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A four-residue peptide with a small rat literature on nerve regeneration — and a human claim in one abstract that no published trial supports.
Also known as: Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro · AEDP · brain cortex tetrapeptide
Part of the Neuropeptides & signaling cluster
Overview
Cortagen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro (AEDP), designed by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology from the amino-acid composition of the brain-cortex preparation Cortexin. Rat studies from that group report faster regeneration of a transected sciatic nerve, reduced lipid peroxidation in brain and serum, and better recovery after chronic brain ischaemia. No clinical trial is registered and it is not approved anywhere.
Source & context
Biological / chemical source: Synthetic tetrapeptide designed from the amino-acid analysis of Cortexin, a brain-cortex polypeptide preparation
Primary research or clinical context: Research compound, not approved anywhere; no registered clinical trials
What cortagen is
Cortagen is a four-residue synthetic peptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, obtained by directed synthesis based on the amino-acid analysis of Cortexin, a polypeptide preparation extracted from animal brain cortex (Anisimov et al., Neuroendocrinology Letters 2004). It is one of the Khavinson “cytogens”, alongside epithalon, livagen and vilon, each of which was reported to stimulate the growth of explants from the tissue whose extract it was derived from — cortagen from rat brain cortex (Khavinson, Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2001). PubChem lists it as compound 18439621, CAS 335591-03-2.
Nerve regeneration in rats
The best-defined result is in peripheral nerve injury. After transection and suturing of the sciatic nerve in rats, intramuscular cortagen at 10 µg/kg for 10 days increased the growth rate of regenerating fibres by 27% and their conduction velocity by 40% (Turchaninova et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2000). A follow-up report from the same laboratory described a delayed effect on restoration of function in the injured nerve (Kolosova et al., Doklady Biological Sciences 2002). Both are single-laboratory rat studies.
| Measure | Change with cortagen |
|---|---|
| Growth rate of regenerating fibres | +27% |
| Conduction velocity | +40% |
| Regimen studied | 10 µg/kg intramuscular, 10 days after nerve repair |
Antioxidant and ischaemia findings
Injections of cortagen and epithalon in rats reduced lipid-peroxidation products and oxidative modification of proteins, in parallel with suppression of antioxidant activity in serum and cerebral cortex (Kozina, Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2007). In rats with chronic brain ischaemia, both Cortexin and cortagen accelerated recovery of disturbed behaviour and prevented excessive activation of lipid peroxidation and loss of antioxidant activity in brain tissue, in animals with either high or low resistance to hypoxia (Zarubina and Shabanov, Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology 2011). In mouse thymocytes cortagen, unlike vilon, produced no co-mitogenic effect (Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2002).
Transcriptome and chromatin studies
A microarray study of 15,247 transcripts in mouse heart after an acute course of cortagen was designed to identify molecular targets for what the authors describe as its cardiovascular and cerebrovascular effects (Anisimov et al., Neuroendocrinology Letters 2004). In leukocytes from people aged 75 to 88, cortagen — like vilon, epithalon, livagen and prostamax — activated ribosomal genes and decondensed facultative heterochromatin, although only some of the peptides affected pericentromeric structural chromatin (Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 2004; Lezhava et al., Georgian Medical News 2023).
The human claim
One abstract states that in humans cortagen “demonstrated a pronounced therapeutic effect upon the structural and functional post-traumatic recovery of peripheral nerve tissue” (Anisimov et al. 2004). No controlled clinical trial supporting that statement is indexed in PubMed, and ClinicalTrials.gov lists no study of cortagen. The human evidence therefore consists of an assertion in a preclinical paper's introduction and in vitro work on cells from elderly donors. That is not the same as demonstrated benefit, and readers should weigh the claim accordingly.
Status and relation to other profiles
Cortagen is not approved as a medicine in any jurisdiction; products sold under the name are unregulated research chemicals. Its parent preparation, Cortexin, is a separate multi-component extract. On this site the closest relatives are epithalon, pinealon and vilon from the same design programme, and the neuropeptides semax and selank, which have a much larger literature. This profile is educational and is not guidance on obtaining or using any product.
Sequence
One-letter sequence commonly cited for Cortagen (educational; isoforms and modifications may differ):
AEDP
Residues plotted ~100° apart around an α-helix — clustering of one color reveals an amphipathic face.
Structure & chemistry
Molecular identity & reference confidence
Source-supported reference
Reference values are taken from the cited molecular record or curated profile. A database match is not independent laboratory verification; modifications, counter-ions, and formulations can change the measured mass.
- Molecular form
- Linear tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro
- Species
- Not established by this molecular identity audit
- Termini (N / C)
- Not specified / Not specified
Average reference mass
Reference policy updated: 2026-10-05
- PubChem molecular record · 2026-10-01
- Molecular formula
- C17H26N4O9
- Average reference mass
- ≈ 430.4
- Backbone
- Linear tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro
- Status
- Research compound; not approved anywhere and no registered clinical trial (September 2026)
- PubChem CID: 18439621
- CAS RN: 335591-03-2
Chemistry values: curated profile, PubChem · fetched 2026-10-01.
Cortagen — reconstitution calculator
Enter how much peptide is in the vial and how much diluent (e.g. bacteriostatic water) is added. The tool returns the resulting solution concentration — and, for any amount you type, the volume it corresponds to. This is educational arithmetic, not a dosing recommendation.
Reference form: Linear tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-ProAverage reference mass: 430.4 Da
Enter an amount to see the volume it corresponds to.
Educational concentration mathematics only. This tool does not recommend a dose, amount, or protocol, and nothing here is medical advice. Many peptides are not authorized by Health Canada for human use — see our reconstitution and bacteriostatic-water guides for context.
Change log
Dated observations from the data pipeline (registry flags, trial footprints, identifiers) and editorial reviews of this profile.
- EditorialProfile content reviewed and updated by the editorial team.
FAQ about Cortagen
What is Cortagen?+
Cortagen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro (AEDP), designed by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology from the amino-acid composition of the brain-cortex preparation Cortexin. Rat studies from that group report faster regeneration of a transected sciatic nerve, reduced lipid peroxidation in brain and serum, and better recovery after chronic brain ischaemia. No clinical trial is registered and it is not approved anywhere.
What Canadian product status is recorded for Cortagen?+
Canadian product status for Cortagen has not been verified in this profile. No verified record here does not mean no authorization exists. Status depends on the product, formulation and use; consult Health Canada's product records.
What is the typical length of Cortagen?+
Cortagen is commonly described as approximately 4 amino acids (Synthetic tetrapeptide (Khavinson bioregulator)).
What is cortagen?+
The synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, designed from the amino-acid composition of the brain-cortex extract Cortexin. It is one of the Khavinson bioregulators.
What did the nerve study show?+
In rats with a repaired sciatic nerve, cortagen at 10 µg/kg for 10 days increased fibre growth rate by 27% and conduction velocity by 40% in a single-laboratory study.
Is cortagen approved?+
No, nowhere, and there is no registered clinical trial.
Is there human evidence for cortagen?+
One abstract asserts a therapeutic effect on nerve recovery in humans, but no supporting trial is indexed. The evidence is rodent and cell-culture work.
How does cortagen relate to Cortexin?+
Cortexin is a polypeptide extract from animal brain cortex; cortagen is a single synthetic tetrapeptide designed from that extract's amino-acid analysis.
Further reading
- FoundationsWhat Are Research Peptides? A Clear Educational GuideLearn what “research peptides” means, how they differ from approved peptide drugs, quality markers (COA, purity), and how to study them responsibly.
- SafetyPeptide Safety and Risks: A Balanced Educational OverviewAn objective, balanced overview of what research does and does not establish about peptide risks—unknowns, purity and contamination concerns, and why unapproved compounds carry uncertainty. Not reassurance and not medical advice.
- FoundationsPeptides for Beginners: A Clear Educational FoundationA beginner-friendly primer on what peptides are, how they differ from proteins and SARMs, approved medicines vs research materials, and how to learn responsibly.
Related peptides
References & further reading
- 1.Zarubina et al. (2011). [Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia]. Eksp Klin Farmakol
- 2.Kolosova et al. (2002). The delayed effect of cortagen on the restoration of injured nerve function. Dokl Biol Sci
- 3.Turchaninova et al. (2000). Effect of tetrapeptide cortagen on regeneration of sciatic nerve. Bull Exp Biol Med
- 4.Anisimov et al. (2004). Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray. Neuro Endocrinol Lett
- 5.Kozina LS (2007). Effects of bioactive tetrapeptides on free-radical processes. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine
- 6.Khavinson VKh et al. (2004). Effects of short peptides on lymphocyte chromatin in senile subjects. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine
- 7.Khavinson VK (2001). Tissue-specific effects of peptides. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine
- 8.PubChem — Cortagen (CID 18439621)