Cardiogen (AEDR): What the Research Shows, Dosage and Legal Status

Cardiogen is one of several Khavinson bioregulator peptides on this site, alongside Epitalon and Pinealon. As with those, the research is real but comes from one Russian research lineage, and for Cardiogen it goes no further than rats.

What is Cardiogen?

Cardiogen is a short synthetic four-amino-acid peptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg (AEDR), from Vladimir Khavinson’s organ-specific bioregulator programme, which also produced Epitalon and Pinealon. It is marketed as a heart peptide for age-related changes in the heart and blood vessels.

Cardiogen structure

Molecular formula

C₁₈H₃₁N₇O₉

Molecular weight

489.5 g/mol

Length

4 amino acids

Sequence

AEDR

Modifications

Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg; free N- and C-termini; all L-amino acids.

PubChem CID

11583989

PubChem's name lookup for 'cardiogen' returns L-carnitine, an unrelated molecule; this record was matched by structure (the L-configured tetrapeptide AEDR).

Identity checked against Khavinson et al., Int J Mol Sci 2022 (developers' review of their short peptides).

How Cardiogen works

Researchers propose that Cardiogen acts as a bioregulator with a selective effect on heart muscle tissue, rather than through a conventional receptor on the cell surface. Two rat studies looked at how it acts:

• Heart-tissue cultures. At a very low concentration, Cardiogen stimulated cell growth in heart-tissue cultures from young and old rats and lowered the p53 protein. The authors read that as evidence it blocks programmed cell death (apoptosis) in heart tissue Chalisova 2009 - Chalisova NI, Lesniak VV, Balykina NA et al. [The effect of the amino acids and cardiogen on the development of myocard tissue culture from young and old rats]. Adv Gerontol. 2009;22(3):409-13., in the references below.
• Rats with a transplanted sarcoma. Injected Cardiogen slowed tumour growth, more so at higher doses. The effect seemed to work through the tumour’s blood vessels and more tumour-cell apoptosis, not by poisoning the cells directly Levdik 2009 - Levdik NV, Knyazkin IV. Tumor-modifying effect of cardiogen peptide on M-1 sarcoma in senescent rats. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2009;148(3):433-6., in the references below.

Cardiogen benefits: what the research shows

I found no published human trial of Cardiogen for any outcome, whether heart health, longevity or anything else. The evidence is the two rat studies above, plus a broader tissue-culture study. That one tested Cardiogen alongside three related bioregulators (bronchogen, prostamax and pancragen) on heart, lung, prostate and pancreas tissue from young and old rats, and reported a stimulating effect on the matching tissue in each case.

Marketing claims that go beyond “studied in rats” aren’t supported by anything I could verify.

Cardiogen dosage

No published trial or regulator has set a dose. Research-chemical dosing guides describe 0.2-2 mg injected under the skin once a day (most often around 1 mg), from a 20 mg vial, in cycles of about 10-20 days. That is common practice, not a tested dose.

Common protocol

What is commonly used, not a dose established in trials. No regulator has set a dose for Cardiogen. Sources differ, so the ranges below span them.

Dose per administration

200-2000 mcg

How often

once daily, subcutaneous, most commonly cited around 1 mg/day

Route

Subcutaneous injection

Cycle length

1.4-2.9 weeks

Break between cycles

26-52 weeks

Common vial size

20 mg

Sources differ on the low end of the dose (0.2 mg vs a 1 mg 'typical' figure) but agree closely on route, daily frequency and a 10-20 day cycle. One source states the standard injectable protocol is repeated every 6-12 months; the same source separately describes a shorter 'intensive' variant using a 3-month break instead, so break length is not settled even within one source.

Plan a cycle in the protocol builder or work out injection volume in the dosage calculator.

The common Cardiogen dose is 200-2000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, most commonly cited around 1 mg/day. From a 20 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, 1 mg is 10 units (0.1 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe.

Cardiogen 20 mg vial: units per dose

Full 20 mg vial page: mixing, doses per vial, how long it lasts →

Water added	Concentration	1 unit =	200 mcg	1 mg	2 mg
1 mL	20 mg/mL	200 mcg	1 unit	5 units	10 units
2 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	2 units	10 units	20 units
3 mL	6.67 mg/mL	66.67 mcg	3 units	15 units	30 units

All Cardiogen vial sizes: 20 mg

Units are on a standard U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL), rounded to the nearest half unit - half-unit marks are on 0.3 mL syringes. Water volumes are examples: more water means more units per dose, not more doses per vial. For any other vial or dose, use the dosage calculator.

How many 20 mg vials a cycle takes

Scenario	Dose	Doses a week	Weeks	Total	20 mg vials
Low end of the common protocol	200 mcg	7	1.4	2 mg	1
High end of the common protocol	2 mg	7	2.9	40 mg	2

Whole vials, rounded up. Plan a cycle with your own numbers in the protocol builder. Keep mixed vials cold and use them within the window in how long reconstituted peptides last; where to inject: subcutaneous injection sites.

Cardiogen side effects

There is no published human safety study of Cardiogen, so no side-effect rate, common or rare, is known. Neither rat study was designed to measure safety: one measured tissue growth and p53, the other tumour growth and apoptosis in rats with a transplanted cancer.

It is sold through unregulated research-chemical channels, so no regulator checks that a vial matches its label. Because it is injected, see peptide injection-site reactions for what to watch for at the site; that is a general risk of injection, not specific to Cardiogen.

Is Cardiogen legal?

Cardiogen is not approved by the FDA or any other regulator for any use. It is sold through research-chemical channels, not a regulated pharmaceutical supply chain.

Regulatory changes for this compound and others, as they happen: US peptide regulation tracker.

Related reading

• Bioregulator peptides: the Khavinson family, explained
• Epitalon - the longevity-focused peptide from the same research programme
• Pinealon - a cognition-focused peptide from the same programme
• Are peptides safe?

How Cardiogen compares

Bioregulators. Doses for unapproved compounds are common practice, not trial-established. All bioregulators peptides →

Compound	Main use	Evidence	Usual dose	US status
Cardiogen	Marketed as a heart-tissue bioregulator for cardiovascular aging, from the Khavinson organ-specific peptide programme.	Animal / lab only	200-2000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, most commonly cited around 1 mg/day	Research use only
Epitalon	Sold for longevity and anti-aging on the basis of telomere research.	Animal / lab only	5-10 mg, once nightly, every night, for the length of the cycle	Research use only
Pinealon	Sold for cognition, focus and healthy aging.	Limited human data	1-2 mg, once daily, morning preferred; some protocols run 5 days a week rather than every day	Research use only
Cartalax	Marketed for cartilage and joint support, sold as a "cartilage bioregulator" for age-related joint wear.	Animal / lab only	200 mcg, once daily	Research use only
Testagen	Marketed for testosterone and reproductive-system support, sold as a "testes bioregulator."	Animal / lab only	10-20 mg, once daily by mouth	Research use only
Vilon	Marketed as a thymus and immune-system bioregulator, sold for immune support and healthy ageing.	Animal / lab only	10-20 mg, once daily by mouth	Research use only
Vesugen	Marketed as a vascular-tissue bioregulator for cardiovascular and blood-vessel aging; more recent papers from the same research group also study it as a candidate for age-related cognitive decline.	Limited human data	500-5000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, commonly started low and titrated upward over the first 1-3 weeks	Research use only
Prostamax	Marketed as a prostate-tissue bioregulator for age-related prostate change, from the Khavinson organ-specific peptide programme.	Animal / lab only	750-2000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, often started lower and increased after 1-4 weeks	Research use only

Where to buy Cardiogen for research

Each vendor is checked against my vendor checklist.

1. 1.Next Level PharmFeatured

   20 mg vial

   • No FDA warning letter found
   • Names its testing lab
   • Batch COAs published
   • Takes card payment

   $59.99as of 3 October 2026

   View product →My Next Level Pharm review

2. 2.BioEdge Research Labs

   20 mg vial

   • No FDA warning letter found
   • Names its testing lab
   • Batch COAs published

   $59.00as of 3 October 2026

   View product →My BioEdge Research Labs review

See all vendors and how they compare →

Common questions

What is the usual Cardiogen dose?

No trial or regulator has set a dose. Two research-chemical dosing guides I checked describe an injection under the skin once a day from a 20 mg vial, for 10-20 days, at about 0.2-2 mg per injection (most often around 1 mg). See the dosing section below for the sourcing.

What are the side effects of Cardiogen?

No published human safety study exists, so no side-effect rate is known. See the side effects section on this page for what is known.

References (2 sources)

Show

Bibliographic detail is fetched from PubMed, not written by me - so a citation here cannot drift from the paper it names. Study design comes from PubMed's own tags rather than my judgement.

1. 1.Levdik NV, Knyazkin IV. Tumor-modifying effect of cardiogen peptide on M-1 sarcoma in senescent rats. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2009;148(3):433-6.StudyPMID 20396706
2. 2.Chalisova NI, Lesniak VV, Balykina NA et al. [The effect of the amino acids and cardiogen on the development of myocard tissue culture from young and old rats]. Adv Gerontol. 2009;22(3):409-13.StudyPMID 20210190

Keep reading

Related guides

All guides →

• bpc-157BPC-157: Benefits, Dosage, Side Effects and the ResearchWhat the BPC-157 research actually shows: benefits claims checked against a rodent literature, human dosing, side effects, and legal status.12 min readRead guide→
• 5-amino-1mq dosage5-Amino-1MQ Dosage: Common Protocol and Mouse Study DataThe 50-150 mg oral common-practice protocol for 5-Amino-1MQ, plus the one published mouse study dose - no human trial exists.4 min readRead guide→
• 5-amino-1mq5-Amino-1MQ: Capsules, Dosage, Side Effects and Legal Status5-Amino-1MQ capsules: what oral dosing was tested (in rats, not people), the 50-150 mg common protocol, mouse safety data and FDA's warning letter.5 min readRead guide→
• abaloparatideAbaloparatide (Tymlos): Uses, Dosage and Side EffectsAbaloparatide (Tymlos): the FDA-approved osteoporosis peptide - label dosing, the ACTIVE trial results, and its osteosarcoma warning.2 min readRead guide→
• abaloparatide dosageAbaloparatide Dosage: The FDA Label ScheduleAbaloparatide dosage exactly as the FDA label states it: 80 mcg once daily, the 2-year duration limit, and who should not use it.2 min readRead guide→
• adamax dosageAdamax Dosage: Why No Dose Can Be StatedAdamax dosage: only one vendor gives any figures, with no second source to check them against, and sellers disagree on what molecule is even being dosed.2 min readRead guide→