Longevity & Anti-Aging

Recombinant human growth hormone — the full 191-amino-acid pituitary peptide, FDA-approved for a short list of specific deficiency and wasting indications and the subject of an enormous off-label market for anti-aging, performance, and body-composition use that runs far ahead of the evidence.

A growth hormone-releasing hormone analog that was previously FDA-approved for diagnosing GH deficiency in children.

The circulating 'cellular stress' hormone of the TGF-β superfamily — the molecule that links metformin-induced weight loss, pregnancy-associated hyperemesis, and cancer cachexia through a single brainstem receptor (GFRAL). Not a self-administered peptide; the clinical programs are antibodies that block GDF-15, not supply it.

The endogenous 8-amino-acid effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) — the body's master vasoconstrictor and aldosterone-release signal, and, as synthetic Giapreza, an FDA-approved IV infusion for catecholamine-resistant vasodilatory shock.

An FDA-approved peptide hormone used to treat osteoporosis and Paget's disease by inhibiting bone resorption.

An FDA-approved fragment of parathyroid hormone that stimulates new bone formation, used for severe osteoporosis.

An FDA-approved somatostatin analogue used to treat acromegaly, carcinoid tumors, and severe diarrhea.

The first FDA-approved mitochondria-targeted peptide. Stealth BioTherapeutics received accelerated approval in September 19, 2025 for Barth syndrome — a rare X-linked cardiolipin disorder affecting roughly 150 people in the US — marketed as Forzinity.

An FDA-approved synthetic analog of parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP 1-34) used to stimulate new bone formation in postmenopausal women at high risk of fracture.

The endogenous nine-amino-acid posterior-pituitary hormone that regulates water balance, vascular tone, and the stress axis — FDA-approved for central diabetes insipidus and vasodilatory shock.

The endogenous cyclic neuropeptide (SST-14 and SST-28 isoforms) that acts as the body's universal inhibitor of hormone and exocrine secretion — the physiological parent of the approved analogs octreotide, lanreotide, and pasireotide.

An FDA-approved long-acting somatostatin analog used to treat acromegaly, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, and carcinoid syndrome.

An FDA-approved pan-somatostatin analog (SSTR1/2/3/5) used as first-line medical therapy for Cushing's disease and second-line for acromegaly.

The 244-amino-acid adipocyte-secreted hormone discovered independently by four groups in 1995–1996 — unusual among adipokines in that its levels fall with obesity, not rise with it. High-adiponectin states are protective; low-adiponectin states track insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Direct therapeutic use is limited by its large multimeric structure, and the field's forward push is toward small-molecule AdipoR agonists like AdipoRon.

An FDA-approved synthetic 20-amino-acid direct thrombin inhibitor used as an intravenous anticoagulant during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and as a non-heparin option in patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

An FDA-approved synthetic 25-amino-acid peptide derived from the venom of the marine cone snail Conus magus that selectively blocks N-type voltage-gated calcium channels in spinal cord nociceptive pathways. Delivered intrathecally via implanted pump for severe, refractory chronic pain — non-opioid, non-tolerizing, but constrained by a famously narrow therapeutic window and prominent neuropsychiatric side effects.

An endogenous 7-amino-acid peptide (Asp-Arg-Val-Tyr-Ile-His-Pro) generated principally from angiotensin II by ACE2, acting at the Mas receptor as the counter-regulatory arm of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system — opposing angiotensin II's vasoconstriction, fibrosis, and pressor effects with vasodilatory, anti-fibrotic, and cardioprotective signaling.

A growth hormone-releasing hormone analog that stimulates the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormone.

The most-studied copper peptide in skincare — a naturally occurring tripeptide (GHK, Gly-His-Lys) whose active tissue form is the copper complex GHK-Cu, with extensive evidence for skin remodeling, collagen synthesis, wound healing, and anti-aging.

Precursors to NAD+, a critical coenzyme for cellular energy and longevity pathways. NAD+ levels decline with age.

The body's most abundant antioxidant — a tripeptide critical for detoxification, immune function, and cellular protection, and one of the most widely used systemic skin-brightening and hyperpigmentation interventions via oral, IV, SubQ/IM, and topical routes (note: IV use for skin lightening is FDA-flagged and not approved).

The hepatic peptide hormone of fasting and ketogenic states — and the target behind the most exciting current NASH/MASH pipeline. Native FGF21 has a half-life measured in hours; the clinical drugs are engineered Fc-fusions and PEGylated variants dosed weekly.

An FDA-approved first-in-class reversible proteasome inhibitor — a dipeptide boronic acid — that defined modern multiple myeloma therapy and the peptide-boronate drug class.

An FDA-approved second-generation, irreversible epoxyketone proteasome inhibitor — derived from the natural product epoxomicin — used intravenously in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma.

A mitochondria-targeted cardiolipin-stabilizing tetrapeptide FDA-approved in September 2025 as Forzinity for Barth syndrome — the first approved mitochondria-targeted peptide — with ongoing trials in dry AMD, mitochondrial myopathy, and heart failure.

A thymic peptide complex studied for immune system restoration, particularly in aging populations and immunocompromised states.

A naturally occurring dipeptide concentrated in muscle and brain tissue, studied for anti-aging, cognitive support, and exercise performance.

The original 'exercise in a pill' — an AMPK activator that increased running endurance by 44% in sedentary mice. Banned by WADA since 2009. Studied for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and cardioprotection.

Acceleron Pharma's soluble ActRIIB-Fc decoy receptor — a myostatin/activin ligand trap that produced striking muscle-mass signals in healthy volunteers and Duchenne boys before its Phase 2 DMD program was halted in 2011 over epistaxis and telangiectasia attributed to broad TGF-β pathway blockade.

An insulin-superfamily peptide hormone best known for softening pelvic ligaments and the cervix before childbirth, later developed as the failed heart-failure drug serelaxin.

An endogenous peptide hormone and ligand of the APJ receptor with positive inotropic, vasodilatory, and insulin-sensitizing effects — heavily studied as a heart-failure target but not available as an approved therapy, with small-molecule APJ agonists now advancing through early clinical trials.

The longevity protein discovered in 1997 as a mouse-aging-syndrome gene, now the subject of rigorous cognitive-aging research (the KL-VS variant confers real cognitive protection) and a grey-market 'Klotho peptide' industry that oversells early-stage academic work.

A mitochondria-derived peptide that regulates metabolic homeostasis and has been called an 'exercise mimetic.'

A mitochondria-derived peptide with cytoprotective properties, studied for neuroprotection, metabolic regulation, and anti-aging effects.

A naturally occurring immunopeptide that controls T cell migration into inflamed tissues. Discovered at the University of Birmingham, PEPITEM shows preclinical promise for inflammatory arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, psoriasis, bone loss, and age-related immune decline.

A synthetic immunomodulatory dipeptide (Glu-Trp) isolated from the thymic peptide complex Thymalin, studied for T-cell differentiation, anti-aging immune restoration, and anti-inflammatory activity as part of the Khavinson bioregulator system.

An exercise-induced myokine that promotes browning of white adipose tissue, enhances metabolism, and shows neuroprotective effects — though bioavailability and clinical translation remain challenging.

A synthetic tetrapeptide studied for its potential to activate telomerase and influence cellular aging.

A senolytic peptide designed to selectively clear senescent cells by disrupting the FOXO4-p53 interaction, studied for anti-aging applications.

A short tripeptide studied for neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing properties, part of the Khavinson peptide bioregulator family.

An enhanced version of Epithalon with improved stability, studied for telomerase activation, pineal gland regulation, and anti-aging effects.

A synthetic dipeptide bioregulator (Glu-Asp) from the Khavinson system, studied for bladder function support, urinary health, and age-related urogenital decline.

A synthetic tripeptide bioregulator (Lys-Glu-Asp) from the Khavinson system, studied for vascular protection, endothelial function, and age-related cardiovascular decline.

A synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator (Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp) from the Khavinson system, studied for pancreatic function, glucose metabolism, and age-related type 2 diabetes.

A synthetic tripeptide bioregulator (Ala-Glu-Asp) from the Khavinson system, studied for cartilage protection, joint health, and musculoskeletal aging.

A synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala) from the Khavinson system, studied for chromatin decondensation, hepatoprotection, and immune cell reactivation in aging.

A chimeric anticancer peptide that selectively kills cancer cells by binding to HDM-2 on their membranes, inducing pore formation and necrosis while leaving normal cells unharmed.

A synthetic exercise mimetic that activates estrogen-related receptors (ERRs) to replicate the molecular effects of aerobic exercise — increasing endurance, fat oxidation, and mitochondrial function without physical activity.

A selective NNMT inhibitor that reduces fat mass by boosting NAD+ and cellular energy expenditure — without affecting appetite. In mice, 11 days of treatment produced 5% weight loss and 35% reduction in white adipose tissue.

A synthetic tripeptide bioregulator (Glu-Asp-Gly) from the Khavinson system, studied for respiratory and bronchial mucosal health, anti-inflammatory gene regulation, and stress protection in lung tissue.

A liver- and brain-derived peptide hormone that regulates energy balance, insulin sensitivity, and endothelial function — investigated as both a cardiometabolic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target, though no clinical drug program exists yet.

A yeast-derived cosmetic hexapeptide that activates the proteasome, autophagy, and antioxidant response pathways in skin fibroblasts — positioned as a proteostasis-based anti-aging ingredient.

An endogenous tetrapeptide cleaved from thymosin β4 with broad antifibrotic activity across the heart, kidney, lung, and liver — historically developed as the chemoprotective drug goralatide and more recently studied as a biomarker of ACE-inhibitor activity.

A 14-amino-acid peptide hormone that activates galanin receptors 2 and 3 — lower in obesity and type 2 diabetes, investigated as a potential metabolic therapeutic and biomarker but still without any approved product or clinical trial program.

A synthetic immunomodulatory dipeptide (Lys-Glu) isolated from the thymic peptide complex Thymalin, studied by the Khavinson group for T-cell support, gene-expression modulation, and lifespan endpoints in aging rodents.

A synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator (Ala-Glu-Asp-Leu) from the Khavinson system, studied for bronchial epithelial maintenance, mucin gene regulation, and adjunct use in chronic bronchitis and COPD within the Russian bioregulator framework.

A synthetic short peptide bioregulator (commonly cited as the tripeptide Ala-Glu-Asp) from the Khavinson program, positioned as a myocardial tissue-specific regulator and studied in rodent cardiac and tumor models for age-related cardiac function decline.

A synthetic short peptide bioregulator (commonly cited as the tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Pro) from the Khavinson program, positioned as a prostate-tissue-specific regulator and studied in rodent models for benign prostatic hyperplasia, chronic prostatitis, and age-related prostate function decline.

A synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator (commonly cited as Lys-Glu-Asp-Gly, KEDG) from the Khavinson program, positioned as the testicular tissue-targeted short peptide and discussed for age-related decline in Leydig cell function, male reproductive aging, and androgen deficiency.

A 32-amino-acid endogenous peptide hormone that acts as the second ligand of the APJ (apelin) receptor — essential for embryonic cardiovascular development and emerging as a candidate therapeutic for pulmonary hypertension, pre-eclampsia, heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. Currently a research molecule with no approved clinical product.

A synthetic short peptide (commonly cited as Glu-Asp-Pro, EDP) from the Khavinson program at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, positioned as the thymus / immune-system tissue-targeted bioregulator and the synthetic counterpart to the natural-extract preparation Thymalin — used within the Khavinson framework for age-related immune decline, with the thinnest peer-reviewed footprint in the bioregulator catalog.

An endogenous TGF-β superfamily peptide closely related to myostatin (~90% identity in mature domain), launched into mainstream attention by Loffredo and Wagers' 2013 Cell paper claiming circulating GDF-11 declines with age and reverses cardiac hypertrophy in aged mice — a rejuvenation story that has been substantially complicated by Egerman, Glass, and others' contradicting work showing antibody specificity issues, GDF-11 increases (not decreases) with age in some populations, and direct GDF-11 administration may worsen rather than improve outcomes.

A natural-extract retinal-tissue polypeptide preparation in the Khavinson catalog, used in Russian ophthalmology practice for diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and other retinal disorders. Khavinson's group has studied Visoluten in retinal aging and dystrophic disease (Trofimova 2001, Khavinson 2014), with the broader Khavinson framework's mechanistic and evidence limitations applying.

The natural-extract pineal-tissue polypeptide preparation that preceded synthetic Epitalon (KEDG) in the Khavinson program. Anisimov's 1998 Mech Ageing Dev paper reported lifespan extension of fruit flies, mice, and rats by Epithalamin — one of the most-cited Russian-tradition peptide aging studies. Distinct from synthetic Epitalon: Epithalamin is the older complex polypeptide preparation, Epitalon is the chemically defined tetrapeptide identified as a key active component.

A synthetic tripeptide bioregulator (Glu-Asp-Leu) from the Khavinson system, studied for liver tissue support, hepatoprotection, and gastrointestinal health.