Vilon is the trade name for a synthetic dipeptide with the sequence lysine-glutamic acid, written Lys-Glu and abbreviated KE, one of the shortest members of the Russian short-peptide bioregulator program described in bioregulator peptides explained. Within that program, Vilon has most often been studied alongside the tetrapeptide Epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) in a specific line of mouse research on spontaneous tumor incidence and lifespan, run over more than two decades by a research group associated with the N.N. Petrov Institute of Oncology and the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. More recent work has moved the KE sequence into human cell culture, examining its effects on gene expression relevant to cellular aging. This article covers what those specific mouse and cell-culture studies reported.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Vilon, synthetic dipeptide |
| Sequence | Lys-Glu (KE), two amino acids |
| Class | Short peptide bioregulator, immune-associated in the Khavinson peptide series |
| What studies examine | Spontaneous tumor incidence, lifespan, cardiac and stem-cell gene expression, monocyte and macrophage inflammatory signaling |
| Model systems used | Outbred and transgenic mice, mouse heart tissue microarrays, human mesenchymal stem cell cultures, human THP-1 monocyte/macrophage cell line |
| Form supplied | Lyophilized powder, research use only |
What is the Lys-Glu sequence, and how was it first studied?
KE is a two-amino-acid peptide from the same research program that produced Epithalon, Thymalin and other tissue-associated short peptides; the family's naming and organ-association scheme is described in bioregulator peptides explained. The earliest influential studies of KE, published around 2000, paired it with Epithalon in mouse experiments designed to separate the two peptides' effects on tumor development from their effects on general markers of aging, using outbred mice with high rates of spontaneous tumors as the model system.
What did the original mouse tumor and lifespan studies report?
In one of these studies, a single synthetic dipeptide vilon was reported to inhibit the growth of spontaneous tumors and to increase lifespan in the mice tested, one of the first published demonstrations that this specific two-amino-acid sequence had a measurable effect on tumor incidence in a whole-animal model (Khavinson and Anisimov, 2000). A companion paper from the same year examined Vilon's effect on markers the authors used to estimate biological age in mice, reporting an association between Vilon administration and both a lower estimated biological age and increased lifespan relative to untreated animals in the same colony (Khavinson et al., 2000).
What has research examined in genetically modified mouse models of cancer?
A later study used HER-2/neu transgenic mice, an established model of mammary carcinogenesis, to compare Epithalon and Vilon side by side, reporting effects of both peptides on the development of mammary tumors in this genetically predisposed strain (Alimova et al., 2002). A related paper from the same research group used DNA-microarray technology to profile gene expression changes in mouse heart tissue after Vilon or Epithalon administration, reporting that the two peptides produced overlapping but not identical patterns of gene expression change in cardiac tissue, evidence that their downstream effects are not simply interchangeable even when their whole-animal outcomes look similar (Anisimov et al., 2002).
What has more recent human cell-culture research examined?
A 2023 study moved the KE sequence into human mesenchymal stem cell cultures undergoing replicative aging, reporting that KE regulates expression of the genes SIRT1, PARP1 and PARP2, all involved in DNA repair and cellular senescence pathways, along with corresponding changes in the proteins these genes encode (Khavinson et al., 2023). A separate 2022 study tested the Vilon dipeptide directly, alongside four other short peptides from the same family, in the human THP-1 monocyte and macrophage cell line, reporting that Vilon and the other tested peptides increased tyrosine phosphorylation of proliferation-linked kinases and reduced production of the inflammatory signaling molecules TNF and IL-6 by cells exposed to bacterial lipopolysaccharide, along with reduced adhesion of these cells to activated endothelial cells in the same experiment (Avolio et al., 2022).
What has research examined in stem cell neuronal differentiation?
A 2019 study tested KE alongside three related short peptides, Ala-Glu-Asp, Lys-Glu-Asp and Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, and a combination of all four, on neuronal differentiation of human periodontal ligament stem cells in culture, using immunofluorescence and western blot to measure two markers of early neuronal development, GAP43 and Nestin. The combination of all four peptides and the tripeptide Lys-Glu-Asp on its own increased expression of GAP43 and Nestin in these cultures, while KE tested alone was included as part of the comparison set rather than driving the largest individual effect, a distinction the authors noted when discussing which peptides most strongly promoted neuronal differentiation markers in this particular stem cell model (Caputi et al., 2019).
How does Vilon compare with other short immune-associated peptides in this category?
Vilon's tumor and lifespan data in mice make it one of the more extensively studied members of its peptide family outside of Epithalon itself, but its mechanism work is still centered on gene-expression and cell-signaling readouts rather than on immune-cell-population studies of the kind published for longer, single-sequence immune peptides; for a comparison with a 28-amino-acid thymic peptide studied largely through effects on lymphocyte populations, see what is Thymosin Alpha-1. Researchers comparing across this category generally treat sequence length and tissue of origin as the key variables that separate one short peptide's published results from another's, even within the same research program.
Handling notes
Vilon is supplied as a lyophilized powder intended for laboratory research use. Store per the certificate of analysis and reconstitute using standard bench technique; background on mitochondrial and redox-focused research peptides sometimes studied alongside short bioregulator peptides is covered in mitochondrial research compounds. Confirm identity and purity from the lot-specific certificate of analysis before use in any assay. Lot-specific specifications for research-grade Vilon are posted on our Vilon lot page.
Frequently asked questions
What sequence does Vilon contain?
Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide with the sequence lysine-glutamic acid, written Lys-Glu or abbreviated KE in the primary literature.
What outcomes have mouse studies of Vilon reported?
Published mouse studies have reported effects on spontaneous tumor growth, estimated biological age, lifespan, mammary tumor development in HER-2/neu transgenic mice, and gene expression patterns in heart tissue.
Is Vilon usually studied alone or alongside other peptides?
Much of the mouse literature tested Vilon alongside Epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) as a direct comparator, since both peptides came out of the same research program and were of interest for related aging and tumor-incidence questions.
Has Vilon been studied in human cells?
Yes, in cultured human mesenchymal stem cells and in the human THP-1 monocyte and macrophage cell line, examining gene expression, DNA-repair pathway markers and inflammatory signaling rather than a clinical outcome in people.
Has Vilon been studied in humans directly?
The literature identified for Vilon consists of mouse and human-cell-culture studies. This article summarizes laboratory research models, not clinical evidence, and nothing here describes a protocol for use in any subject.
How is Vilon supplied for laboratory use?
As a lyophilized powder intended for research use only, sold by lot with an accompanying certificate of analysis.
References
- Khavinson VKh, Anisimov VN. A synthetic dipeptide vilon (L-Lys-L-Glu) inhibits growth of spontaneous tumors and increases life span of mice. Dokl Biol Sci. 2000;372:261-263. PubMed 10944717.
- Khavinson VK, Anisimov VN, Zavarzina NY, et al. Effect of vilon on biological age and lifespan in mice. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2000;130(7):687-690. PubMed 11140587.
- Alimova IN, Bashurin DA, Popovich IG, et al. Effect of Epitalon and Vilon treatment on mammary carcinogenesis in transgenic erbB-2/NEU mice. Vopr Onkol. 2002;48(1):57-60. PubMed 12101568.
- Anisimov SV, Bokheler KR, Khavinson VKh, et al. Studies of the effects of Vilon and Epithalon on gene expression in mouse heart using DNA-microarray technology. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;133(3):293-299. PubMed 12360356.
- Khavinson VK, Linkova NS, Ashapkin VV, et al. KE peptide regulates SIRT1, PARP1, PARP2 gene expression and protein synthesis in human mesenchymal stem cells aging. Adv Gerontol. 2023;36(3):302-312. PubMed 37782636.
- Avolio F, Martinotti S, Khavinson VK, et al. Peptides Regulating Proliferative Activity and Inflammatory Pathways in the Monocyte/Macrophage THP-1 Cell Line. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(7):3607. PubMed 35408963.
- Caputi S, Trubiani O, Sinjari B, et al. Effect of short peptides on neuronal differentiation of stem cells. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2019;33:2058738419828613. PubMed 30791821.
Research use only. Homegrown Peptides products are for laboratory research and are not for human or animal use. Nothing in this article is medical advice.
