Cartalax: What It Is, Dosage and What the Evidence Shows

Cartalax is one of the Khavinson-group peptide bioregulators, sold for cartilage and joint health. In the published research, though, its exact peptide has mostly been tested on kidneys, not cartilage.

What is Cartalax?

Cartalax is a synthetic chain of three amino acids: Ala-Glu-Asp (alanine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid). It comes from the St Petersburg peptide-bioregulator programme described on the bioregulator hub page. Vendors market it for cartilage and joint ageing, while other short peptides in the family are sold for the thymus, pineal gland or other organs.

Cartalax structure

Molecular formula

C₁₂H₁₉N₃O₈

Molecular weight

333.29 g/mol

Length

3 amino acids

Sequence

AED

PubChem CID

87815447

Also coded T-31 in the Khavinson-group papers.

Identity checked against Molecules (2021 systematic review, PMID 34834147).

How Cartalax works

The bioregulator theory holds that short peptides like this one enter cells and act on DNA-binding sites to shift which genes are switched on, towards tissue renewal and away from markers of cell ageing. That is a hypothesis for the whole peptide family, covered on the bioregulator hub page, not a finding about Cartalax and cartilage.

Cartalax benefits: what the research shows

I found no PubMed-indexed study that names “Cartalax” or tests it in cartilage, cartilage cells (chondrocytes) or any joint tissue. The same research group has tested the identical sequence, as “T-31”, elsewhere:

• Kidney tissue from young and old rats. It raised the cell-growth marker Ki-67 and lowered the cell-death marker p53, though less than a calf-kidney polypeptide complex tested alongside it Chalisova 2015 - Chalisova NI, Lin'kova NS, Nichik TE et al. Peptide Regulation of Cells Renewal Processes in Kidney Tissue Cultures from Young and Old Animals. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;159(1):124-7., in the references below.
• Ageing kidney cells in culture. It increased cell growth and SIRT-6 levels and lowered the cell-ageing markers p16, p21 and p53 Khavinson 2014 - Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin'kova NS et al. [Tripeptides slow down aging process in renal cell culture]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(4):651-6., in the references below.
• Rats with cisplatin-induced kidney failure. It reduced protein and electrolytes in the urine. A kidney polypeptide complex and two related peptides normalised a wider range of kidney measures Zamorskii 2015 - Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Lin'kova NS et al. Peptides Restore Functional State of the Kidneys During Cisplatin-Induced Acute Renal Failure. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;159(6):736-9., in the references below.
• Old rats. It was one of three treatments that raised urine output 1.2-1.4 times and, like a kidney polypeptide complex, reduced protein in the urine. The authors saw no signs of kidney toxicity Zamorskii 2018 - Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Zeleniuk VG et al. [The influence of peptides on the morphofunctional state of old rats kidneys.]. Adv Gerontol. 2018;31(4):498-504., in the references below.
• Rats with their ovaries removed, a model of post-menopausal osteoporosis. A substance coded T-31 both prevented bone-density loss and restored density already lost, though less well than a cartilage-extract preparation tested alongside it Povorozniuk 2007 - Povorozniuk VV, Khavinson VKh, Makogonchuk AV et al. [Effect of peptide regulators on the structural and functional status of bone tissue in ageing rats]. Adv Gerontol. 2007;20(2):134-7., in the references below.

That bone study is the closest the research gets to the skeleton, and it measured bone density, not cartilage.

What is not established

• No study of any kind, in cells, animals or people, uses the name “Cartalax.”
• No cartilage or joint study exists for its sequence, and it has never been tested in a person.
• No dose has been shown safe or effective for any use, by any regulator.

Cartalax dosage

Dosing guides most often describe roughly 200 mcg injected under the skin once a day, for about 10 days, repeated periodically with a short break. That is common practice from online guides, not a dose any trial or regulator has set, and the guides disagree on whether the injection or the oral form is standard. A separate oral capsule product is dosed by capsule count, with no stated milligram amount of peptide.

Common protocol

What is commonly used, not a dose established in trials. No regulator has set a dose for Cartalax.

Dose per administration

200 mcg

How often

once daily

Route

Subcutaneous injection

Cycle length

1.4 weeks

Break between cycles

1.5-3 weeks

Timing

Same time each day; morning, before or with breakfast, is the timing most sources describe.

Sources describe a 10-day injection course at roughly 200 mcg/day. A separate oral capsule version is also sold (2 capsules once daily before a meal, 1-3 month course per the vendor's own label), but that source does not state a peptide milligram amount per capsule, so it is not reflected in the numbers above.

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

The common Cartalax dose is 200 mcg, once daily. From a 20 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, 200 mcg is 2 units (0.02 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe.

Cartalax 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 mL	20 mg/mL	200 mcg	1 unit
2 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	2 units
3 mL	6.67 mg/mL	66.67 mcg	3 units

All Cartalax 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	200 mcg	7	1.4	2 mg	1

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.

Cartalax side effects

There is no published human safety data for Cartalax at any dose, so no side-effect rate is known. The only safety observation is from rats: in old rats given this peptide and related ones, the authors reported higher antioxidant enzyme activity in kidney tissue and no signs of kidney toxicity on examination Zamorskii 2018 - Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Zeleniuk VG et al. [The influence of peptides on the morphofunctional state of old rats kidneys.]. Adv Gerontol. 2018;31(4):498-504., in the references below. That is not a human safety record.

It is sold as a research chemical or an unregulated capsule or vial, so no regulator checks that a batch matches its label, or even that it contains this peptide. Because an injectable form is sold, see peptide injection-site reactions for the general risks of injecting under the skin.

Is Cartalax legal?

It is not approved for human use by the FDA or any regulator I can verify. It is sold internationally as a research chemical or an unregulated capsule product, outside any approved drug supply chain.

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

Related

• Peptide bioregulators: the Khavinson peptides
• Epitalon
• Pinealon
• Research peptides and the law

How Cartalax compares

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

Compound	Main use	Evidence	Usual dose	US status
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
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
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
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
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 Cartalax 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

   $68.99as 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

Compare every checked vendor for Cartalax →

See all vendors and how they compare →

Common questions

Is there any published research on Cartalax specifically?

Not under that name: a PubMed title and abstract search for "Cartalax" returns zero results. Papers from the same group do test the identical Ala-Glu-Asp sequence, sometimes as "T-31", in cultured kidney cells and in rats (two kidney studies and one model of post-menopausal bone loss). None tests cartilage or joints, and none is in people.

What is the usual Cartalax dose?

Dosing guides most often describe about 200 mcg injected under the skin once a day, in a 10-day course repeated periodically with a 1-3 week break. That is common practice from online guides, not a dose any trial or regulator has set. An oral capsule product also exists; see the dosage section below.

What are the side effects of Cartalax?

There is no published human safety data at any dose, so no side-effect rate is known. The only safety observation is from a study in old rats, which found no signs of kidney toxicity. See the side effects section for what is known.

How long does it take for Cartalax to work?

There is no evidence-based timeline, because I found no study showing that Cartalax works for cartilage or joints in people. The 10-day injection course in dosing guides is common practice, not a tested schedule, and no trial has measured when any effect appears.

Is Cartalax legit?

The peptide is real: its exact Ala-Glu-Asp sequence has been tested in kidney cells and rats, plus one rat bone-loss study. But I found no study under the name Cartalax, none on cartilage or joints, and none in people. It is sold as an unregulated research chemical, so no regulator checks that a vial matches its label.

References (5 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.Chalisova NI, Lin'kova NS, Nichik TE et al. Peptide Regulation of Cells Renewal Processes in Kidney Tissue Cultures from Young and Old Animals. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;159(1):124-7.StudyPMID 26033601
2. 2.Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin'kova NS et al. [Tripeptides slow down aging process in renal cell culture]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(4):651-6.StudyPMID 25946838
3. 3.Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Lin'kova NS et al. Peptides Restore Functional State of the Kidneys During Cisplatin-Induced Acute Renal Failure. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;159(6):736-9.StudyPMID 26515176
4. 4.Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Zeleniuk VG et al. [The influence of peptides on the morphofunctional state of old rats kidneys.]. Adv Gerontol. 2018;31(4):498-504.StudyPMID 30607912
5. 5.Povorozniuk VV, Khavinson VKh, Makogonchuk AV et al. [Effect of peptide regulators on the structural and functional status of bone tissue in ageing rats]. Adv Gerontol. 2007;20(2):134-7.StudyPMID 18306703

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