What it is
Cartalax is a peptide made of 3 amino acids: alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid. It is made in a lab. It comes from Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg, Russia. The group assigns it to cartilage and connective tissue. It is the same as Epithalon without the last amino acid, glycine. In some papers it is called T-31. Capsules with it are sold in Russia as supplements. See the Epithalon entry for that compound. Other names: AED, Ala-Glu-Asp, T-31.
What researchers study it for
- Stem cells turning into cartilage cells
- Genes tied to cell aging
- Skin cells that make collagen
- Cell renewal in kidney tissue from rats
What the studies found
1. Aging human stem cells turned on cartilage genes.
A 2023 study grew human stem cells until they began to age. Cartalax turned on four markers of cartilage cells: SOX9, aggrecan, type II collagen, and COMP. A cartilage extract did the same thing only at 10 times the amount. The authors say it should next be tested in arthritis models. Lab cells only.
2. It raised IGF-1 gene activity 3.5 to 5.6 times in aging stem cells.
A 2020 study aged human bone marrow stem cells in two lab models. Cartalax and two related short peptides were added. IGF-1 gene activity went up 3.5 to 5.6 times. Other genes tied to aging also changed, and the changes depended on the peptide and the model. Lab cells only.
3. Kidney tissue from young and old rats renewed more cells.
A 2015 study grew small pieces of rat kidney in a dish. Cartalax raised a marker of dividing cells called Ki-67. It lowered p53, a protein that tells damaged cells to die. A calf kidney extract had a stronger effect. Lab tissue from rats only.
4. Aging skin cells made less of an enzyme that breaks down collagen.
MMP-9 is an enzyme that breaks down the support structure around skin cells. It rises as cells age. In a 2016 study of aging human skin cells, Cartalax lowered MMP-9. It raised markers of cell division. It also lowered a type of programmed cell death. Lab cells only.
5. Aging skin cells made more collagen and sirtuins.
Sirtuins are proteins linked to cell repair and aging. A 2020 study added Cartalax to human skin cells as they aged in a dish. The cells made more sirtuin-1, sirtuin-6, and type I collagen. Lab cells only.
How much research exists
A set of lab cell and rat tissue studies, many in Russian. All come from Russian research groups and their partners. The capsules sold in Russia have no published human trials. No human study of any kind has been published.
Facts
- Formula: C12H19N3O8
- Weight: about 333 g/mol
- CAS number: 85806-95-7 (could not confirm)
- Sequence: Ala-Glu-Asp
- Time in the blood: never measured
- Storage: powder in the freezer.
Legal status
Not approved by the FDA or any other agency as a drug. Sold as a supplement in Russia.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.