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Not FDA approved
This peptide is not FDA approved for human use, and because peptides are often incompletely studied you should not use or self-experiment with it outside qualified medical supervision.
Overview
Cartalax is a Russian-marketed product built around the AED tripeptide, which PubChem lists as alanyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid. The strongest indexed literature for AED is not robust human cartilage-trial evidence.
Instead, the reviewed papers mainly cover cell-aging, fibroblast (a repair cell that builds connective tissue), mesenchymal-stem-cell, and kidney-tissue models from Khavinson-associated research groups. That means the common cartilage-support marketing story is much stronger than the underlying clinical evidence.
Reported benefits
- Exploratory effects on gene-expression markers in aging cell models.
- Exploratory fibroblast and extracellular-matrix findings in vitro.
- Exploratory kidney-tissue renewal findings in organotypic culture.
- Product is commonly marketed for joints and cartilage, but that use-case is not strongly established by the reviewed indexed human evidence.
Mechanism of action
The main published hypothesis is short-peptide bioregulation of gene expression (how strongly cells make specific proteins). AED has been studied at nanomolar concentrations in cell systems and has been reported to affect markers linked to proliferation, apoptosis, extracellular-matrix remodeling, and aging-related signaling.
Those findings are experimental and do not establish a proven cartilage-specific therapeutic mechanism in humans.
Reported Use
No FDA dosing guidance
This peptide is not covered by FDA-labeled dosing guidance on this page. Peptides are often investigational or incompletely studied. Do not self-experiment; use only with a doctor or qualified clinician.
Typical dose
Commercial capsule directions exist on retailer product pages, but they should not be treated as evidence-backed clinical dosing
Frequency
Product instructions vary by seller and are not the same as trial-validated dosing
Administration sites
Marketed products are oral capsules rather than a verified FDA-approved drug format
Best timing
Product instructions vary; no clinical timing recommendation was identified
Effects timeline
No source-backed clinical timeline identified
Storage
Product-specific
Cycle length
No source-backed clinical cycle established
Break between
No source-backed clinical repeat schedule established
Sequence
AED
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Quick Signals
At A Glance
A faster read on evidence, focus, structure, and status.
Evidence
Mostly preclinical
Preclinical / Limited evidence.
6 indexed studiesCurrent level
Preclinical
Scale: low evidence to established use
Safety
Side Effects And Safety
Switch between common side-effect notes and stop criteria to keep safety context visible.
Key cautions
- A robust controlled human safety dataset for Cartalax was not identified in the reviewed sources.
- Seller claims such as no side effects should not be treated as clinical safety evidence.
- If used as a commercial oral supplement product, intolerance or allergy to the peptide or excipients is still possible.
- Because the evidence base is limited and product formats vary, unexpected symptoms should be treated more seriously than marketing copy suggests.
Molecule
Molecular Information
Core structure fields that help explain what kind of peptide this is and how much sequence detail is available.
Molecular weight
333.29 Da
Chain length
3 amino acids
Sequence type
Linear tripeptide
Derived from
Synthetic tripeptide record listed by PubChem as alanyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid
Amino acid sequence source string
AED
None identified in the reviewed PubChem record
Context
Important Context
The main context that changes how confidently this peptide should be interpreted.
Research status
Preclinical / Limited evidence. Indexed AED literature exists, but it is mainly experimental cell-aging, fibroblast (a repair cell that builds connective tissue), stem-cell, and kidney research rather than robust human cartilage-trial evidence.
Regulatory and sport status
FDA review shows it is not FDA approved. based on an openFDA Drugs@FDA no-match query. Sport review: Cartalax was not found by name in the reviewed 2026 WADA prohibited-list PDF, so athlete-specific review is still advised.
Blend composition
Single compoundSingle active ingredient: AED (alanyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid).
Route Notes
Route-Specific Notes
Only shown when the source material adds route-specific details beyond the quick-start guide.
Oral
- Administration: Marketed products are oral capsules rather than a verified FDA-approved drug format.
- Absorption: No clinical PK or exposure framework was identified in the reviewed sources.
- Cycle: No source-backed clinical cycle established.
- Additional: Commercial capsule directions exist, but they should not be treated as proof of therapeutic dosing.
Compare
How Well Documented Is It?
A quick five-point snapshot of how visible and well-documented this peptide is. Higher values mean more coverage or clearer status in that area, not better medical performance.
Research
How much published research coverage this peptide has in the linked sources, with an approval-context floor for clearly established drug products.
Source: PubMed
Regulatory
How clearly the approval or regulatory status is documented for this entry.
Source: openFDA drugsfda API
Sport
How clearly sports or competition status is documented in the linked review sources.
Source: 2026 WADA Prohibited List PDF
Breadth
How broadly this peptide appears across discussion topics and use-case groupings in the catalog.
Source: Curated site taxonomy
Sequence
How much structure or residue-sequence detail is available for this entry.
Source: Sequence
Protocols
Research Protocols
Common protocol-style rows shown in a consistent table layout so every peptide page is easy to compare.
| Goal | Dose | Route | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aging mesenchymal stem-cell gene-expression research | Nanomolar concentrations | In vitro cell culture | Protocol-specific laboratory exposure |
| Skin-fibroblast aging research | Laboratory peptide exposure | In vitro cell culture | Protocol-specific laboratory exposure |
Research
What It Has Been Studied For
Plain-language summaries of the main health areas where this peptide shows up in the linked research.
Stacking
What People Commonly Stack It With
A plain-language view of compounds that are commonly discussed alongside this peptide in the source material.
Practical
Preparation, Quality, And Expectations
Operational checklist blocks designed for quick scanning and repeatable page structure.
How to reconstitute
- •Oral capsule products do not require reconstitution.
- •Do not assume a standard injectable Cartalax or BAC-water protocol, because a verified standardized injectable product was not identified.
- •Handling should follow the exact marketed product format rather than generic peptide-vial assumptions.
Quality indicators
Good signs
- Product clearly identifies the AED peptide content
- Lot-specific identity or purity documentation is available
- Product distinguishes supplement marketing from drug approval
Avoid
- No documentation of AED content
- Claims of proven cartilage repair or no side effects without controlled evidence
- Vague peptide-complex labeling that does not clearly identify the active ingredient
What to expect
Published effects were measured in cell or tissue models rather than a clinical symptom timeline.
No source-backed clinical expectation timeline was identified.
Seller timelines should be treated as marketing claims rather than established evidence.
References
Research And Source List
Structured reference cards with source metadata and a direct link so users can inspect the original study/source.
PubChem compound record
CID 87815447
PubChem record for alanyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid, including the AED tripeptide identity, formula, and molecular weight.
Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides
Molecular Biology Reports | 2020
AED influenced aging-related gene-expression markers in human mesenchymal stem-cell cultures.
Peptide Regulation of Skin Fibroblast Functions during Their Aging In Vitro
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine | 2016
AED affected proliferation, apoptosis, and matrix-remodeling markers in aging skin-fibroblast cultures.
Peptide Regulation of Cells Renewal Processes in Kidney Tissue Cultures from Young and Old Animals
Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine | 2015
AED stimulated proliferation and reduced apoptosis in kidney tissue cultures.
Tripeptides slow down aging process in renal cell culture
Advances in Gerontology | 2014 | Russian
Russian-language paper describing AED and EDL effects on aging markers in renal cell culture.
PubChem compound record
PubChem record for alanyl-glutamyl-aspartic acid, listing the AED tripeptide identity, formula, and molecular weight.
PubMed: Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures
2020 paper describing AED effects on gene expression in aging human mesenchymal stem-cell cultures at nanomolar concentrations.