What it is
Ovagen is a peptide made of 3 amino acids: glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and leucine. It is made in a lab. It comes from Vladimir Khavinson's group in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is sold as a liver and gut supplement. Every published study on it looks at the kidney, not the liver or gut. In some papers it is called T-35. See the Livagen entry for the group's liver peptide, and the Cartalax entry for a peptide tested beside it. Other names: EDL, Glu-Asp-Leu, T-35.
What researchers study it for
- Kidney injury from drugs in rats
- Kidney injury from blocked blood flow in rats
- Aging kidney cells in lab dishes
- Kidney function in old rats
What the studies found
1. It protected rat kidneys from two kinds of injury.
A 2017 study damaged rat kidneys two ways. One used gentamicin, an antibiotic that can harm kidneys. The other cut off blood flow and then restored it. Ovagen kept urine output from dropping and kept waste from building up in the blood. It also limited oxidative damage in the kidney. Rat data only.
2. Kidney function returned toward normal after cisplatin injury.
Cisplatin is a cancer drug that can damage kidneys. A 2015 study gave rats cisplatin, then tested four peptide treatments. Ovagen brought urine output, creatinine handling, and filtering rate back toward normal. Creatinine is a waste product the kidneys clear. Protein in the urine went down. Rat data only.
3. Aging kidney cells showed fewer signs of aging.
A 2014 study aged kidney cells in a dish. Ovagen made the cells divide more. It lowered three markers of aging cells: p16, p21, and p53. It raised SIRT-6, a protein that drops as cells age. Computer models suggest it attaches to certain spots on DNA. Lab cells and computer data.
4. It changed one enzyme that remodels tissue around kidney cells.
A 2014 study aged kidney cells in a dish and tested a kidney extract and two short peptides. The extract and Cartalax raised markers of cell renewal. Ovagen mainly changed MMP-14, an enzyme that breaks down the support structure around cells. Lab cells only.
5. Old rats made more urine and cleared more sodium.
A 2018 study gave old rats a kidney extract or short peptides. Ovagen raised urine output 1.2 to 1.4 times. It also raised sodium removal in the urine 1.6 times. Rat data only.
How much research exists
A small set of rat and lab cell studies. All come from the Khavinson network and its partners in Ukraine. No study has tested it on the liver or gut. No human trial has been published.
Facts
- Formula: C15H25N3O8
- Weight: about 375 g/mol
- CAS number: none found
- Sequence: Glu-Asp-Leu
- Time in the blood: never measured
- Storage: powder in the freezer.
Legal status
Not approved by the FDA or any other agency for human use. Sold as a supplement in some countries.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.