[Effects of epithalon and cortagene on immunity and hemostasis in neonatally hypophysectomized chicken and old birds].
Kuznik. B I BI; Pateiuk. A V AV; Baranchugova. L M LM; Rusaeva. N S NS
Key Findings
- Neonatal hypophysectomy in chickens leads to anemia, weakened immunity, and a tendency toward blood clotting by day 45.
- A 40‑day course of epithalon completely normalised red blood cells, immune function and clotting parameters in both young and old hypophysectomized birds.
- Cortagen, which differs from epithalon only by a terminal proline instead of glycine, showed no measurable effect on any of the studied parameters.
Practical Outcomes
- For the biohacker community, cortagen does not appear to offer any benefit in this animal model, so there is no actionable dosing or protocol to recommend. The results suggest that the specific amino‑acid sequence matters, and any human use of cortagen would need direct evidence of efficacy before being considered.
Summary
In chickens that had their pituitary gland removed early in life, blood, immune and clotting problems develop. Giving the peptide epithalon (Ala‑Glu‑Asp‑Gly) for 40 days fixed those issues, but the similar peptide cortagen (Ala‑Glu‑Asp‑Pro) did nothing.
Abstract
It has been found that chicken hypophysectomized early in the neonatal period develop anemia, cellular and humoral immune deficiency, hypercoagulation and inhibited fibrinolysis by their 45th postnatal day. An analogous operation performed on old birds produces less significant changes in erythrocytes, immunity and hemostasis. Injections of epithalon tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) administered to either hypophysectomized chicken or old birds during a period of 40 days completely eliminate the shifts registered in erythrocytes, immunity and hemostasis, while injections of cortagene (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) which is distinguished from epithalon by a different terminal aminoacid (with Gly being replaced by Pro) do not affect the parameters studied.
Study Information
pubmed
2008