Cartalax

With just three amino acids, Ala-Glu-Asp, Cartalax is one of the smallest molecules of the Khavinson series. It was developed at the Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology in St. Petersburg to study age-related cartilage breakdown in models; its target tissue is cartilage.

Preclinical work reports, in chondrocytes:

• increased synthesis of proteoglycans
• more production of type II collagen
• fewer matrix metalloproteinases, the enzymes that degrade cartilage matrix

In Russian reports Cartalax appears as an accompanying substance in experimental set-ups on degenerative joint changes, for instance in osteoarthritis models and in disc research. Outside that environment the peptide has hardly been examined; international confirmation is very thin.

The mode of action is conceived epigenetically, as for all peptides of this class: Cartalax is thought to bind regulatory stretches of DNA and shift gene expression in cartilage cells without altering the genetic information. Two of the papers listed examine, in this sense, how short peptides steer the differentiation of stem cells towards cartilage and of cells in general. The protocols described call for subcutaneous administration in short courses of 10 to 20 days, repeated two to three times a year. You receive the peptide as a lyophilisate; it is intended exclusively for research and education.

Neither the cell and animal studies nor the few papers in humans show relevant toxic effects for Cartalax; it is rated as one of the best tolerated peptides of the Khavinson series. Three reservations remain:

• Evidence base: almost exclusively small studies in Russian out of the Khavinson environment; replication abroad is scarce, and nobody has collected long-term safety data for the cartilage setting.
• Short-term design: every observation stems from courses of 10 to 20 days. There are no data on continuous administration.
• Injection site: mild, transient redness or irritation after subcutaneous injection is the most frequently described reaction; the reactivity of the molecule itself is rated as low.

This summary is no substitute for medical advice.

• Peptide Regulation of Chondrogenic Stem Cell Differentiation - Linkova et al. (2023) examine how short peptides push stem cells to differentiate towards cartilage cells.
• Peptides of cartilage tissue: regulation of chondrocyte proliferation, geroprotection and prospects for use in osteoarthrosis - review by Myakisheva et al. (Vrach 2023) on cartilage peptides, the Cartalax sequence and the proliferation of chondrocytes.
• Peptide Regulation of Cell Differentiation - Khavinson et al. (2020) summarise how short peptides steer the differentiation of cells.