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Professor Peptides
Research compound

Pancragen

Also known as Pancragen · Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp · KEDW · lysyl glutamyl aspartyl tryptophanamide

Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp amide; sequence confirmed via NLM concept mapping

Last reviewed · Educational reference — not medical advice.

NCKEDW4 residuesN → C
  • Small / Pro
  • Hydrophobic
  • Polar
  • Acidic
  • Basic
Primary sequence, N → C, by residue class.
Half-life
Not characterised in published pharmacokinetic studies
Route
Subcutaneous or intramuscular in the source literature
Status
Research compound — short peptide bioregulator
Sequence
KEDW
Mechanism
Presumed to share the family mechanism — nuclear penetration and sequence-selective DNA binding influencing gene expression — but this has not been demonstrated for Pancragen specifically. No receptor identified; no metabolic mechanism demonstrated.
01

Overview

Pancragen is the tetrapeptide amide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2 (KEDW-NH2). The sequence is confirmed by the US National Library of Medicine, which maps the name "Pancragen" to the supplementary concept lysyl glutamyl aspartyl tryptophanamide — an authoritative source independent of both the manufacturer and vendor listings.

That confirmation is the strongest thing that can be said about this compound. Beyond the sequence, indexed literature specific to Pancragen is very thin. It belongs to the Khavinson short-peptide family and is presumed by its originators to act by the same nuclear DNA-binding route documented for epithalon, testagen, bronchogen and Vilon, but Pancragen itself was not among the peptides tested in the nuclear-penetration, chromatin, or THP-1 monocyte studies that give this family what evidence it has.

Pancragen is marketed as a pancreatic bioregulator for glucose metabolism. No indexed study located here measures glucose, insulin, HbA1c, or any metabolic endpoint.

Research areasPeptide bioregulationPancreatic tissue peptide extractsPeptide regulation of gene expression
02

What the evidence shows

Separated by study type
HumanClinical trials and human studies
No controlled clinical trials located.
AnimalRodent and other animal models
No independently replicated animal outcome data located.
In vitroCell and tissue studies
Pancragen was not included in the nuclear-penetration, chromatin or THP-1 monocyte studies that characterise other members of this family. Direct in vitro data are sparse.
03

Key studies & findings

2 studies
  1. 1

    The US National Library of Medicine maps "Pancragen" to the supplementary concept lysyl glutamyl aspartyl tryptophanamide, independently confirming the KEDW-NH2 sequence.

    NLM supplementary concept mapping (PubMed)

  2. 2

    The broader short-peptide family has been systematically reviewed as regulators of gene expression, with DNA binding and chromatin effects documented for several individual members — though not for Pancragen itself.

    2021Molecules, 2021 (opens in new tab)

04

Benefits & effects

1 documented

  • Sequence independently confirmed by NLM concept mapping

    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 metabolic 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 Pancragen: unlike Vilon, Livagen, Cortagen, Testagen and Bronchogen, it was not included in the key mechanistic studies of this family. Its sequence is well confirmed; its biology is not. The pancreatic and glucose-metabolism positioning is unsupported by any indexed endpoint study located here.

07

Pharmacology

Pancragen is the tetrapeptide amide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2. No PubChem record was retrievable under the trade name in this session and no pharmacokinetic study exists. The C-terminal amide distinguishes it from the free-acid peptides elsewhere in this family and would be expected to modestly increase resistance to carboxypeptidase degradation, though this has not been measured for this compound.

08

Frequently asked questions

Is Pancragen's sequence reliable?

Yes. The National Library of Medicine maps the name to the supplementary concept lysyl glutamyl aspartyl tryptophanamide, which is Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp with a C-terminal amide. That is independent of vendor claims.

Does Pancragen affect blood sugar?

No indexed study located here measures glucose, insulin, HbA1c or any metabolic endpoint. The pancreatic positioning comes from the tissue the original extract was derived from.

Why is there so little research on Pancragen specifically?

It was not included in the studies that characterise this family — the nuclear-penetration work, the aged-lymphocyte chromatin comparisons, or the THP-1 monocyte study all tested other members. Its sequence is better established than its biology.

09

Citations

2 sources
  1. 1
    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
  2. 2
    Neuroepigenetic Mechanisms of Action of Ultrashort Peptides in Alzheimer's Disease (opens in new tab)Ilina A, Khavinson V, Linkova N, Petukhov M (2022) · doi:10.3390/ijms23084259