Completed Preclinical (in vitro) 2003

    Peptide promotes overcoming of the division limit in human somatic cells

    Khavinson VKh, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA

    Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine

    DOI: 10.1023/A:1024181817860

    Summary

    This study investigated the effects of the tetrapeptide epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) on human fetal fibroblast cultures approaching the Hayflick limit. Epithalon treatment induced telomerase activity in somatic cells and enabled cells to exceed the normal replicative limit, suggesting a mechanism for age-related telomere maintenance.

    Key Findings

    • Epithalon activated telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) expression in human somatic cells that normally lack telomerase activity
    • Treated fibroblast cultures exceeded the Hayflick limit by an additional 10 population doublings compared to untreated controls
    • Elongation of telomeres was observed in epithalon-treated cell cultures, counteracting replicative senescence

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