Research use only. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and Vilon isn’t approved for human use.
Vilon is the dipeptide Lys-Glu (KE) from Vladimir Khavinson’s group. No independent trial has tested it in people, and its cancer record in animals is mixed: it lowered bladder tumors in rats but raised mammary cancer in HER-2/neu mice, and it cut survival in mice when given with cyclophosphamide (6, 7, 8). The human data is three small Russian clinical reports (1, 2, 3).
- Sequence
- Lys-Glu (KE), a dipeptide from Vladimir Khavinson’s group. 275.3 g/mol by calculation; CAS 45234-02-4 is the free acid (17)
- Claimed target
- The thymus and immune system
- Human evidence
- Three small Russian clinical reports, in appendicitis and type 1 diabetes (1, 2, 3)
- Cancer signal
- Raised mammary cancer in HER-2/neu mice, and worsened survival with cyclophosphamide in mice (6, 8)
- Independent trials
- None found (18)
- FDA status
- Not approved. Not on FDA’s compounding-risk page, not reviewed by its July 2026 committee and not in HHS’s October 2026 policy (19, 20, 21)
- WADA 2026
- S0 catch-all for unapproved substances (22)
What is Vilon peptide?
Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide of lysine and glutamic acid. It belongs to Khavinson’s cytogens, short peptides said to regulate one organ each, and its claimed targets are the thymus and the immune system. It is the shortest of the group. Our Khavinson peptides guide covers the family and its evidence.
Vilon studies: every paper and what it found
How to read the table. Limited: small human reports from one network. Mice, Rats, Cells: lab or animal work only. Warning: a harmful signal was reported. Review: an author proposal, not a result.
| Study | Model | What it reported | Watch-out |
|---|---|---|---|
| People | |||
| 1Kuznik, 2006Randomized study, per PubMed | Type 1 diabetes patients of different ages | LimitedVilon significantly reduced or removed a chronic clotting-activation syndrome (DIC). The effect was weaker in elderly patients with severe disease (1) | Same research group, and the abstract gives no numbers |
| 2Kuznik, 2007Clinical trial | Elderly patients with type 1 diabetes | LimitedAdded to usual therapy, Vilon raised natural anticoagulants and fibrinolysis, and in most cases lowered the insulin dose needed. Immune markers moved toward normal (2) | The abstract gives no patient count or control description |
| 3Kuznik, 2008Hospital report | Patients with complicated appendicitis | LimitedVilon added to standard care brought immune shifts, faster wound healing and a treatment course 5 to 6 days shorter. It needed half as many injections as thymalin or epithalamin for the same effect (3) | The journal page gives no patient count and mentions no control group |
| Animals | |||
| 4Khavinson, 2000Lifelong mouse study | Female CBA mice from 6 months of age | MiceVilon raised physical activity and endurance, lowered body temperature, prolonged lifespan and prevented spontaneous neoplasms, with no unfavorable effects reported (4) | Same group. A 2001 abstract of a similar design reports no survival gain |
| 5Anisimov, 2001Lifelong mouse study | Female CBA mice, 50 per group | MiceLys-Glu raised physical activity and lowered spontaneous lung adenomas. The abstract reports no survival gain for it (5) | The pineal peptide epitalon, not Vilon, raised mean survival 5.3% |
| 6Anisimov, 2002Transgenic cancer model | HER-2/neu female mice | WarningVilon increased mammary cancer incidence, shortened the time to tumors and raised the number of tumors (p < 0.05). Epitalon reduced tumor number and size (6) | The opposite of an anti-tumor result |
| 7Pliss, 2001Carcinogen model | Rats with induced bladder tumors | RatsTumors developed in 56% of Vilon-treated rats and 75.5% of controls, and early changes in the bladder lining halved (7) | Same research group |
| 8Barykina, 2003Transplanted tumor model | Mice with Lewis lung carcinoma, plus spleen explants | WarningVilon alone raised survival. Given together with cyclophosphamide, survival fell. In explants Vilon stimulated apoptosis and abolished cyclophosphamide’s inhibitory effect (8) | The authors advise against giving the two at the same time |
| 9Linkova, 2014Aging spleen | Spleen tissue during aging | AnimalsVilon activated T-helper cells, and lower apoptosis explained the effect (9) | Species and numbers are not in the abstract |
| Cells | |||
| 10Khavinson, 2002Thymocyte culture | Mouse thymocytes | CellsVilon had the strongest comitogenic effect of three peptides, modulated interleukin-1β activity and raised sphingomyelinase activity (10) | Cortagen had no effect |
| 11Raikhlin, 2004Thymus culture | Human thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells | CellsVilon raised argyrophilic proteins in nucleolar organizer regions, which drive ribosome assembly, and pushed thymocytes into proliferating blast cells (11) | Epitalon suppressed the same proteins |
| 12Lezhava, 2004Lymphocyte culture | Lymphocytes from old people | CellsVilon unrolled facultative heterochromatin and reactivated ribosomal genes, without decondensing pericentromeric heterochromatin (12) | A chromatin readout, not an outcome |
| 13Avolio, 2022Inflammation model | Human THP-1 monocytes | CellsVilon and four other Khavinson peptides lowered TNF and IL-6 after a bacterial trigger and reduced adhesion to activated blood-vessel cells (13) | A leukemia cell line, studied with the group’s co-authors |
| 14Ashapkin, 2020Stem cell aging | Human mesenchymal stem cells | CellsKE, KED and AED raised IGF1 gene activity 3.5 to 5.6 times and all raised NF-κB. KE raised FOXO1 about two-fold in one aging model and not in the other (14) | Different models gave different results |
| 15Khavinson, 2023Stem cell aging, plus modeling | Human mesenchymal stem cells | CellsKE raised SIRT1 gene activity 6 times and protein 8.2 times in young cells, and lowered PARP1 protein 5.3 times and PARP2 protein 4.7 times during aging. Modeling placed KE on DNA motifs found in those promoters (15) | The modeling is a simulation |
| 16Khavinson, 2015Review | CCL11 and HMGB1 genes | ReviewThe authors propose Vilon and epitalon regulate CCL11 and HMGB1, markers of aging, with a geroprotective action that probably suppresses them (16) | A proposal, not a measured result |
All of these studies come from Khavinson’s group or its collaborators. A 2026 single-author review concludes that Vilon has no completed randomized trial and that its evidence is limited to cell and animal models (23). ClinicalTrials.gov lists no registered Vilon trial (18).
Does Vilon cause cancer? The mixed animal record
The animal results point in both directions, and no human data settle it. Vilon was protective in some models and harmful in others:
- Protective: rats given a bladder carcinogen developed tumors at 56% against 75.5% in controls (7), mice with lung carcinoma lived longer on Vilon alone (8), and CBA mice had fewer spontaneous lung adenomas (5).
- Harmful: HER-2/neu mice had more mammary cancer, a shorter time to tumors and more tumors on Vilon (p < 0.05) (6). A Russian-language report of the same experiment found two or more tumors in 95% of Vilon mice against 75% of controls (24).
- Interaction: mice given Vilon with cyclophosphamide survived less than mice given either alone, and the authors advise against giving them together (8).
Anyone with a current or past cancer, or on chemotherapy, should avoid Vilon.
How might Vilon work?
Khavinson’s group proposes that short peptides bind DNA and chromatin and change which genes are active. For Vilon, molecular modeling placed KE on the GCGG sequence of B-form DNA and the GGGC sequence of nucleosomal DNA, motifs that appear in the promoters of SIRT1, PARP1 and PARP2 (15). A computational screen of all dipeptides found that most can’t bind double-stranded DNA and that 57 complexes bind selectively, with Khavinson as a co-author (25). Nobody has shown any of this in a living person.
Does Vilon extend lifespan?
Two mouse papers point different ways. A 2000 paper in CBA mice reports a prolonged lifespan and fewer spontaneous tumors (4). A 2001 paper with a similar design reports no survival gain for Vilon (5). No human lifespan data exist.
Vilon dosage: is there one?
No validated human dose exists. The human reports added short courses of Vilon to standard hospital care (2, 3), and no study tested repeat courses. Schedules sold online, such as every few months or monthly pulses, don’t come from trials.
Vilon side effects and safety
No safety trial exists. The 2000 mouse abstract reports no unfavorable effects from long-term use (4), and the documented signals are the cancer findings above. Side-effect lists on seller sites, such as sore injection sites, tiredness and headache, cite no source. No data exist for pregnancy or breastfeeding, so avoid Vilon then, and talk to a doctor if you take any medicine. Because the diabetes reports found it lowered the insulin dose needed (2), anyone on diabetes medicine should ask a clinician about an interaction.
Is Vilon approved or legal?
No. FDA hasn’t approved Vilon, and it doesn’t appear on FDA’s list of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks (19). It wasn’t among the seven peptides FDA’s advisory committee reviewed in July 2026 (20), and HHS’s 28 October 2026 interim policy covers six other peptides and excludes research chemicals and supplements (21). WADA’s 2026 List doesn’t name Vilon, but S0 bans any substance without regulatory approval (22).
How to check a Vilon vial
Neither SwissChems nor Nextchems lists Vilon. If you find a seller, hold it to this checklist.
- Identity by mass spectrometry. Lys-Glu is 275.3 g/mol by calculation, and CAS 45234-02-4 is the free acid (17).
- Measured content in milligrams, not only a purity percentage.
- A lot number matching your vial and a laboratory you can verify independently.
Our guide to verifying a peptide COA explains each line, and best peptide vendors compares sellers by what their lab reports show.
Vilon FAQ
What is Vilon peptide?
Vilon is the dipeptide Lys-Glu (KE) from Vladimir Khavinson’s group. It is studied in cells and animals for immune effects and has no approved use.
What does Vilon peptide do?
In cells it changed gene activity and lowered inflammatory signals such as TNF and IL-6. In animals its tumor results were mixed. Small Russian reports describe clotting and immune changes in diabetes patients.
What are the benefits of Vilon peptide?
None is proven in humans. Three small Russian reports describe faster recovery in appendicitis and better clotting and immune markers in type 1 diabetes, and lab studies found immune and gene-expression changes.
Does Vilon cause cancer?
The record is mixed. Vilon lowered bladder tumors in rats, but it raised mammary cancer in HER-2/neu mice and cut survival when given with cyclophosphamide. No human data exist.
What is the Vilon peptide dosage?
No validated human dose exists. The human reports used short courses added to hospital care, and online schedules have no source.
What are the side effects of Vilon?
Unknown. No safety trial exists. The documented signals are the animal cancer findings, and it lowered the insulin dose needed in diabetes patients.
Is Vilon the same as epitalon?
No. Both come from the same research group, but Vilon has two amino acids and epitalon has four. In HER-2/neu mice epitalon reduced tumors while Vilon increased them.
How does Vilon compare with thymosin alpha-1?
Thymosin alpha-1 is a 28-amino-acid peptide with registered human trials, and it is approved in some countries. Vilon is a two-amino-acid peptide with small Russian reports and no approvals.
Is Vilon FDA approved?
No. FDA has not approved it, and it isn’t in HHS’s October 2026 interim policy.
Is Vilon banned in sport?
WADA’s 2026 List doesn’t name it, but S0 bans any substance without regulatory approval, so tested athletes should treat it as prohibited.
Keep researching: the Khavinson peptides guide, Epitalon, Thymogen, thymulin, the full list of peptides and bioregulator capsules.
References
Show references (25)Hide references
- Kuznik BI, et al. Effect of thymomimetic vilon on blood coagulation system and fibrinolysis in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients of different age. Adv Gerontol 2006. Source
- Kuznik BI, et al. Effect of vilon on the immunity status and coagulation hemostasis in patients of different age with diabetes mellitus. Adv Gerontol 2007. Source
- Kuznik BI, et al. Vilon in the complex treatment of patients with complicated appendicitis. Med Immunol 2008. Source
- Khavinson VK, et al. Effect of vilon on biological age and lifespan in mice. Bull Exp Biol Med 2000. Source
- Anisimov VN, et al. Effect of synthetic thymic and pineal peptides on biomarkers of ageing, survival and spontaneous tumour incidence in female CBA mice. 2001. Source
- Anisimov VN, et al. Inhibitory effect of the peptide epitalon on the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. Int J Cancer 2002. Source
- Pliss GB, et al. Inhibitory effect of peptide vilon on the development of induced rat urinary bladder tumors in rats. Bull Exp Biol Med 2001. Source
- Barykina OP, et al. Combined effect of vilon and cyclophosphane on tumor transplants and lymphoid tissue explants in mice and rats of various age. Adv Gerontol 2003. Source
- Linkova N, et al. Molecular aspects of immunoprotective activity of peptides in spleen during the ageing process. Adv Gerontol 2014. Source
- Khavinson V, et al. Effects of short peptides on thymocyte blast transformation and signal transduction along the sphingomyelin pathway. Bull Exp Biol Med 2002. Source
- Raikhlin NT, et al. Expression of argyrophilic proteins in the nucleolar organizer regions of human thymocytes and thymic epitheliocytes under conditions of coculturing with Vilon and Epithalon peptides. Bull Exp Biol Med 2004. Source
- Lezhava T, et al. Bioregulator Vilon-induced reactivation of chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people. Biogerontology 2004. Source
- Avolio F, et al. Peptides regulating proliferative activity and inflammatory pathways in the monocyte/macrophage THP-1 cell line. Int J Mol Sci 2022. Source
- Ashapkin V, et al. Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides. Mol Biol Rep 2020. Source
- Khavinson V, et al. KE peptide regulates SIRT1, PARP1, PARP2 gene expression and protein synthesis in human mesenchymal stem cells aging. Adv Gerontol 2023. Source
- Khavinson V, Kuznik B, Lin’kova N. Peptides and CCL11 and HMGB1 as molecular markers of aging: literature review and own data. Adv Gerontol 2015. Source
- PubChem. Lys-Glu (lysylglutamic acid, vilon), CAS 45234-02-4. Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov search for vilon: no registered trials. Source
- FDA. Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (content dated 22 April 2026). Source
- Healio. FDA committee recommends looser restrictions for several peptides. 24 July 2026. Source
- BakerHostetler. HHS issues enforcement discretion policy regarding 503A compounding using certain peptide bulk drug substances. 28 October 2026. Source
- WADA. The 2026 Prohibited List. Source
- Caquetti LFM. Peptide bioregulators, aging and human longevity: Epithalon, Thymalin, Thymogen, DSIP, Vilon and Vesugen. Int Blest Sci 2026. Source
- Alimova IN, et al. Effect of Epitalon and Vilon treatment on mammary carcinogenesis in transgenic erbB-2/NEU mice. Vopr Onkol 2002. Source
- Kolchina N, et al. Systematic search for structural motifs of peptide binding to double-stranded DNA. Nucleic Acids Res 2019. Source