What it is
Vesugen is a peptide made of 3 amino acids: lysine, 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 blood vessels. It is sold in Russia as a supplement. It was tested beside Pinealon in the same mouse and human studies. See the Pinealon entry for that compound. Other names: KED, Lys-Glu-Asp, Vezugen.
What researchers study it for
- Cells that line blood vessels
- Hardened arteries and re-narrowed arteries in cell models
- Brain cell connections in Alzheimer's model mice
- Blood flow in older adults
What the studies found
1. Blood vessel lining cells returned toward normal in a lab model of hardened arteries.
A 2016 study grew blood vessel lining cells under conditions like hardened or re-narrowed arteries. Endothelin-1, a signal that tightens blood vessels, was too high. Vesugen brought it back toward normal. It restored the connections between cells. It also raised sirtuin-1, a protein tied to DNA repair. Lab cells only.
2. It prevented loss of brain cell connections in Alzheimer's model mice.
A 2021 study used mice bred to develop Alzheimer's-like brain changes. Vesugen and Pinealon kept the mice from losing dendritic spines, the small bumps where brain cells connect. The journal published a correction to this paper in 2025. The notice does not say what changed. Mouse data only.
3. Blood flow improved in 41 men with narrowed arteries.
A 2014 Russian study gave Vesugen to 41 men whose erection problems came from hardened arteries. Blood flow in the main arteries of the penis improved. There was no comparison group. Human data.
4. Aging markers improved in 32 adults, but blood stem cells dropped.
A 2015 study gave Vesugen or Pinealon to 32 adults aged 41 to 83 with several long-term health problems. Measures of biological age moved in a younger direction. Vesugen had the stronger effect. Vesugen also raised oxidative activity in the blood. It lowered CD34 cells, the stem cells that make new blood cells. There was no comparison group. Human data.
How much research exists
A few lab and mouse studies and two small human studies with no comparison group. Almost all come from the Khavinson network. No blinded trial has been published.
Facts
- Formula: C15H26N4O8
- Weight: about 390 g/mol
- CAS number: 204271-66-9 (could not confirm)
- Sequence: Lys-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.