MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Educational research guidelines only. Lyophilized peptides are investigational chemical compounds and are NOT approved for human consumption, diagnosis, or therapy. Consult a licensed physician before any research application.
Pancragen Dosage Chart, Schedule & Reconstitution Protocol
Quickstart Highlights
Pancragen (KEDW) is a synthetic pancreas bioregulator: the tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp (about 576 Da) from Vladimir Khavinson's short-peptide program. Rather than binding a surface receptor, it is hypothesized to enter the cell nucleus and bind ACCT promoter motifs, up-regulating pancreatic differentiation and insulin-related transcription factors such as PDX1, PAX6, NGN3 and FOXA2 (PMID 25761685, 31808038). Preclinical work reports modulated apoptosis in streptozotocin-diabetic rat islet cells, restored glucose tolerance with normalized insulin and C-peptide in aged rhesus monkeys, and reduced p53-driven apoptosis in aging pancreatic cultures; a small study in the founding patent reported lower insulin requirements in diabetic patients. It is marketed as an oral Cytogen capsule (about 200 mcg/day) and as a 20 mg injectable research vial. The educational subcutaneous reference uses roughly 0.5-2 mg/day during 10-day courses, two to three times a year; reconstitute a 20 mg vial with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (10 mg/mL) so 0.5-2 mg is 5-20 units. Not FDA or EMA approved; research use only.
Reconstitute: Add 2 mL bacteriostatic water → 10 mg/mL concentration.
Typical dose: 200 mcg/day oral; 0.5-2 mg/day SC (research)
Easy measuring: At 10 mg/mL, 1 unit = 0.01 mL = 0.1 mg (100 mcg) on a U-100 insulin syringe.
Storage: Lyophilized vial: store at -20 °C long term, or 2-8 °C for short periods, protected from light. Once reconstituted, keep refrigerated at 2-8 °C and use within about 3-4 weeks.
Half-life: Not formally characterized; the intact tetrapeptide plasma half-life is likely minutes (rapid peptidase hydrolysis), with effects attributed to downstream gene-expression and DNA-methylation changes that outlast the peptide.
Route: Studied as an oral Cytogen capsule (~200 mcg/day) and intramuscular injection (10-50 mcg/day); this page models a once-daily subcutaneous reconstitution reference, a route and dose range not clinically validated for KEDW.
Status: Not FDA or EMA approved; only a small human study in the founding patent plus preclinical data; a Khavinson bioregulator sold for research use only.
About Pancragen
Pancragen is a pancreas-targeted Khavinson bioregulator (the tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp, KEDW) studied for its proposed ability to normalize gene expression and insulin output in the endocrine and exocrine pancreas [4][7]. In its original Russian gerontology framework this peptide is taken by mouth as an enteric "Cytogen" capsule (about 200 mcg/day) and, in the founding studies, was given by intramuscular injection at only 10-50 mcg per day [3][8]; clinically it is an oral or intramuscular agent, so the subcutaneous figures below are an educational reconstitution reference modeled on the 20 mg research vial commonly sold online, not a validated clinical regimen.\n\nThis guide models a 20 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (10 mg/mL) so the Pancragen dosage maps cleanly onto a U-100 insulin syringe: 500 mcg is 5 units, 1 mg is 10 units, and 2 mg is 20 units. Note that these milligram-level subcutaneous figures are far larger than the microgram doses used in the published human and animal research [3][8], and are presented only for measurement consistency with the rest of this site.\n\nFrequency: Inject once daily subcutaneously during a short course of roughly 10 days, with courses typically repeated two to three times per year in the bioregulator literature. Pancragen is not FDA- or EMA-approved and is presented here for educational purposes only.
Quick Protocol Navigation
Reconstitution Instruction & Mixing Step-by-Step
Lyophilized powder must be reconstituted carefully. Agitating peptide chains can shear disulfide bonds and render the peptide biologically inert.
Draw 2 mL of bacteriostatic water into a sterile syringe.
Inject it slowly down the inner wall of the 20 mg Pancragen vial rather than spraying it directly onto the lyophilized powder.
Gently swirl or roll the vial until the powder fully dissolves into a clear, colorless solution; never shake, which can shear the peptide and cause foaming.
The result is 10 mg/mL, so 500 mcg is 5 units (0.05 mL), 1 mg is 10 units (0.10 mL), and 2 mg is 20 units (0.20 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe; swab the stopper and draw your daily dose.
Inject subcutaneously once daily during the course, store the vial refrigerated at 2-8 °C between uses, and discard after the stability window (about 3-4 weeks).
Interactive Pancragen Syringe Calculator
Currently visualizing the 20 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL bacteriostatic water. Adjust the target dose to dynamically render syringe units.
Reconstitution Calculation: 20mg dry powder in 2mL water yields 10.00 mg/mL. To evaluate a 250mcg dose, pull to 2.5 units (3 syringe ticks).
U-100 Syringe Representation
Educational reference visual. Assumes standard U-100 insulin syringe where 1.0 mL volume = 100 units.
Titration & Dose Escalation Schedules
| Phase | Dose per injection | Units (per injection) |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative course (days 1-10) | 500 mcg | 5 units (0.05 mL) |
| Standard course (days 1-10) | 1000 mcg (1 mg) | 10 units (0.10 mL) |
| Higher research course (days 1-10) | 2000 mcg (2 mg) | 20 units (0.20 mL) |
Administration guidelines: Refer to guidelines | 2 mL Reconstitution
Research Supplies Quantity Planner
Scientific mathematical planning of syringes, bacteriostatic water and dry vials needed for extended research blocks using the 20 mg vial.
Peptide Vials (Pancragen, 20 mg each):
- checkOne 10-day course at the educational standard of 1-2 mg/day uses roughly half to one full 20 mg vial.
- check8-week window (about 2 short courses): 2 vials.
- check12-week window (about 3 short courses): 3 vials.
- check16-week window (about 4 short courses): 4 vials.
Insulin Syringes (U-100):
- checkOne 0.3 mL (30-unit) syringe per daily injection, about 10 per 10-day course.
- check8-week window: roughly 20 syringes.
- check12-week window: roughly 30 syringes.
- check16-week window: roughly 40 syringes.
Bacteriostatic Water (30 mL bottles): Use 2 mL per vial for reconstitution.
- checkEach reconstituted 20 mg vial consumes 2 mL of bacteriostatic water.
- checkEven 4 vials across a 16-week schedule use only about 8 mL, so a single 30 mL bottle covers every course.
- checkDiscard any vial not used within its stability window rather than over-diluting to extend it.
Alcohol Swabs: clean the vial stopper and injection site before each use.
- checkUse 2 swabs per injection (vial top plus skin), about 20 per 10-day course.
- check8-week window: about 40 swabs; 12-week window: about 60 swabs; 16-week window: about 80 swabs.
- checkA single 100-count box comfortably covers a full year of seasonal courses.
Mechanism of Action (MOA)
Pancragen is the trade name for the synthetic tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp (KEDW, about 576 Da), one of the tissue-specific "cytogen" short peptides developed within Vladimir Khavinson's bioregulation framework at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology and originally derived from low-molecular-weight pancreatic tissue extracts [1][8]. Like the rest of the cytogen family, it is not thought to act on a cell-surface receptor. Instead, the prevailing hypothesis is that this very short, charged peptide is small enough to enter the cytoplasm and nucleus, where biophysical studies (UV spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and molecular modeling) indicate it binds DNA in association with the ACCT promoter motif found in pancreas-related genes, locally modulating their transcription [5][7].\n\nIn pancreatic cell cultures and animal models, KEDW up-regulates a panel of pancreatic differentiation and insulin-related transcription factors, including PDX1, PAX6, NGN3, FOXA2, NKX2-2, NKX6.1 and PAX4, while shifting promoter methylation toward a younger transcriptional profile [4][6]. Functionally, the peptide is reported to increase proliferation markers (PCNA, Ki-67) and the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 while lowering pro-apoptotic p53 in aging pancreatic cultures [2], to modulate caspase-3-linked apoptosis of insulin-producing cells in streptozotocin-diabetic rats [1], and to restore the glucose "disappearance" rate and normalize insulin and C-peptide dynamics in aged rhesus monkeys given 50 mcg/day intramuscularly for 10 days [3]. The proposed net effect is "recovery" of physiological beta-cell function rather than forced insulin secretion.\n\nPharmacokinetics have not been formally characterized for Pancragen. As a small unmodified tetrapeptide it is expected to be rapidly hydrolyzed by plasma and tissue peptidases, giving a free-peptide plasma half-life on the order of minutes; any durable effect is attributed to the downstream change in gene expression rather than to continued presence of the intact peptide. Oral bioavailability is low because of gastrointestinal proteolysis, which is why the Russian product uses enteric "Cytogen" capsules and why injectable lyophilized vials are also sold [7].\n\nClinically and in every published study, Pancragen has been delivered orally (about 100-200 mcg/day) or by intramuscular injection (10-50 mcg/day in short courses) [3][8]; the once-daily subcutaneous reconstitution described on this page is an educational modeling convention used across this site, not a route validated for KEDW. Reconstituting a 20 mg vial in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 10 mg/mL, so a 0.5-2 mg reference dose corresponds to 5-20 units on a U-100 syringe. Pancragen remains an unapproved research compound, and the dosing here is reference information only, not therapeutic guidance.
Clinical Trial Efficacy Highlights
- starThe founding US patent (US 7,491,703 B2, "Tetrapeptide regulating blood glucose level in diabetes mellitus") describes a controlled human study in 36 patients aged 16-83 (23 with type 1 and 13 with type 2 diabetes): the main group received KEDW at 10 mcg intramuscularly once daily, with one subgroup taking 100 mcg orally twice daily before meals, for 10 days against a saline placebo. Eight of the insulin-treated patients in the treated group reduced their daily insulin dose by an average of about 8 units while remaining compensated, whereas most placebo patients required insulin increases [8].
- starGoncharova and colleagues (2014) gave aged female rhesus monkeys 50 mcg of pancragen intramuscularly once daily for 10 days; the peptide markedly increased the intravenous glucose "disappearance" rate and normalized plasma insulin and C-peptide responses to glucose, with benefits partially persisting three weeks after the course ended, supporting a restorative effect on the aged endocrine pancreas [3].
- starKhavinson and colleagues (2010) studied the endogenous tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2 across developmental stages and in a streptozotocin diabetes model, reporting that it modulated caspase-3-related apoptosis in insulin-producing pancreatic cells and liver tissue, consistent with a cytoprotective action on beta cells [1].
- starIn aging pancreatic cell cultures, KEDW increased proliferation markers (PCNA, Ki-67), the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1, matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2/MMP-9 and serotonin, while decreasing pro-apoptotic p53, which the authors interpreted as stimulation of functional activity in senescent pancreatic cells [2].
- starMechanistic work catalogued in Khavinson's gene-expression reviews shows that KEDW up-regulates pancreatic differentiation transcription factors (PDX1, NGN3, PAX6, FOXA2, NKX2-2, NKX6.1, PAX4) and that short Khavinson peptides bind specific DNA promoter sequences, providing the molecular rationale for tissue-specific regulation rather than receptor agonism [5][7].
- starAshapkin and colleagues (2015) demonstrated that KEDW and related short peptides tissue-specifically alter gene expression and DNA-methylation patterns during aging of human cell cultures, situating Pancragen within an epigenetic mode of action [4].
- starA 2020 Stem Cell Reviews and Reports analysis described KEDW among short peptides that induce pancreatic (and lung) cell differentiation, linking the transcription-factor effects to a differentiation and regeneration hypothesis; like the rest of this evidence base it is preclinical and originates largely from a single research lineage [6].
Side Effects & Tolerability Profile
Clinical subjects transiently report mild side effects. Slowly escalating the titration dose represents the single most effective intervention to limit side effects.
- warningNo controlled human safety data exist for Pancragen beyond the small study embedded in its founding patent; its adverse-effect profile is essentially uncharacterized, and the points below are extrapolated from injectable peptides and the Khavinson bioregulator class generally.
- warningSubcutaneous or intramuscular injection can cause local reactions including redness, itching, swelling, bruising, or transient pain at the injection site.
- warningBecause Pancragen is proposed to influence insulin output and glucose handling, there is a theoretical risk of additive glucose-lowering and hypoglycemia in anyone using insulin or other antidiabetic medication; blood glucose should be monitored and other medications never adjusted on the basis of this unapproved peptide.
- warningAny injected peptide carries a theoretical risk of immune or hypersensitivity reactions; stop use and seek care for rash, hives, facial or throat swelling, or difficulty breathing.
- warningResearch-grade peptides are not manufactured to pharmaceutical standards, so contamination, endotoxin, incorrect sequence, or inaccurate vial content are realistic risks; sterility and purity cannot be assumed.
- warningThere are no formal drug-interaction studies; people taking antidiabetic, immune-modulating, or other medications should not assume Pancragen is inert or compatible.
- warningPancragen has not been adequately evaluated in pregnancy, breastfeeding, in children, or in people with active complications of diabetes, and should be avoided in these groups.
- warningRegulatory status: Pancragen is not approved by the FDA, EMA, or any major regulator as a drug; it is sold for laboratory research only and is not a dietary supplement or medicine.
Subcutaneous Injection Technique
Most research peptides require subcutaneous injection into fatty tissue. Never inject directly into a blood vessel or deep muscle tissue unless clinically detailed.
1. Site Selection
Common locations include the abdomen (2 inches from navel), outer upper arms, or thighs.
2. Sanitization
Thoroughly clean the selected site, stopper and vial top using 70% isopropyl alcohol prep swabs.
3. Angle & Push
Pinch the skin and insert the needle at a 45 to 90-degree angle. Depress plunger smoothly.
4. Site Rotation
Rotate injection sites continuously to avoid lipodystrophy or tissue scarring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the typical Pancragen dosage?expand_more
There is no clinically validated dose. The most commonly described Pancragen dosage is about 200 mcg per day taken orally as a Cytogen capsule, run as a 10-day course two to three times a year. In the founding human study, KEDW was given at only 10 mcg intramuscularly once daily, or 100 mcg orally twice daily before meals, for 10 days. The 20 mg research vials sold online are usually reconstituted to an educational subcutaneous reference of roughly 0.5-2 mg per day (5-20 units on a U-100 syringe at 10 mg/mL), but that is far higher than any studied dose and is presented for measurement consistency only, not as a recommendation.
Is Pancragen FDA approved?expand_more
No. Pancragen is not approved by the FDA, the EMA, or any other major regulator as a drug, and the only controlled human data come from a small study embedded in its founding Russian patent. It originates from the Khavinson bioregulator program and is sold for laboratory research only. It is not a medicine or a dietary supplement, and nothing on this page should be read as a claim that it is safe or effective for treating diabetes or any other condition.
How do you reconstitute Pancragen?expand_more
Draw 2 mL of bacteriostatic water and inject it slowly down the inner wall of a 20 mg Pancragen vial, then swirl gently (never shake) until the powder dissolves into a clear solution. This gives 10 mg/mL, so 500 mcg is 5 units (0.05 mL), 1 mg is 10 units (0.10 mL), and 2 mg is 20 units (0.20 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe. Swab the stopper before each draw, keep the vial refrigerated at 2-8 °C, and discard after about 3-4 weeks. This Pancragen reconstitution math is an educational reference only; the studied human route is oral or intramuscular at microgram doses.
What is Pancragen's half-life?expand_more
Pancragen's half-life has not been formally measured. As a small, unmodified tetrapeptide (Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp, about 576 Da), the intact molecule is expected to be broken down within minutes by plasma and tissue peptidases. The Khavinson framework attributes any longer-lasting effect to downstream changes in gene expression and DNA methylation that outlast the peptide itself, which is why these bioregulators are dosed in short 10-day courses a few times a year rather than continuously.
Can Pancragen be taken orally or stacked with other Khavinson bioregulators?expand_more
In its original form Pancragen is an oral Cytogen capsule (about 200 mcg/day), and the peptide is frequently marketed alongside other tissue-specific bioregulators such as thymic Vladonix, vascular Vesugen, or pineal Epitalon. However, there are no controlled data on the safety, interactions, or added benefit of any such stack or of switching routes, and combining unapproved research peptides multiplies the unknown risks. This is general educational information, not medical advice; anyone considering these compounds should consult a qualified clinician, especially if they have diabetes or take insulin.
Related Guides & Tools
Step-by-step references for reconstituting, measuring, and storing Pancragen, plus the universal dosing calculator.
Academic References & Study Citations
Khavinson VKh, Gapparov MM, Sharanova NE, Vasilyev AV, Ryzhak GA. Study of biological activity of Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp-NH2 endogenous tetrapeptide. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2010;149(3):351-353. View Scientific Paper →
Khavinson VKh, Sevost'ianova NN, Durnova AO, Lin'kova NS, Tarnovskaia SI, Dudkov AV, Kvetnaia TV. Tetrapeptide stimulates functional activity of the pancreatic cells in aging. Adv Gerontol. 2012;25(4):680-684. View Scientific Paper →
Goncharova ND, Ivanova LG, Oganian TE, Vengerin AA, Khavinson VKh. Impact of tetrapeptide pancragen on endocrine function of the pancreas in old monkeys. Adv Gerontol. 2014;27(4):662-667. View Scientific Paper →
Ashapkin VV, Linkova NS, Khavinson VKh, Vanyushin BF. Epigenetic mechanisms of peptidergic regulation of gene expression during aging of human cells. Biochemistry (Mosc). 2015;80(3):310-322. View Scientific Paper →
Khavinson VK, Lin'kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI. Short Peptides Regulate Gene Expression. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016;162(2):288-292. View Scientific Paper →
Khavinson V, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Trofimova S. Peptide Regulation of Cell Differentiation. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2020;16(1):118-125. View Scientific Paper →
Khavinson VK, Popovich IG, Linkova NS, Mironova ES, Ilina AR. Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review. Molecules. 2021;26(22):7053. View Scientific Paper →
Khavinson VKh, Malinin VV, Grigoriev EI, Ryzhak GA. Tetrapeptide regulating blood glucose level in diabetes mellitus. United States Patent US 7,491,703 B2; assignee Peptid Products LLC; granted 2009. View Scientific Paper →