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PeptideMostly animalNot FDA approved

Cartalax

Ala-Glu-Asp tripeptide

Last reviewed October 27, 2026 · 15 sources · Written for general readers · Compare with another compound →

The bottom line

Cartalax is a three amino acid peptide from the Khavinson group in St. Petersburg, sold online for joints, bones and aging. Its studies are in cells and rats, nearly all from that one group, and no study has tested it on cartilage or joints, even in animals. No human trial has been published, so its benefits and safety in people are unknown.

Where the evidence stands

What it is

Cartalax is the trade name the Khavinson group gives to AED, a chain of three amino acids: alanine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid.[1] The group's papers also call it T-31.[2] It is one of the short peptide bioregulators developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology.

The group links AED to a cartilage peptide extract, but its own 2023 review reports AED effects in stem cells and skin cells, not direct tests in cartilage cells.[3] That extract, not AED itself, is the product the review says is in a phase 2 trial for arthritis in Russia.[3]

Sellers say it rebuilds cartilage, strengthens bones and slows aging. The sections below check each claim against the published studies.

Name
Cartalax (Ala-Glu-Asp tripeptide)
Other names
AED, T-31, alanyl glutamyl aspartic acid
Type
Peptide
Sequence
AED

How it works

The group's main idea is that very short peptides slip into cells and change which genes are switched on.

  • Computer models from the group predict AED binds a specific short stretch of DNA.[1]
  • In aging human stem cells in a dish, AED and two related peptides raised IGF1, a growth gene, 3.5 to 5.6 times and also raised NFkB, a gene tied to inflammation and aging.[4]
  • A 2020 review by the group says AED can push stem cells toward nerve and immune cell types, but it lists other peptides, not AED, for bone forming cells.[5]
  • The group's review says this gene control may work by binding DNA and histones, the proteins DNA wraps around, but calls the shared mechanism a prediction, not a proven fact.[6]

This mechanism is a hypothesis from one research group and has not been confirmed by others.

What the research shows

We keep animal and human evidence apart. A result in animals is a reason to study something in people, not proof that it works in people.

Animal and lab studies

Cell studies and a few rat studies, nearly all from one group

  • In aging human stem cells grown in a dish, AED raised the growth gene IGF1 3.5 to 5.6 times and raised NFkB in two aging models.[4]
  • In aging skin cells in a dish, AED lowered an enzyme that breaks down tissue and reduced a marker of cell death.[8]
  • In kidney tissue from young and old rats grown in a dish, AED boosted cell growth and cut cell death, but less than the calf kidney extract it was compared with. In aging kidney cells, it switched on cell renewal markers.[2][12]
  • In rats given a kidney damaging cancer drug, AED lowered protein and salts in the urine. In old rats, it raised salt excretion about 1.3 times without kidney damage.[10][11]
  • In rats with bone loss after removal of the ovaries, T-31 protected bone density, though less than a cartilage extract.[7]
  • Some results were null. In aging thymus cells, T-31 did not show the broad protective effect another peptide did. In dental stem cells, only a peptide mix and a sister peptide, KED, were reported to raise a nerve growth marker, and AED alone was not among them.[9][13]

Limit: Most studies are small, published in Russian or translated journals, give few numbers in English, and come from the developer's own group with no independent replication. None tested joints.

Human studies

No human studies

  • We found no published clinical trials of AED or Cartalax in people. The group's 2023 review reports no human trial results for AED.[3]
  • The arthritis trial the review mentions is testing a cartilage extract, a different product, so its results would not apply to AED.[3]

Limit: Without human trials, nobody knows whether it does anything for joints, bones or aging, or whether it is safe.

Claims check

The most common claims about this compound, and what studies actually found. Verdicts rate the evidence, not whether you should use it.

Rebuilds cartilage and eases joint pain

Not tested

No study we found has tested AED on cartilage or joints, in animals or in people. The group's 2023 review on cartilage describes AED only in stem cell and skin cell work, and the arthritis trial it mentions uses a different product, a cartilage extract.[3]

Strengthens bones

Only in animals

In female rats whose ovaries were removed to cause bone loss, a substance called T-31 helped prevent and partly reverse the drop in bone density. A cartilage extract tested in the same study worked significantly better. The English summary gives no numbers.[7] No human study exists.

Slows aging of cells

Only in animals

In aging human stem cells in a dish, AED raised the growth gene IGF1 several times over.[4] In aging skin cells, it lowered an enzyme that breaks down tissue and a marker of cell death.[8] But in aging thymus cells, the immune cells' training ground, T-31 did not show the broad protective effect that another peptide did.[9] None of this has been tested in people.

Improves skin and collagen

Only in animals

The only evidence is a dish study of aging human skin cells, where AED lowered an enzyme that breaks down tissue and a marker of cell death.[8] No animal or human skin study has been published.

Protects the kidneys

Only in animals

In rats given cisplatin, a cancer drug that harms the kidneys, AED lowered protein and salts in the urine.[10] In old rats, AED raised salt excretion about 1.3 times with no kidney harm seen.[11] In rat kidney tissue in a dish, it helped cells grow but less than a calf kidney extract.[2]

Safe because it is a natural peptide

Not tested

No human safety study has been published. A natural sounding name says nothing about what an online vial holds, and the group's own reviews report no human trial of AED.[3][6]

Known risks and side effects

  • Unregulated products. It is sold online outside pharmacies with no FDA review, so what is in the vial or capsule, how pure it is, and how much it holds are unknown.[14]
  • No human safety data. No human trials of this peptide have been published, so side effects, how often they happen and long term risks are all unknown.[3]
  • One research group. Nearly all the research comes from the developer's own network, and outside teams have not repeated it.[1][6]
  • Delaying real care. Joint pain and bone loss have treatments proven in trials. Relying on a peptide never tested on joints may delay care that works.[3]
  • Banned in sport. WADA bans unapproved drugs at all times, in and out of competition.[15]

Regulatory status

Today: It is not approved by the FDA for any use. It is not named on FDA's list of risky bulk substances for compounding as updated April 22, 2026.[14] WADA bans at all times any drug not approved by a government health agency for human use, so athletes should treat it as banned unless their anti doping agency says otherwise.[15]

Sources

  1. Khavinson VKh, Lin'kova NS, Tarnovskaya SI. Short Peptides Regulate Gene Expression. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016;162(2):288-292. PMID 27909961
  2. Chalisova NI, Lin'kova NS, Nichik TE, Ryzhak AP, Dudkov AV, Ryzhak GA. Peptide Regulation of Cells Renewal Processes in Kidney Tissue Cultures from Young and Old Animals. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;159(1):124-7. PMID 26033601
  3. Linkova N, Khavinson V, Diatlova A, Myakisheva S, Ryzhak G. Peptide Regulation of Chondrogenic Stem Cell Differentiation. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(9):8415. PMID 37176122
  4. Ashapkin V, Khavinson V, Shilovsky G, Linkova N, Vanuyshin B. Gene expression in human mesenchymal stem cell aging cultures: modulation by short peptides. Mol Biol Rep. 2020;47(6):4323-4329. PMID 32399807
  5. Khavinson V, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Trofimova S. Peptide Regulation of Cell Differentiation. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2020;16(1):118-125. PMID 31808038
  6. Khavinson VK, Popovich IG, Linkova NS, Mironova ES, Ilina AR. Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review. Molecules. 2021;26(22):7053. PMC8619776
  7. Povorozniuk VV, Khavinson VKh, Makogonchuk AV, Ryzhak GA, Kreslov EA, Gopkalova IV. [Effect of peptide regulators on the structural and functional status of bone tissue in ageing rats]. Adv Gerontol. 2007;20(2):134-137. PMID 18306703
  8. Lin'kova NS, Drobintseva AO, Orlova OA, Kuznetsova EP, Polyakova VO, Kvetnoy IM, Khavinson VKh. Peptide Regulation of Skin Fibroblast Functions during Their Aging In Vitro. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2016;161(1):175-8. PMID 27259496
  9. Lin'kova NS, Polyakova VO, Trofimov AV, Kvetnoy IM, Khavinson VKh. Peptidergic regulation of thymocyte differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis during aging of the thymus. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2011;151(2):239-42. PMID 22238759
  10. Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Lin'kova NS, Nichik TE, Khavinson VKh. Peptides Restore Functional State of the Kidneys During Cisplatin-Induced Acute Renal Failure. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;159(6):736-739. PMID 26515176
  11. Zamorskii II, Shchudrova TS, Zeleniuk VG, Linkova NS, Nichik TE, Khavinson VK. [The influence of peptides on the morphofunctional state of old rats kidneys]. Adv Gerontol. 2018;31(4):498-504. PMID 30607912
  12. Khavinson VKh, Lin'kova NS, Polyakova VO, Durnova AO, Nichik TE, Kvetnoi IM. Peptides regulate expression of signaling molecules in kidney cell cultures during in vitro aging. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2014;157(2):261-4. PMID 24958378
  13. Caputi S, Trubiani O, Sinjari B, Trofimova S, Diomede F, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Khavinson V. Effect of short peptides on neuronal differentiation of stem cells. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2019;33:2058738419828613. PMID 30791821
  14. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Content current as of April 22, 2026. FDA
  15. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, World Anti-Doping Code International Standard. In force January 1, 2026. WADA 2026
Medical disclaimer

This page is educational information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from a licensed medical provider. Do not use this page to decide whether to take any substance. Talk to a licensed medical provider first.

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