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Research use only · common protocol

Vesugen 20 mg vial dosage

A 20 mg Vesugen vial mixed with 1 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 20 mg/mL, so 3 mg is 15 units (0.15 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. At 3 mg a dose, one vial holds 6 doses.

Email me this plan, with a reminder before the vial's 28-day mark →

The common Vesugen protocol is 500-5000 mcg, once daily, subcutaneous, commonly started low and titrated upward over the first 1-3 weeks - common practice, not a dose established in trials. Evidence, side effects and legal status are on the Vesugen guide.

Vesugen 20 mg vial at a glance

Vial
20 mg of Vesugen per vial
Common dose
500-5000 mcg
How often
once daily, subcutaneous, commonly started low and titrated upward over the first 1-3 weeks
Mixing example
1 mL bacteriostatic water = 20 mg/mL; 1 unit = 200 mcg
Doses per vial
40 at 500 mcg · 6 at 3 mg · 4 at 5 mg
Cycle
1.4-2.9 weeks

What Vesugen is

Class:
Synthetic tripeptide (Lys-Glu-Asp)
Also called:
KED, KED peptide, Lys-Glu-Asp
Used for:
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.
Human evidence:
Limited human data. Vesugen (KED, Lys-Glu-Asp) has a PubMed record concentrated in gene-expression work from one Russian research group and its collaborators: modulation of aging- and apoptosis-related genes in cultured human mesenchymal stem cells, and a promoter-binding study in vascular endothelial cells. A 2021 review from the same group states, citing earlier work, that oral KED improved memory and attention in elderly people with functional CNS disorders - a specific human claim I could not independently locate and verify as a primary trial, so I report it as the review's own claim rather than as evidence I have confirmed myself. Two small Russian human studies with no control group described in their abstracts also exist: in 41 men with erectile dysfunction caused by atherosclerosis, penile-artery blood flow improved after Vesugen alone; in 32 people with several chronic illnesses given Vesugen and Pinealon, the researchers reported slower "biological age" markers, but also pro-oxidant activity and a fall in CD34+ blood stem cells.
US status:
Research use only. Not approved for human use by the FDA or any other regulator, and sold as a research chemical.

The full picture, with every study: Vesugen guide.

Units per dose: Vesugen 20 mg vial

Water addedConcentration1 unit =500 mcg3 mg5 mg
1 mL20 mg/mL200 mcg2.5 units15 units25 units
2 mL10 mg/mL100 mcg5 units30 units50 units
5 mL4 mg/mL40 mcg12.5 units75 unitsover 100 units

U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL), to the nearest half unit. Water volumes are examples. Other numbers: dosage calculator.

Every dose from 500 mcg to 5 mg, in units

With 1 mL of water in a 20 mg vial (20 mg/mL). Every dose across the common range, so you can read off any dose. The sources give a range, not a week-by-week schedule.

DoseDraw on a U-100 syringeVolumeDoses per vial
500 mcg2.5 units0.025 mL40
1 mg5 units0.05 mL20
2 mg10 units0.1 mL10
3 mg15 units0.15 mL6
4 mg20 units0.2 mL5
5 mg25 units0.25 mL4

How many doses a 20 mg vial holds

DoseDoses per vialWeeks per vial
500 mcg405.7
3 mg60.9
5 mg40.6

Weeks per vial at the common frequency (once daily, subcutaneous, commonly started low and titrated upward over the first 1-3 weeks). Doses per vial do not depend on how much water you add.

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Your email stays with me at Peptide Decode: I never share or sell it (privacy policy). The plan repeats this page's arithmetic for the dose you pick; it is not medical advice. Unsubscribe from any email.

The common Vesugen protocol

Dose500-5000 mcg per injection
How oftenonce daily, subcutaneous, commonly started low and titrated upward over the first 1-3 weeks
RouteSubcutaneous injection
Cycle1.4-2.9 weeks
BreakNo break length is stated consistently by the sources
Sources agree?Partly - the sources differ, and the ranges above cover them

Common practice from the vendors and clinics that publish it, not a dose tested in trials. Where it comes from: [1], [2]. I do not give week-by-week titration: none of these sources states one.

Supplies for one cycle with 20 mg vials

Counted for the low and high ends of the common protocol, mixing each vial with 1 mL of water. One new syringe per injection.

PlanInjections20 mg vialsInsulin syringesBacteriostatic waterAlcohol swabs
500 mcg, 7×/week, 1.4 weeks101101 mL (1 × 10 mL bottle)22 (1 × 100-pack)
5 mg, 7×/week, 2.9 weeks216216 mL (1 × 10 mL bottle)54 (1 × 100-pack)

Arithmetic on the protocol and this vial size. Swabs: two per vial mixed (both stoppers) and two per injection (vial stopper and skin). An opened multi-dose vial has a use-by date (see storage), which on a slow schedule can matter more than the dose count. Plan your own numbers with the protocol builder.

How to mix a 20 mg Vesugen vial

For this vial: 1 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 20 mg/mL, so 3 mg is 15 units (0.15 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. Pick a different volume from the units table if you want bigger or smaller draws; the number of doses stays the same.

  1. Wipe the rubber stoppers of both the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water vial with an alcohol swab and let the alcohol dry. [3][4]
  2. With a new sterile needle and syringe, draw up the amount of bacteriostatic water you have chosen for the dilution. [3][4][5]
  3. Inject the water into the peptide vial by aiming the stream against the inside glass wall, which helps prevent foaming. [6]
  4. Swirl or roll the vial gently until the powder has fully dissolved; do not shake it. Do not inject the solution if it is cloudy or has particles in it. [3][4][6]
  5. Label the vial with the date and time it was mixed, the amount of water added and how long it can be used after mixing. [3]
  6. Store the mixed vial in the refrigerator at 2-8°C (36-46°F) and do not freeze it. [6]

Step by step with pictures: how to reconstitute peptides. About the water itself: bacteriostatic water.

Storing Vesugen vials

  • Freeze-dried (lyophilized) peptide keeps far longer than peptide in solution; peptide suppliers advise storing the powder at -20°C away from bright light. [7]
  • Protect peptide vials from heat and light. [7][8]
  • Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles; a prescription peptide label also says not to freeze a vial once it has been mixed. [6][7]
  • Once a multi-dose vial, such as bacteriostatic water, has been opened (needle-punctured), date it and discard it within 28 days unless its manufacturer states another date. [9][10]

More detail: peptide storage and shelf life.

Injecting safely

  • Clean the injection site with an alcohol swab and let the skin dry completely before injecting. [11][12]
  • Pinch up a fold of skin and fat (not muscle) and insert the needle at a 45- to 90-degree angle: 90 degrees where there is enough fatty tissue, 45 degrees where there is little. [11][12][13]
  • Pulling back on the plunger (aspiration) is not necessary for a subcutaneous injection, because the chance of the needle being in a blood vessel is small. [11]
  • Inject slowly, at roughly 10 seconds per mL. [11]
  • Common sites are the belly, the thigh and the upper arm; rotate sites, keeping each injection at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the last. [6][11][12]

Hygiene and warning signs

  • Use a new sterile needle and syringe for every injection and every time you enter a vial; never reuse them. [5][9][12]
  • Never share needles, syringes or pens with anyone, even if the needle is changed; unsafe injection practices spread hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. [5][8][9]
  • Put used needles and syringes in a sharps disposal container straight away (FDA-cleared if possible), never loose in the trash, recycling or toilet, and dispose of the container following your community's guidelines. [14][15]
  • Contact a health care provider if the injection site shows signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, red streaks or a fever. [12]

Where to inject: subcutaneous injection sites.

How Vesugen works

  • Vesugen is the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp, abbreviated KED in the research literature; the US National Library of Medicine indexes the two names as the same compound. Its developers study it as a blood-vessel (vasoprotective) peptide. [16][17]
  • The authors propose that it works by regulating gene activity. Molecular docking suggested Vesugen binds the core promoter of the MKI67 gene, and in cell cultures from young and old animals and in vascular endothelial cell cultures it raised levels of Ki-67, a cell-proliferation protein that falls with age. [18]
  • In ageing cultures of a human embryonic bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cell line, KED at nanomolar concentrations lowered FOXO1 gene expression 1.6-2.3-fold and, like two related peptides, raised IGF1 expression 3.5-5.6-fold. [19]
  • In endothelial cells modelling atherosclerosis and restenosis in vitro, KED brought raised endothelin-1 expression back to normal, restored connexin-based contacts between cells and increased sirtuin-1 expression. [17]

What the Vesugen research found

Human evidence: limited human data. Each result says what was studied.

  • Human studyIn 41 men with erectile dysfunction caused by atherosclerosis, blood flow in the main penile artery improved on clinical and instrumental measures after Vesugen given alone. The abstract describes before-and-after comparisons, not a control group. [20]
  • Human studyIn 32 people aged 41-83 with several chronic illnesses and organic brain syndrome in remission, the researchers reported that Vesugen and Pinealon slowed markers of 'biological age', with a larger effect for Vesugen. [21]
  • Animal studyIn an Alzheimer's-disease mouse model (5xFAD), daily injections of KED from 2 to 4 months of age prevented loss of dendritic spines and tended to increase neuroplasticity. [22]
  • Lab studyIn mouse hippocampal neurons exposed to amyloid, KED increased the number of mature 'mushroom' spines by 20%, a smaller effect than the related peptide EDR (71%). [23]

Vesugen side effects and risks

No study has systematically recorded side effects of Vesugen; the only safety-relevant human data come from one small study whose abstract describes no control group.

  • Human studyIn the 32-person study of Vesugen and Pinealon, the researchers found pro-oxidant activity and a fall in CD34+ blood stem cells, which they describe as significant suppression of blood-cell production. The abstract does not separate these results by peptide. [21]
  • Human studyThe same study found no change in how tightly chromatin was packed, which the authors took as a sign of safety at the level of the cell nucleus while saying it needs further study. [21]

Other things to know

  • I found no controlled human trial of Vesugen/KED. Of two small human studies without a control group, one (32 people given Vesugen and Pinealon) found pro-oxidant activity and a fall in CD34+ blood stem cells, which the researchers called significant suppression of blood-cell production; the abstract does not separate the results by peptide.
  • Nearly all published research on this molecule comes from one Russian institute and its collaborators, much of it in Russian, and has not been independently replicated outside that group.
  • Sold through unregulated research-chemical channels, so nobody outside the vendor verifies what is actually in a given vial.

Reported side effects and what the studies measured: Vesugen side effects.

Where this vial size comes from

Vesugen is sold as a 20 mg vial by the pages below, each checked on the date shown. I list them as evidence that this size exists, not as a recommendation to buy from them.

  • BioEdge Research LabsvendorLists it as: "Vesugen (20mg)" supplied in a 3 mL sterile vial, single 20mg option · checked 2026-09-28
  • Peptides WorldvendorLists it as: "Vesugen 20mg" product heading · checked 2026-09-28

The doses come from the sourced common protocol on the Vesugen guide, and every number on this page is arithmetic on those doses and this vial size.

Where to buy Vesugen for research

Sold for research use only. Listed by BioEdge Research Labs; compare them on my vendors page or see the listing on the Vesugen page.

Questions

How much water do I add to a 20 mg Vesugen vial?
There is no single correct amount: water changes how many units a dose is, not how many doses the vial holds. With 1 mL the vial is 20 mg/mL and 3 mg is 15 units (0.15 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. The units table gives 1, 2, 5 mL.
How many doses are in a 20 mg Vesugen vial?
40 doses at 500 mcg, 6 doses at 3 mg, 4 doses at 5 mg.
How long does a 20 mg Vesugen vial last?
At 3 mg a dose and once daily, about 0.9 weeks. How long a mixed vial keeps is a separate limit; see storage below.
How many 20 mg vials do I need for a cycle?
1 vial at 500 mcg 7 times a week for 1.4 weeks; 6 vials at 5 mg 7 times a week for 2.9 weeks.
What does 1 unit equal in a 20 mg Vesugen vial?
200 mcg with 1 mL, 100 mcg with 2 mL, 40 mcg with 5 mL of bacteriostatic water, on a U-100 syringe.

References (24 sources)

  1. [1] PeptideDosage.org: 500-2000 mcg SC daily, titrated weekly (500 to 1000 to 1500 to 1500-2000mcg), 10-20 day cycles repeated 2-4x/year, 20mg vial in 3mL BAC water (other, checked 2026-09-28)
  2. [2] Everything Peptide: 1-5 mg/day SC, titrated, 10-day cycles with months off, 20mg vial in 2mL BAC water (10mg/mL), 10-50 units on a U-100 syringe (other, checked 2026-09-28)
  3. [3] OpenStax, Rice University: 12.3 Preparing Unit-Dose Packaged Medications - Clinical Nursing Skills
  4. [4] East Carolina University College of Nursing: Reconstitution of Medication
  5. [5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Considerations for Blood Glucose Monitoring and Insulin Administration
  6. [6] DailyMed, National Library of Medicine: SEROSTIM (somatropin) for injection - prescribing information and instructions for use
  7. [7] GenScript: Peptide Storage and Handling Guidelines
  8. [8] DailyMed, National Library of Medicine: OZEMPIC (semaglutide) injection - prescribing information
  9. [9] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Preventing Unsafe Injection Practices
  10. [10] Pfizer: Bacteriostatic Water for Injection, USP - prescribing information
  11. [11] OpenStax, Rice University: 12.5 Administering Subcutaneous Injections - Clinical Nursing Skills
  12. [12] MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine: Subcutaneous (SQ) injections
  13. [13] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Chapter 6: Vaccine Administration - Pink Book
  14. [14] US Food and Drug Administration: Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps
  15. [15] US Food and Drug Administration: DOs and DON'Ts of Proper Sharps Disposal
  16. [16] Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), US National Library of Medicine: MeSH supplementary concept C533570: lysyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid (entry terms: Lys-Glu-Asp, vesugen, tripeptide T-38)
  17. [17] Kozlov KL, Bolotov II, Linkova NS et al. [Molecular aspects of vasoprotective peptide KED activity during atherosclerosis and restenosis]. Adv Gerontol. 2016;29(4):646-650.
  18. [18] Khavinson VKh, Tarnovskaia SI, Lin'kova NS et al. [Epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(1):108-14.
  19. [19] Ashapkin V, Khavinson V, Shilovsky G et al. Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides. Mol Biol Rep. 2020;47(6):4323-4329.
  20. [20] Kitachev KV, Sazonov AB, Kozlov KL et al. [The efficacy of peptide bioregulators of vessels in lower limbs chronic arterial insufficiency treatment in old and elderly people]. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(1):156-9.
  21. [21] Meshchaninov VN, Tkachenko EL, Zharkov SV et al. [EFFECT OF SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES ON AGING OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC POLYMORBIDITY AND ORGANIC BRAIN SYNDROME OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN REMISSION]. Adv Gerontol. 2015;28(1):62-7.
  22. [22] Khavinson V, Ilina A, Kraskovskaya N et al. Neuroprotective Effects of Tripeptides-Epigenetic Regulators in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2021;14(6).
  23. [23] Kraskovskaya NA, Kukanova EO, Lin'kova NS et al. Tripeptides Restore the Number of Neuronal Spines under Conditions of In Vitro Modeled Alzheimer's Disease. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2017;163(4):550-553.
  24. [24] Khavinson VK, Lin'kova NS, Umnov RS. Peptide KED: Molecular-Genetic Aspects of Neurogenesis Regulation in Alzheimer's Disease. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2021;171(2):190-193.