC4R to influence appetite and inflammation.

Skin pigmentation; appetite regulation; inflammation modulation; energy homeostasis

Thymalin is a polypeptide complex isolated from calf thymus and used as a thymus bioregulator. It contains short peptides that are proposed to influence gene expression and promote the maturation of stem cells into T-lymphocytes, thereby modulating immune function. It has been studied for immune support in aging and, in one clinical trial, as an add-on treatment in severe COVID-19 in older patients.

How it works: It delivers thymus derived peptides thought to regulate gene expression and drive T-lymphocyte development, helping normalize immune balance.

Immune restoration; aging research; T-cell support; severe infection adjunct

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide created in Vladimir Khavinson's laboratory and conceptually derived from thymic peptides. Animal studies report immune modulation, changes in gene expression, and, in mice, fewer spontaneous tumors and longer lifespan, while small uncontrolled human observations have been described in Russia. It is not approved by Western regulators and has no controlled clinical trials.

How it works: It is proposed to bind DNA promoter regions and remodel chromatin, influencing expression of immune-related genes such as interleukin-2.

Immune modulation; thymic support; aging research; chromatin remodeling

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

CJC-1295 without DAC, also called Modified GRF (1-29), is a synthetic analog of growth hormone releasing hormone made of its first 29 amino acids with substitutions that improve stability. It binds pituitary GHRH receptors and stimulates pulsatile release of growth hormone. Unlike the drug affinity complex version it lacks an albumin binding group and is short acting. It is used mainly as a research compound to study growth hormone secretion.

How it works: It binds pituitary receptors for growth hormone releasing hormone, prompting the gland to secrete growth hormone.

Growth hormone release; body composition; IGF-1 stimulation; recovery research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Teriparatide is a recombinant fragment of human parathyroid hormone, given by subcutaneous injection. It is FDA approved to treat osteoporosis in people at high risk of fracture, where intermittent dosing stimulates new bone formation. It formerly carried a boxed warning for osteosarcoma based on rat studies, which the FDA removed in 2020 after human data did not show an increased risk.

How it works: Intermittent activation of parathyroid hormone receptors on bone cells stimulates new bone formation.

Osteoporosis treatment; fracture risk reduction; bone formation

Abaloparatide is a synthetic analog of parathyroid hormone-related protein that acts as a selective PTH1 receptor agonist. It is FDA approved to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high fracture risk and to increase bone density in men with osteoporosis at high fracture risk. It works as an anabolic bone-forming agent given by daily subcutaneous injection.

How it works: It is a selective PTH1 receptor agonist that stimulates osteoblast-mediated bone formation with relatively limited bone resorption.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis; male osteoporosis; fracture risk reduction; bone density

This entry is an oral or nasal presentation of Humanin, a mitochondrial-derived micropeptide encoded within the MT-RNR2 region. It is the same peptide as the existing Humanin row and is not a distinct compound. Reported cytoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activity has been studied in models of Alzheimer disease, ischemia, and metabolic stress.

How it works: It acts through cell-surface receptors and interacts with apoptotic regulators to reduce cell death in preclinical models.

Longevity research; neuroprotection; metabolic research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Irisin is an endogenous myokine produced by cleavage of the membrane protein FNDC5 and released largely in response to exercise. It is a research compound and is not an approved drug. Preclinical studies describe roles in browning of white fat, energy metabolism, bone, and neuroprotection, but its physiological significance in humans remains debated and unresolved.

How it works: It is a cleaved FNDC5 ectodomain that signals to fat and other tissues, associated in research with browning of white fat and thermogenesis.

Metabolism research; adipose browning; exercise physiology; bone and neuroprotection research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

PNC-27 is a synthetic chimeric peptide that joins a fragment of the p53 protein to penetratin, a cell-penetrating leader sequence. It binds HDM-2 displayed in the membranes of cancer cells, where multiple copies assemble into pores that rupture the cell by necrosis while reportedly sparing normal cells. It has been examined in cultured cancer cells and animal tumor models as a possible selective anticancer agent.

How it works: It binds HDM-2 in cancer cell membranes, where copies assemble into pores that lyse the cell while largely sparing normal cells.

Anticancer research; HDM-2 targeting; tumor cell lysis; leukemia models; pancreatic cancer models

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

This entry is a combination of two separate short peptides, Pinealon and Epitalon, marketed together for anti-aging research. It is not a single chemical compound, and no controlled research evaluates this specific pairing as a defined product. The two constituents are better represented as individual peptide records.

How it works: It combines a proposed neuroprotective tripeptide with a pineal-signaling tetrapeptide; no combined mechanism is established.

Longevity research; anti-aging research; neuroendocrine research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

PP405 is an investigational topical small molecule developed by Pelage Pharmaceuticals for androgenetic alopecia, the common form of pattern hair loss. It is described as an inhibitor of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier that reactivates the metabolism of hair follicle stem cells to encourage new growth. It has completed an early phase 2a clinical trial and is not FDA approved.

How it works: It inhibits the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier in hair follicle stem cells, shifting their metabolism to reactivate dormant follicles.

Androgenetic alopecia; hair regrowth; pattern hair loss

P021 is a small CNTF-derived peptidergic compound developed as a neurotrophic and neurogenic agent for neurodegeneration research. In triple-transgenic Alzheimer mouse models, chronic oral treatment increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor, reduced tau hyperphosphorylation and soluble amyloid-beta, and restored deficits in neurogenesis and cognition. Research to date is preclinical, and these effects have not been established in humans.

How it works: It increases BDNF and decreases GSK-3 beta activity, promoting neurogenesis and reducing tau hyperphosphorylation in animal models.

Alzheimer research; neurodegeneration research; neurogenesis research; cognitive research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

AICAR is a small-molecule nucleoside that mimics AMP and activates AMP-activated protein kinase, a central regulator of cellular energy balance. It is not a peptide and is not approved by any regulator. It has been studied in human trials for heart protection during cardiac bypass surgery and for certain blood cancers, and it is prohibited in sport by anti-doping authorities.

How it works: It is converted inside cells to an AMP analog that activates AMP-activated protein kinase, shifting cells toward burning fuel.

Metabolic research; cardiac protection; cancer research; exercise metabolism

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide of glutamate, aspartate, and arginine, also called EDR, from the Khavinson family of short peptide bioregulators. Research suggests it may enter cells and bind DNA promoter regions, influencing expression of genes tied to neuronal survival and oxidative stress. It has been studied in cell and animal models mainly for neuroprotection, cognitive function, and cellular aging processes.

How it works: It is thought to enter cells and bind DNA promoter regions, modulating expression of genes involved in neuronal survival and oxidative stress.

Neuroprotection research; cognitive function; oxidative stress; cellular aging

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Klotho, also called alpha-Klotho, is a protein made mainly in the kidney and brain that acts as a co-receptor for FGF23 and circulates in a soluble form linked to aging. In animal studies, higher Klotho extends lifespan and protects the kidneys, blood vessels, and brain, while low levels track with age-related disease. It is an endogenous protein under investigation with no approved therapeutic form, and most human evidence is observational.

How it works: It acts as an FGF23 co-receptor and, in soluble form, regulates phosphate handling and inhibits IGF-1, Wnt, and TGF-beta signaling.

Longevity research; kidney protection; cognitive aging; vascular health

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Enlicitide is an orally administered macrocyclic peptide that inhibits PCSK9, developed by Merck as MK-0616. By binding the LDL-receptor-binding domain of PCSK9, it prevents PCSK9 from degrading LDL receptors, increasing hepatic LDL clearance and lowering LDL cholesterol. In July 2026 the FDA approved it as LIPFENDRA, the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor, for lowering LDL cholesterol in adults with hypercholesterolemia.

How it works: It binds PCSK9 at the LDL-receptor-binding site, blocking LDL-receptor degradation and lowering LDL cholesterol.

High cholesterol; hypercholesterolemia; familial hypercholesterolemia; LDL reduction

MOTS-c is a sixteen-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene and found in muscle and blood. It appears to act as a metabolic regulator, activating the AMPK energy-sensing pathway and moving into the nucleus to influence genes tied to stress and antioxidant defense. It is studied mainly for glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, exercise capacity, and aging, with human evidence still limited.

How it works: It activates the AMPK energy-sensing pathway and enters the nucleus to regulate genes governing metabolism, stress, and antioxidant responses.

Metabolic regulation; insulin sensitivity; exercise capacity; aging research; obesity research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide modelled on epithalamin, a substance derived from the pineal gland. Laboratory studies suggest it can activate telomerase, the enzyme that maintains the protective caps on chromosomes, and Russian research has linked it to melatonin rhythms and aging markers. It is studied mainly for longevity and cellular-aging questions, but the human evidence is limited and comes largely from small studies.

How it works: It is reported to activate telomerase, the enzyme that maintains chromosome end-caps, and to influence pineal melatonin signalling.

Longevity research; telomere biology; aging studies; sleep regulation

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Tat-Beclin 1 is a research peptide made of a fragment of the autophagy protein Beclin 1 fused to a cell-penetrating sequence. It induces autophagy by disrupting the interaction between Beclin 1 and a negative regulator. In laboratory and animal studies it has reduced replication of several pathogens and helped clear protein aggregates. It is an experimental tool compound with no clinical development.

How it works: It is a cell-penetrating peptide that induces autophagy by releasing Beclin 1 from its inhibitor.

Autophagy research; antiviral research; neurodegeneration models; protein-aggregate clearance

SS-31, developed as elamipretide and formerly called Bendavia and MTP-131, is a synthetic tetrapeptide that concentrates in mitochondria. It binds cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane, helping stabilize the structures that produce cellular energy and reducing oxidative stress. In 2025 the FDA granted it accelerated approval, sold as Forzinity, for muscle strength in Barth syndrome. It has also been researched for heart failure and mitochondrial myopathy.

How it works: It binds cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane, stabilizing energy producing structures and reducing oxidative stress.

Barth syndrome; mitochondrial myopathy; heart failure; macular degeneration

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Humanin is a small mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded within the MT-RNR2 region of mitochondrial DNA. In cell and animal studies it shows cytoprotective and neuroprotective activity, reducing amyloid-beta toxicity and cell death, which has driven interest in aging, Alzheimer's disease, and metabolic research. A potent synthetic variant called S14G-humanin is frequently used in these experiments. It has no human therapeutic approval.

How it works: It is a mitochondrial-derived peptide that protects cells from stress and reduces amyloid-beta toxicity in laboratory models.

Neuroprotection research; Alzheimer's models; longevity studies; metabolic research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

FOXO4-DRI is a synthetic D-retro-inverso cell-penetrating peptide designed to act as a senolytic. It disrupts the interaction between the FOXO4 protein and the tumor suppressor p53, which triggers programmed cell death selectively in senescent cells. In cell and rodent studies it has been reported to clear senescent cells and improve some markers of aging. It has not been tested in human clinical trials.

How it works: It disrupts the FOXO4 and p53 interaction, releasing p53 to trigger apoptosis selectively in senescent cells.

Senescent cell clearance; longevity research; age-related disease

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Cardiogen is a synthetic tetrapeptide from the Khavinson bioregulator family, studied as a heart-focused peptide. Laboratory and animal reports describe effects on cardiomyocyte gene expression, cell differentiation, and cardiac tissue cultures. All published data come from one research group, and the peptide has no approval or controlled human trials in Western medicine.

How it works: It is thought to interact with DNA and histones in cardiac cells, altering expression of genes tied to cardiomyocyte differentiation.

Cardiac research; cardiomyocyte differentiation; cardiovascular aging; tissue regeneration

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Vesugen is a synthetic tripeptide, one of the Khavinson family of short peptide bioregulators, studied mainly as a vascular and endothelial regulator. It is handled as a research compound with no documented regulatory approval. Most published evidence comes from cell culture and gene-expression work, with only small, low-quality human reports, so its claimed effects in humans remain unproven.

How it works: It is proposed to enter cells and modulate expression of genes tied to vascular endothelial function.

Vascular research; endothelial function; cellular aging; atherosclerosis research

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

The KL1 domain is one of the two internal repeat domains of the Klotho protein and can exist as a secreted fragment. Research suggests KL1 carries out several of Klotho's aging-related actions independently of FGF23 signaling, including inhibition of IGF-1, Wnt, and TGF-beta pathways, and a KL1 construct has shown anti-cancer activity in the laboratory. It is a distinct experimental entity from full-length Klotho, with no approved use.

How it works: It acts largely independently of FGF23, inhibiting IGF-1, Wnt, and TGF-beta signaling pathways implicated in aging and tumor growth.

Longevity research; cancer research; cellular aging

Davunetide is an eight amino acid peptide derived from activity-dependent neuroprotective protein that is thought to stabilize neuronal microtubules. It has been tested by nasal spray and by injection in progressive supranuclear palsy, schizophrenia, and mild cognitive impairment, and as CP201 in the rare ADNP syndrome, for which it holds orphan-drug designation. A pivotal trial missed its endpoints and it remains investigational.

How it works: It is an ADNP-derived peptide believed to stabilize neuronal microtubules and support neuronal survival.

Progressive supranuclear palsy; schizophrenia cognition; mild cognitive impairment; ADNP syndrome

This entry is an oral presentation of Epitalon, the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly modeled on a pineal preparation. It is the same molecule as the existing Epitalon row and is not a separate compound. Epitalon is studied for reported effects on melatonin, telomerase activity, and aging markers, largely in animal models and small human studies. Oral peptide bioavailability is generally low.

How it works: It is reported to influence pineal and neuroendocrine signaling and telomerase activity in preclinical work.

Longevity research; telomere biology; aging studies

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.

Humanin G is a synthetic single-substitution analog of humanin in which serine at position 14 is replaced by glycine. It is reported in laboratory assays to be substantially more potent than native humanin, and it has been used as a research tool in models of Alzheimer disease, ischemia, and tissue injury. It is a distinct engineered molecule rather than a route presentation of humanin.

How it works: It is an engineered humanin variant that engages the same cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic pathways with markedly greater reported potency.

Neuroprotection research; Alzheimer models; ischemia research; tissue protection

Real-world figures are community-reported, not medical advice.