Disease relevance of Epithalon

• The size but not the number of lung metastases was reduced in Epitalon-treated compared to saline-treated mice (p < 0.05) [1].
• The data demonstrate the inhibitory effect of Epitalon in the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu mice, suggesting that a downregulation of HER-2/neu gene expression in mammary adenocarcinoma may be responsible, at least in part, for the antitumor effect of the peptide [1].
• Pineal peptide preparation Epithalamin and synthetic tetrapeptide Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) are potent inhibitors of mammary carcinogenesis in rodents and might be useful in the prevention of breast cancer in women at risk [2].
• The results of this study show that treatment with Epitalon did not influence food consumption, body weight or mean life span of mice [3].
• The effect of peptide bioregulator Epithalon on the course of hereditary pigmentary retinal degeneration was studied in Campbell rats [4].

High impact information on Epithalon

• A 3.7-fold reduction in the expression of HER-2/neu mRNA was found in mammary tumors from HER-2/neu transgenic mice treated with Epitalon compared to control animals [1].
• The effect of the synthetic pineal peptide Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) on proliferative activity in colon tumors, and in mucosal epithelial cells adjacent to and located far from tumors was studied in rats [5].
• Thus, the strongest inhibitory effect of Epitalon on carcinogenesis in the colon mucosa was manifested when the treatment was continued throughout the experiment [5].
• Epitalon inhibited also the development of tumors in jejunum and ileum [6].
• These results indicate that peptide bioregulators Epitalon, Livagen and Vilon cause activation (deheterochromatinization) of chromatin in lymphocytes of old individuals [7].

Biological context of Epithalon

• Epitalon and colon carcinogenesis in rats: proliferative activity and apoptosis in colon tumors and mucosa [5].
• Effect of epithalon on the incidence of chromosome aberrations in senescence-accelerated mice [8].
• Our results demonstrate the specific effects of Epithalon and Vilon on gene expression [9].
• Immunomodulating effects of synthetic peptides Vilon (Lys-Glu), Epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), and Cortagen (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) and possible involvement of the sphingomyelin signal transduction pathway in their effects in mouse thymocytes were studied [10].
• Addition of Epithalon to aging cells in culture induced elongation of telomeres to the size comparable to their length during early passages [11].

Anatomical context of Epithalon

• Effect of vilon and epithalon on activity of enzymes in epithelial and subepithelial layers in small intestine of old rats [12].
• Reparative effect of epithalon on pineal gland ultrastructure in gamma-irradiated rats [13].
• Vilon produced a more pronounced stimulatory effect on sphingomyelinase activity in mouse thymocyte membranes compared to Epithalon and Cortagen [10].
• These findings corresponded to Epitalon effect on diverse stress-induced changes in nSMase activity in cerebral cortex fraction P2 [14].
• Synthetic peptides (cytogens) Cortagen, Epithalon, Livagen, and Vilon stimulated the growth of explants from rat brain cortex, subcortical structures, liver, and thymus, respectively, in organotypic cultures [15].

Associations of Epithalon with other chemical compounds

• The purpose of this study is to investigate possible influences of different stressors (saline injections, light deprivation and constant light regimen) and geroprotectors (Epitalon and melatonin) on survivals of female HER-2/neu transgenic mice [16].
• RESULTS: Epitalon was proven to significantly stimulate melatonin synthesis in senescent monkeys in the evening, thereby normalising the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion [17].
• Vilon stimulated active glucose accumulation in the serous sac of the medial small intestine, Epithalon - in the proximal and distal small intestinal segments [18].

Gene context of Epithalon

• Sequences of nucleotide pairs that can serve as binding sites for tetrapeptide Epithalon were identified in the promoter regions of retinal genes F379, telomerase, and RNA polymerase II [19].
• CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results provided a conclusive evidence of Epitalon stress-protective effect at the level of IL-1beta signal transduction via sphingomyelin pathway in the nerve tissue, as well as at the level of target thymocyte proliferation [14].
• Epitalon activated nSMase in the cerebral cortex membranes of intact mice and increased IL-1beta stimulatory effect on the enzyme activity [14].
• Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells [20].
• Pineal-regulating tetrapeptide epitalon improves eye retina condition in retinitis pigmentosa [21].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Epithalon

• We also found that treatment with Epitalon did not influence total spontaneous tumor incidence, but inhibited the development of leukemia (6.0-fold), as compared with the control group [3].
• Additionally, 5 days a week, some of the rats were given subcutaneous injections of saline at a dose of 0.1 ml during the whole experiment (group 1, control) or Epitalon at a single dose of 1 microg during the whole experiment (group 2), Epitalon after termination of carcinogen injections (group 3) or during the period of DMH exposure (group 4) [6].
• Expression of 15,247 clones from a cDNA library in the heart of mice receiving Vilon and Epithalon was studied by DNA-microarray technology [9].
• OBJECTIVES: The content of C-Fos protein was tested in rat pinealocytes in the norm and stress and in case of intranasal administration of Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly), which regulated pineal secretion processes, presumably, via protooncogenes [22].
• Effect of epitalon on interleukin-1beta signal transduction and the reaction of thymocyte blast transformation under stress [14].

References