This information is for research and educational purposes only. No medical recommendations. Products are not approved for human use. For health questions, consult a doctor.

Lexicon

Livagen

A Khavinson cytogen peptide aimed at the liver.

3 min read 9 sources

Vial with white powder, a blue cap and a black TPD label for Livagen on a white podium, next to it a chain of blue and white glass spheres as a molecule model in a bright lab
Preclinical · not approved

Summary

At a glance

Sources checked on 26 Oct 2026

Length
4 amino acids

Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala, designed synthetically from liver peptide extracts5

Stronger than Epitalon
25 -fold

at inhibiting enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum (lab test)5

Livagen in PubMed
19 records

almost all from Russian and Georgian groups around Khavinson, as of 26 Oct 20268

Human trials in the registry
0 trials

no trial with Livagen on ClinicalTrials.gov, as of 26 Oct 20269

  • Livagen is the tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala from the Russian Khavinson programme. It was designed from the amino acid composition of peptide extracts from the liver.56
  • In cell cultures Livagen loosened the tightly packed chromatin in blood cells of old people. The group interprets this as reactivating genes that are shut down with age.23
  • In rat liver cell cultures it increased protein synthesis, most strongly in cells from old animals. Epitalon had no effect there.6
  • In a lab test Livagen inhibited enzymes that break down enkephalins about 25 times more strongly than Epitalon. It did not bind to opioid receptors.5
  • The registry lists no human trial and independent confirmation is missing. Everything here is preclinical research, not a recommendation.98
Profile

Updated May 2026

Class
Short bioregulator peptide

Khavinson cytogen

Use
Subcutaneous

in mg

Target tissue
the liver
Status
Data mostly from the Khavinson program
Sizes
20 mg

1 size in the shop

Contents 15 sections
  1. At a glance
  2. What is Livagen?
  3. How it works
  4. What you need
  5. Reconstitution
  6. Dosing
  7. Injection
  8. What the research shows
  9. Research status
  10. Side effects
  11. Storage
  12. Related compounds
  13. FAQ
  14. Glossary
  15. Sources

What is Livagen?

Livagen is a short peptide from the Russian Khavinson program, which deals with tissue-specific bioregulators. These very short peptides (usually 2 to 4 amino acids) are meant to act specifically on a particular tissue, Livagen is aimed at the liver.

Up front: most research comes from a single research line and mostly from Russia, large independent studies are missing.

Comparison

One peptide, one target tissue

Which tissue each Khavinson peptide is assigned to, as described in the TPD lexicon. Tap a card to open its entry.

This is how the Khavinson concept describes it. The assignment comes from tissue cultures of the same line of research and has barely been checked independently. 1

How it works

The theory behind the Khavinson peptides: they are meant to act at the level of gene regulation and restart age-related declining functions of a tissue. For Livagen a supportive effect on the liver is described.

How well this concept transfers to humans is little established outside the originating research.

Where it acts

Where Livagen acted in experiments

Tap a point or a card. Grey = observed. All from cell and tissue experiments.

  1. Liver

    More protein synthesis in liver cell cultures, most strongly from old rats6

    Observed in trials
  2. Blood cells

    Chromatin loosened in lymphocytes of old people (cell culture)2

    Observed in trials
Liver lobule of translucent glass with branching channels, in each chamber a small blue molecule next to a glowing DNA helix
Theory: action at the level of gene regulation in liver tissue. Symbolic image.

What you need

Supplies

2 things, numbered as in the picture

Tick off what you already have. Vial and BAC water are our real shop photos at the same size.

Livagen vial and bacteriostatic water at the same size with the black TPD label, next to two U-100 insulin syringes, two alcohol swabs and a sharps container with a blue lid
  1. Livagen vial

    The vial (lyophilized powder, usually 20mg).

    In the shop
  2. Water and supplies

    Bacteriostatic water, U-100 insulin syringes, alcohol swabs.

As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links open Amazon - no extra cost for you.

Reconstitution

Use the peptide calculator. A 20mg vial with 2ml water gives 10mg per ml. Just add the water to the vial and let it dissolve.

Step by step

Dissolving the powder

Four steps, the same for every vial size.

  1. 1Wipe the cap

    Clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.

  2. 2Add BAC water

    Just add it, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly.

  3. 3Swirl or shake

    Until everything has dissolved, both are fine.

  4. 4Draw up

    With the U-100 insulin syringe.

Less water higher concentration fewer units on the syringe Example: 20 mg + 2 ml = 10 mg/ml

Dosing

Dosing

Dosing, titration and syringe

Loading the dosing information …

  • Getting started and stepping up, drawn as a staircase
  • Units on the U-100 syringe for every step
  • How long one vial lasts

Injection

The injection is subcutaneous, into the fat layer under the skin. Common spots are the abdomen (keep about two finger-widths clear of the navel), the front and the inner side of the thigh, or the back of the upper arm.

The short version:

Injection

Where and at what angle

Pick a spot or switch the angle. Subcutaneous means: into the fat layer, not the muscle.

Rotate the spot each time, never the same one twice in a row.

90°More fat under the skin

Rule of thumb: where there is more fat under the skin, insert straight at 90 degrees. In lean people with little fat, 45 degrees, so the needle stays in the fat layer. Simplified diagram.

  1. Clean the spot with an alcohol swab and let it dry

  2. Pinch up a small fold of skin

  3. Insert the needle: at 90 degrees where there is more fat under the skin, at 45 degrees in lean people with little fat

  4. Inject slowly, wait a moment, then withdraw

  5. Put the needle straight into the sharps container

Rotate the site each time so the tissue does not get irritated. Never the same spot twice in a row.

What the research shows

The Khavinson program has published numerous works on tissue-specific bioregulators over decades (overview: Khavinson, 2002), including effects on organ function and, in animal models, on lifespan. But the read must stay honest: the data come mostly from one research line, large independent studies are missing.

Study results

What the trials measured

Interactive: switch tabs, tap points, show or hide arms. Arms are named relative to each other, no dosing advice.

Half-maximal inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes5

IC50 in micromoles per litre, human serum, lower means stronger

IC505 Test-tube experiment
Livagen 20 µM
Epitalon 500 µM

Livagen also inhibited the enzymes more strongly than known inhibitors in the same test. Whether this matters in the body has not been studied.

Frosted glass liver on a bright lab bench, racks of test tubes on the left and right
The data mostly come from one research group, large independent studies are missing. Symbolic image.

Research status

Where the research stands

Where the compound stands on the way from lab research to approval. As of 26 Oct 2026.

  1. Preclinical Cell and tissue cultures, mainly from one line of research
  2. Phase 1 no registered trial
  3. Phase 2 no registered trial
  4. Phase 3 no registered trial
  5. Approval not yet
Not approved and no registered human trial.9

So far there is no registered trial in humans.

Side effects

  • Well tolerated in the available reports, mainly local reactions.
  • Solid, independent human safety data are limited.

Storage

Before mixing the powder is robust, normal room temperature (around 20 to 25 degrees) is fine, ideally kept in the dark. After mixing, keep in the fridge (2 to 8 degrees), do not freeze. It stays good there for at least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency, in practice considerably longer. Swirl or shake to mix, both are fine.

Shelf life

How long it keeps

Undissolved (powder) Room temperature, around 20 to 25 degrees, dark

Robust, no fridge needed. Keeps for several months without trouble.

Dissolved (mixed) Fridge, 2 to 8 degrees, do not freeze

At least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency. The bacteriostatic water brings a preservative.

  • Keep it dark
  • Dissolved: 2 to 8 degrees
  • Note the mixing date on the vial
Nine vials with white powder and blue caps in the door shelf of a bright fridge
Powder dark at room temperature, once dissolved into the fridge (2 to 8 degrees), stable there for at least 4 to 6 months. Symbolic image.

Related

Related compounds

Same target tissues or a different path: all in the TPD lexicon.

FAQ

Common questions about Livagen

Short answers, each backed by the sources below.

Is Livagen approved or studied in humans?

No. ClinicalTrials.gov lists no trial with Livagen (as of 26 October 2026). PubMed has 19 records, almost all from Russian and Georgian groups around Khavinson and mostly in Russian journals. Large independent studies are missing.98

What exactly is Livagen?

A synthetic tetrapeptide made of lysine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and alanine. It was designed from the amino acid composition of peptide extracts from the liver. According to the Khavinson concept such short peptides act specifically on one tissue, here the liver.561

What do the cell studies on chromatin show?

In lymphocytes from old people Livagen loosened the tightly packed heterochromatin in cell culture and activated the genes for ribosomes. In a comparison with blood cells from people aged 75 to 88, other short peptides such as Epitalon did the same. The authors interpret this as reactivating silenced genes; it was only measured in the lab.234

What is known about the liver?

In liver cell cultures from rats aged 1 to 24 months Livagen increased protein synthesis, most strongly in cells from old animals. Epitalon changed nothing there. A Russian review from the same line of research describes liver-protective effects in animal models. This has not been tested in humans.67

What does Livagen have to do with enkephalins?

Enkephalins are the body's own opioid peptides. In a lab test Livagen inhibited the enzymes in human serum that break them down about 25 times more strongly than Epitalon. It did not bind to the opioid receptors themselves. Whether this matters in the body is open.5

Which side effects are known?

There are no solid data because Livagen has never been tested in a registered human trial. The published work consists of cell and tissue experiments, which allow no statement on safety in humans.9

Glossary

Terms explained briefly

Dotted words in the text open these explanations directly.

Chromatin
Genetic material together with packaging proteins in the cell nucleus. Tightly packed regions are usually silenced.
Enkephalins
The body's own opioid peptides that dampen pain and stress. Enzymes in the blood break them down quickly.
Heterochromatin
Especially densely packed chromatin. Genes in it are barely read. It increases with age.
IC50
The concentration at which a compound inhibits an enzyme by half. The lower, the stronger.
Khavinson peptides
Short peptides from the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. Each is meant to target one specific tissue.
Lymphocytes
White blood cells of the immune system. They are easy to obtain from blood for lab experiments.
Lyophilisate
Freeze-dried powder. Without water a peptide keeps much longer.
Preclinical
Studied in cells or animals, not yet in humans.
Subcutaneous
Into the fat layer just under the skin.
Tetrapeptide
A chain of exactly four amino acids. For Livagen these are lysine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid and alanine.

Evidence

Sources

Show all 9 sourcesHide sources 3 Studies1 Trial registry5 Database checked 26 Oct 2026

Studies

  1. Livagen and chromatin in lymphocytes of old people

    Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2002

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  2. Five short peptides and chromatin in people aged 75 to 88

    Khavinson et al., Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2004

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  3. Livagen and heterochromatin in lymphocytes of old people

    Lezhava und Jokhadze, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2007

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed

Trial registry

  1. Search on ClinicalTrials.gov (no trial with Livagen)

    ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Library of Medicine

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2

Database

  1. Review of peptides and ageing (PubMed record, journal without DOI)

    Khavinson, Neuro Endocrinology Letters, 2002

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via PubMed
  2. Livagen, Epitalon and enkephalin-degrading enzymes (PubMed record, without DOI)

    Kost et al., Izvestiia Akademii Nauk, Seriia Biologicheskaia, 2003

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via PubMed
  3. Protein synthesis in liver cell cultures from young and old rats (PubMed record, without DOI)

    Brodskii et al., Izvestiia Akademii Nauk, Seriia Biologicheskaia, 2001

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via PubMed
  4. Russian review of liver peptides and KEDA (PubMed record, without DOI)

    Kuznik et al., Advances in Gerontology, 2020

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via PubMed
  5. PubMed search for Livagen (19 records)

    PubMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via PubMed E-utilities

In the shop

Livagen in the catalog

Sizes, prices and shipping times are on the product page.

To the product