Peptides / Brain and mood

Synthetic analog · 4 amino acids · 430.4 Da

Cortagen (AEDP)

Cortagen is a short synthetic peptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) from the Khavinson bioregulator family, and no approval as a drug was found. Its studies are in animals and lab cells, mostly on the immune system and the nervous system. PepBank shows 18 results on Cortagen from animal and lab studies. No study in people has reported results yet. Data as of 2026-10-30.

Also known as AEDP, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, Cortagen, Cortagen peptide

4 amino acids, from first to lastAEDP

Evidence level: Animal and lab studies onlyNo study in people has results. ClinicalTrials.gov lists no trial.

Results in people

0% of 18 results

Results in animals

61% of 18 results

Results in lab cells

39% of 18 results

From computer models

0% of 18 results

Overview

Cortagen (AEDP) at a glance

What it is	Synthetic analog, 4 amino acids
Approval	Regulatory status not recorded
In sport	Status unknown
Studies	8 studies with results. 7 of them gave Cortagen, with 18 results. 11 in animals7 in lab cells
Clinical trials	None registered
Community use	Community interest in brain and nerve research

The science

What is Cortagen?

Synthetic Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro peptide from the Khavinson bioregulator family.

Amino acids in one chain

Cortagen (AEDP) structure and chemistry

The key facts about the molecule. Long codes are in the closed section below.

Sequence, 4 amino acidsFrom the first amino acid to the last

A1−E−DP

Darker means more water-repelling+ and − show charge in the body

Structure

Cortagen (AEDP) is a synthetic analog of 4 amino acids, with no ring, no changed amino acids.

Formula

C₁₇H₂₆N₄O₉

Molecular weight

430.4 g/mol

CAS number

335591-03-2

Development

Highest phase: no known clinical development.

Identifiers

PubChem 18439621

Full sequence, SMILES and InChIKey

Three-letter sequence
H-Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro-OH

InChIKey
PLTRIMAUDDQYRV-NAKRPEOUSA-N

SMILES
C[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)O)C(=O)N1CCC[C@H]1C(=O)O)N

See charge, composition and 3D structure on the Scientific page

The evidence

What Cortagen studies show

Results grouped by what the studies measured. Each card shows where its results come from.

Animal and lab studies onlyNo study in people has results. ClinicalTrials.gov lists no trial.

Cells, genes and aging

4 results · 3 animal · 1 lab

In mice, Cortagen changed cardiac expression of 234 clones matching 110 known genes compared with controls. Neuro endocrinology letters, 2004

Top results

In mice, Cortagen changed cardiac expression of 234 clones matching 110 known genes compared with controls. (Neuro endocrinology letters, 2004)
In lab tests with rat tissue, Cortagen increased brain cortex explant growth. (Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 2001)
In mice, maximum cardiac gene upregulation after Cortagen was +5.42 compared with controls. (Neuro endocrinology letters, 2004)

Blood and clotting

3 results · 3 animal

In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect coagulation parameters. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008

Top results

In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect coagulation parameters. (Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008)
In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect erythrocyte parameters. (Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008)
In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect fibrinolysis. (Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008)

Brain and nerves

3 results · 3 animal

In rats after sciatic nerve injury and repair, cortagen increased regenerating nerve fiber growth rate by 27%. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 2000

Top results

In rats after sciatic nerve injury and repair, cortagen increased regenerating nerve fiber growth rate by 27%. (Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 2000)
In rats with brain ischemia and different hypoxia resistance, cortagen accelerated behavioral recovery. (Eksperimental'naia i klinicheskaia farmakologiia, 2011)
In rats after sciatic nerve injury and repair, cortagen increased regenerating nerve fiber conduction velocity by 40%. (Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 2000)

Immune system and inflammation

8 results · 2 animal · 6 lab

In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect cellular immunity. Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008

Top results

In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect cellular immunity. (Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008)
In chickens and old birds, cortagene injections did not affect humoral immunity. (Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii, 2008)
In cells from mice, Cortagen did not stimulate thymocyte proliferation with a mitogen. (Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 2002)

All 8 Cortagen studies by area Open the Scientific page

Key Cortagen studies

Studies in people come first, then studies in animals and in the lab.

Animals
Elucidation of the effect of brain cortex tetrapeptide Cortagen on gene expression in mouse heart by microarray
Anisimov et al. 2004 · Neuro endocrinology letters · cited by 8
3 results
Animals
Effect of tetrapeptide cortagen on regeneration of sciatic nerve
Turchaninova et al. 2000 · Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine · cited by 3
2 results
Animals
[Cortexin and cortagen as correcting agents in functional and metabolic disorders in the brain in chronic ischemia]
Zarubina et al. 2011 · Eksperimental'naia i klinicheskaia farmakologiia · cited by 1
1 result
Animals
[Effects of epithalon and cortagene on immunity and hemostasis in neonatally hypophysectomized chicken and old birds]
Kuznik et al. 2008 · Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii · cited by 1
5 results
Lab cells
Tissue-specific effects of peptides
Khavinson et al. 2001 · Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine · cited by 3
1 result

All 8 Cortagen (AEDP) studies

Cortagen clinical trials

ClinicalTrials.gov lists no trial of Cortagen. A trial under another name may exist.

Status and safety

Is Cortagen approved?

FDA

United States

Status unknown

Status unknown.

EMA

European Union

Status unknown

Status unknown.

WADA

Sport

Not recorded

Status unknown.

Regulatory status not recorded. Status unknown.

Laws and labels change, so check the regulator for the current status.

Cortagen side effects and safety

PepBank has no safety result from studies of Cortagen yet. That does not mean Cortagen is safe.

Doses studied (1 shown)

The doses that these studies used. They are not recommendations.

Dose as reported	Class	Species	Route	Duration	Design	Source
10 microg/kg	Animal	rat	intramuscular	10 days	Study in live animals	Turchaninova 2000

From the community

How people use it

What people report online. It comes from forums and guides, not from studies.

Community-reported. Not tested in trials.

The guide describes brain and nerve research. It reports a use pattern, without proof of safety or benefit.

Reported routines and cautions

What people use it for

Community interest in brain and nerve researchS1

Reported regimens

Regimens that community sources report for Cortagen. Community-reported, not tested in trials.
Context	Route	Amount	How often	How long	Agreement	Sources
Community interest in brain and nerve research	subcutaneous injection	0.5 to 2 mg per dose	once daily	10 to 20 days	Single non-vendor guide. The underlying community reports were not independently verified.	S1

Community sources

S1Cortagen community guide (opens in a new tab)vialguide.com

Gaps

This is one secondary guide. It does not identify the underlying community reports. Other regimens exist in the guide. No official medicine label was established. Product purity and actual use were not independently tested.

Questions and more

Ask a question about Cortagen

The answer links to every study it uses.

What does the evidence say about Cortagen?Is Cortagen tested in people?Compare with Cerebrolysin Compare with Selank

Sources

Database: PepBank data for Cortagen (data version 308560)
Regulator: FDA status record
Regulator: EMA status record
Regulator: WADA status record
Community: community sources (forums and guides), as summarized in the PepBank community file

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

PepBank is a research reference. Talk to a doctor before you use any peptide.

Ask your AI about Cortagen

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Cortagen (AEDP)

Also known as AEDP, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, Cortagen, Cortagen peptide

What it is

Synthetic analog, 4 amino acids

Approval

Regulatory status not recorded

In sport

Status unknown

Studies

8 studies with results. 7 of them gave Cortagen, with 18 results.
11 in animals7 in lab cells

Clinical trials

None registered

Community use

Community interest in brain and nerve research

Dose as reported

Class

Species

Route

Duration

Design

Source

10 microg/kg

Animal

rat

intramuscular

10 days

Study in live animals

Turchaninova 2000

Context

Route

Amount

How often

How long

Agreement

Sources

Community interest in brain and nerve research

subcutaneous injection

0.5 to 2 mg per dose

once daily

10 to 20 days

Single non-vendor guide. The underlying community reports were not independently verified.

Cortagen (AEDP)

Cortagen (AEDP) at a glance

What is Cortagen?

Cortagen (AEDP) structure and chemistry