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Professor Peptides
Research compound

Livagen

Also known as Livagen · Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala · KEDA · KEDA peptide

Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala tetrapeptide with the family's best-documented chromatin-activation data

Last reviewed · Educational reference — not medical advice.

NCKEDA4 residuesN → C
  • Small / Pro
  • Hydrophobic
  • Polar
  • Acidic
  • Basic
Primary sequence, N → C, by residue class.
Formula
C18H31N5O9
Molecular weight
461.5 g/mol
Half-life
Not characterised in published pharmacokinetic studies
Route
Subcutaneous or intramuscular in the source literature
CAS
433257-50-2
PubChem
87919683 (opens in new tab)
Status
Research compound — short peptide bioregulator
Sequence
KEDA
Mechanism
Reported to cause de-heterochromatinisation of condensed chromatin in aged cells: activation of ribosomal genes, decondensation of pericentromeric structural heterochromatin, and derepression of genes silenced by age-related euchromatin condensation, with selectivity for particular chromosome regions.
01

Overview

Livagen is the synthetic tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA). Its sequence is confirmed both by PubChem (CID 87919683, C18H31N5O9, CAS 433257-50-2 — a formula that matches the sequence exactly) and by the 2023 chromatin study, which names it as "Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala-Livagen".

Livagen has the most specific chromatin data of any peptide in this family. A 2002 study in lymphocytes from elderly donors reported that Livagen activated ribosomal genes, decondensed pericentromeric structural heterochromatin, and released genes that had been repressed by age-related condensation of euchromatic chromosome regions. The authors described this as de-heterochromatinisation — chromatin becoming more accessible.

A 2023 follow-up compared four bioregulators head to head (epitalon AEDG, Livagen KEDA, cortagen AEDP, Vilon KE) in lymphocytes from 75–88-year-old donors, using differential scanning calorimetry, ribosomal gene activity, C-heterochromatin polymorphism and sister chromatid exchange. Each peptide showed a selective effect on different chromosome regions rather than a uniform one — which is the strongest form of the group's sequence-specificity argument.

Livagen is marketed as a liver bioregulator. No indexed study measures liver enzymes, hepatic histology, or any hepatic endpoint.

Research areasChromatin remodelling in ageingRibosomal gene activationEpigenetics of cellular senescencePeptide regulation of gene expression
02

What the evidence shows

Separated by study type
HumanClinical trials and human studies
No controlled clinical trials. The evidence is ex vivo: lymphocytes taken from elderly human donors (including a 75–88-year-old cohort) and treated in culture.
AnimalRodent and other animal models
No independently replicated animal outcome data in the indexed literature.
In vitroCell and tissue studies
Activated ribosomal genes, decondensed pericentromeric structural heterochromatin, and derepressed age-condensed euchromatic regions in lymphocytes from elderly donors. A 2023 four-peptide comparison found each peptide acted selectively on different chromosome regions.
03

Key studies & findings

2 studies
  1. 1

    Livagen induced activation of ribosomal genes, decondensation of pericentromeric structural heterochromatin, and release of genes repressed by age-related condensation in lymphocytes from old people.

    2002Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2002 (opens in new tab)

  2. 2

    In a head-to-head comparison of AEDG, KEDA, AEDP and KE in lymphocytes from 75–88-year-old donors, each peptide produced deheterochromatinisation with a selective effect on distinct chromosome regions.

    2023Georgian Medical News, 2023

04

Benefits & effects

3 documented

  • Ribosomal gene activation in aged lymphocytes

    Verified

  • Decondensation of pericentromeric heterochromatin

    Verified

  • Derepression of age-silenced euchromatic genes

    Verified
05

Side effects & safety

1 reported

Safety noteResearch compound for laboratory use only. No regulatory safety review, no established human safety database, and no controlled toxicology data in the public literature.

Recorded in the cited literature No controlled human safety data exist for this compound.

  • Marketed hepatic claims are unsupported by indexed research

    unknown
06

Limitations & open questions

Nearly all published work on this compound originates from a single research programme (the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, Khavinson group) and its collaborators. Independent replication outside that network is sparse to non-existent, sample sizes are small, and much of the source literature is published in Russian-language journals with limited peer-review transparency. Effects reported in cell culture and in aged-donor lymphocytes have not been shown to produce clinical outcomes in controlled human trials. Specific to Livagen: it is marketed as a liver or hepatoprotective bioregulator, but every indexed study concerns lymphocyte chromatin, not hepatic tissue or function. No liver endpoint has been measured.

07

Pharmacology

Livagen is the tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (C18H31N5O9, MW 461.5, CAS 433257-50-2, PubChem CID 87919683). The PubChem formula matches the formula computed from the sequence, confirming identity. No published human pharmacokinetic data exist.

08

Frequently asked questions

What does 'de-heterochromatinisation' actually mean here?

Chromatin in aged cells becomes more tightly packed, which silences genes that were previously active. Livagen was reported to loosen that packing in lymphocytes from elderly donors, making previously silenced genes accessible again. This was measured at the chromosome level in cell culture — it is not a demonstrated clinical anti-ageing effect.

Is Livagen a liver peptide?

It is marketed that way, but no indexed study measures any hepatic endpoint. The published research is entirely about chromatin in lymphocytes.

Is the KEDA sequence confirmed?

Yes. PubChem CID 87919683 lists Livagen with formula C18H31N5O9 and CAS 433257-50-2, which matches the formula computed from Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala exactly, and the 2023 chromatin paper names it as Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala-Livagen.

09

Citations

3 sources
  1. 1
    Effects of Livagen peptide on chromatin activation in lymphocytes from old people (opens in new tab)Khavinson VKh, Lezhava TA, Monaselidze JG, Dzhokhadze TA, Dvalishvili NA, Bablishvili NK, Ryadnova IYu (2002) · doi:10.1023/a:1021924702103
  2. 2
    Epigenetic modification under the influence of peptide bioregulators on the "old" chromatinLezhava T, Jokhadze T, Monaselidze J, Buadze T, Gaiozishvili M, et al. (2023)
  3. 3
    Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review (opens in new tab)Khavinson VKh, Popovich IG, Linkova NS, Mironova ES, Ilina AR (2021) · doi:10.3390/molecules26227053