Peptides for aging and longevity

What’s been tested for aging and longevity, from epithalon to NAD+, and what helps first.

The short answer

No peptide has been shown to slow aging or extend life in people. Claims about telomeres, worn-out (senescent) cells, mitochondria and NAD+ rest on animal and lab studies.

The human aging studies are small or uncontrolled. Epithalamin and thymalin courses were linked to lower death rates in people over 60 in non-blinded studies by their developers; in older adults, MK-677 added lean mass without strength, and tesamorelin improved some planning and attention tests in one 20-week trial.

43 uses on this site’s compound pages: 11 tested in people, 18 in animals only, 14 claims only.

What helps first

Regular physical activity: the WHO recommends aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity at every age, and less time sitting.

Tested in people 11

Studied in people, whatever the result: some worked, many didn’t or are unproven.

SS-31Approved drug: TrialMuscle energy in older adults. Unproven: one IV infusion briefly raised peak energy (ATP) output in a hand muscle in a placebo-controlled trial of 39 older adults; fatigue didn’t change. A 4-week pilot is under way.
EpithalonPreclinical: TrialLongevity and lifespan. Unproven: the human data are for Epithalamin, the parent pineal extract, from one group: in 266 people over 60, courses were linked to 1.6–1.8 times lower death rates over 6–8 years. Not double-blind.
SermorelinHuman studies: TrialRaising GH and IGF-1 in older men. Mixed: twice-daily shots for 2 weeks raised GH and IGF-1 to young-adult levels in 10 older men, but nightly shots for 6 weeks in 11 men raised GH without changing IGF-1.
SermorelinHuman studies: TrialAnti-aging, muscle and fat loss. Unproven: in 11 healthy men aged 64–76, 6 weeks of nightly shots didn’t change weight, muscle or fat, though 2 of 6 strength tests improved. There was no placebo group.
TesamorelinApproved drug: TrialMemory and thinking in aging. Unproven: in a 20-week trial of 152 adults aged 55–87, planning and attention tests (executive function) improved vs placebo. A 10-week pilot (22 adults) and a 6-month HIV trial (73) found no clear benefit.
MK-677Human studies: TrialMuscle in older adults. Lean mass, not strength: in a year-long trial of 65 healthy adults aged 60–81, lean mass rose 1.1 kg vs a 0.5 kg loss on placebo, but strength and function didn’t improve.
Follistatin-344Preclinical: TrialAnti-aging and strength in healthy adults. Unproven: two open-label studies abroad gave 43 and 14 adults a follistatin gene on a plasmid and measured blood levels and body scans, but reported no results.
GHK-CuHuman studies: TrialWrinkles and aging skin (creams, serums). Unproven: studies are small and short, and some were never fully published. A face cream improved wrinkles in 71 women over 12 weeks (poster only); an 8-week serum cut wrinkle volume 55.8% vs plain serum.
MatrixylHuman studies: TrialAnti-aging regimens with other actives. In an 8-week industry trial of 196 women, a regimen of niacinamide, peptides including this one and retinyl propionate improved wrinkles more than 0.02% tretinoin; its own share is unknown.
PinealonPreclinical: TrialSlowing brain and body aging. Unproven: small Russian reports (32 adults with chronic brain disorders; train crews taking 100 mcg capsules twice daily for 2 weeks) describe better “biological age” scores, without placebo groups or full numbers.
ThymalinApproved drug: TrialLongevity in older adults. Unproven: in 266 people over 60 studied by its developers and partners, courses in the first 2–3 years were linked to 2.0–2.1 times lower death rates over 6–8 years. Not double-blind.

Seen only in animals 18

Results in animals or cells only. Most treatments tested in animals never reach approval for people.

5-Amino-1MQPreclinical: AnimalMuscle strength in aging. Unproven in people: aged mice given daily injections for 8 weeks had about 40% greater grip strength than untreated controls, and injured muscle regrew faster in older mice.
5-Amino-1MQPreclinical: AnimalRaising NAD+ for energy and aging. Unproven in people: in fat cells in a dish it raised NAD+, a cell energy carrier, about 1.2–1.6-fold. Whether capsules or shots raise NAD+ in a person hasn’t been measured.
SLU-PP-332Preclinical: AnimalKidney aging. Unproven in people: aged mice treated for 8 weeks had less protein in their urine, a sign of kidney strain, and less kidney inflammation.
SLU-PP-332Preclinical: AnimalMuscle aging and inactivity. Unproven: in muscle cells from 10 inactive women, grown in a dish, it lowered oxidative stress and helped cells form muscle fibers. No one has taken it in a study.
NAD+Human studies: AnimalAnti-aging and longevity. Unproven in people: raising NAD+ improved metabolic and mitochondrial measures in rodents. A 2026 review of 33 human studies found no outcome trial of injected NAD+; oral precursors gave mixed results.
MOTS-cPreclinical: AnimalLongevity and anti-aging. Unproven: mice started on it late in life had better grip strength and walking, with a nonsignificant trend to longer life. A MOTS-c gene variant is linked with long life in Japanese people.
SS-31Approved drug: AnimalAnti-aging and longevity. Unproven in people: in old mice, one injection restored muscle energy production within an hour, 8 days raised endurance, and 8 weeks reversed age-related decline in heart relaxation.
EpithalonPreclinical: AnimalTelomeres and cell aging. Unproven in people: it lengthened telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes, in human cells in a dish, as an independent 2025 study confirmed. No published study has measured them in people taking it.
HumaninPreclinical: AnimalLongevity and healthy aging. Unproven: extra humanin lengthened worm lifespan, and twice-weekly HNG improved metabolic health markers in middle-aged mice. In people, studies disagree on whether blood levels fall or rise with age.
FOXO4-DRIPreclinical: AnimalClearing senescent (worn-out) cells. Unproven in people: in cell cultures and mice it pushed senescent cells to self-destruct while largely sparing healthy cells. No one has been given it in a published study.
FOXO4-DRIPreclinical: AnimalFitness and frailty in old age. Unproven: in fast-aging mice and mice over 2 years old, it improved fitness, activity and kidney markers. Lifespan wasn’t measured, and nothing has been tested in people.
FOXO4-DRIPreclinical: AnimalKidney function in aging. Unproven in people: in fast-aging and naturally old mice, it lowered blood urea and creatinine, markers that rise as kidney filtering declines, 30 days after treatment.
FOXO4-DRIPreclinical: AnimalTestosterone and sperm in older men. Unproven in people: in naturally aged mice, it cleared senescent testosterone-making (Leydig) cells, eased the age-related drop in testosterone and improved sperm quality, in two studies from one Chinese university.
CartalaxPreclinical: AnimalSkin aging and collagen. Unproven in people: in aging skin cells in a dish, it raised collagen I and sirtuins, proteins linked to cell aging, and curbed cell-death signals.
CartalaxPreclinical: AnimalKidney aging. Unproven in people: in kidney cell and tissue cultures, including tissue from old rats, it boosted cell renewal and lowered aging markers such as p16 and p53.
MGFPreclinical: AnimalSlowing age-related muscle loss. Unproven: a weight session raised muscle MGF in young adults but not in 70- to 82-year-olds. In a cell study, the peptide prolonged growth of muscle stem cells from young donors, not old ones.
GHK-CuHuman studies: AnimalAnti-aging genes, longevity and brain health. Unproven: claims rest on computer analyses of gene-activity databases and rodent studies, much of it from GHK’s discoverer. No human study has tested it for aging, memory, mood or lifespan.
DSIPApproved drug: AnimalAnti-aging and longevity. Unproven: in mice given monthly Deltaran courses for life, average lifespan didn’t change, but the longest-lived survived longer and tumors were rarer (2003). Never tested in people.

Claims without data 14

Promoted by sellers, clinics or users, with no study behind the claim.

SemaglutideApproved drug: No studyMicrodosing for inflammation or longevity. Unproven: no study has tested small “microdoses” for inflammation, aging or general wellness. Benefits were shown at labeled doses for weight, diabetes, heart, kidney and liver outcomes.
TirzepatideApproved drug: No studyMicrodosing for inflammation or longevity. Unproven: no study has tested small “microdoses” of tirzepatide for inflammation, aging or general wellness. Benefits were shown at labeled doses for diabetes, weight, sleep apnea and heart outcomes.
RetatrutideHuman studies: No studyMicrodosing for longevity or wellness. Unproven: no study has tested small “microdoses” of retatrutide for aging, inflammation or general wellness. Trials used 1–12 mg weekly for obesity and diabetes.
AOD9604Human studies: No studyBone, skin, mood and anti-aging claims. Unproven: FDA found clinics promoting it for osteoporosis, skin care, depression and anti-aging. No study has tested it for these; a rat study raised a possible bone concern.
SurvodutideHuman studies: No studyMicrodosing for longevity or wellness. Unproven: no study has tested small “microdoses” of survodutide for aging, inflammation or general wellness. Trials used weekly doses up to 6.0 mg for obesity, diabetes and liver disease.
PEG-MGFPreclinical: No studySlowing age-related muscle loss. Unproven: no study has given PEG-MGF to anyone. In a cell study, plain MGF prolonged growth of muscle stem cells from young donors, but not old ones.
CJC-1295 (no DAC)Preclinical: CommunityAnti-aging, skin and joints. Unproven: FDA found websites promising stronger bones, better skin and joints, mood, memory and libido (2024). None of these has been studied for any form of CJC-1295.
CJC-1295 with DACHuman studies: CommunitySleep, recovery and anti-aging. Unproven: commonly claimed by users and clinics, but no study has tested any of these. The human trials measured only hormone levels and side effects.
IpamorelinHuman studies: CommunityMuscle, fat loss and anti-aging. Unproven: widely marketed for muscle, fat loss, energy, skin and joints, but no human study has tested any of these, and none has given it under the skin.
TesamorelinApproved drug: CommunityMuscle gain and anti-aging. Unproven: no completed trial has tested it for building muscle or slowing aging. In the HIV trials, lean body mass rose 1.2–1.3 kg vs little change on placebo; a trial adding exercise is under way.
GHRP-2Approved drug: CommunityMuscle, fat loss and anti-aging. Unproven: no study has measured muscle, fat or aging outcomes. Five days of daily injections in 9 young men didn’t raise IGF-1; a 30-day infusion in 17 older adults did.
GHK-CuHuman studies: CommunityInjections for skin, healing or anti-aging. Unproven: no study has tested GHK-Cu injections alone in people. FDA found limited human data on their safety, and the nomination to compound injectable GHK-Cu was withdrawn in April 2026.
AHK-CuPreclinical: No studySkin firming, collagen and anti-aging. Unproven: no study of AHK-Cu on skin was found. These claims borrow from GHK-Cu, a related copper peptide whose own human evidence is small and mixed.
ThymalinApproved drug: No studyImmune boost or anti-aging in healthy people. Unproven: no controlled study has tested it in healthy people for general immune support or anti-aging. The label covers only immune deficiency linked to disease or treatment.

Energy and longevity guide, Older adults, compound by compound.

The same uses among all aging and longevity: evidence map. Every condition, A to Z: conditions A to Z.

Sources: Bull et al., WHO 2020 physical activity guidelines (Br J Sports Med 2020), PMID 33239350; each compound’s answer from its own page, where its sources are listed.

By Vial Guide editorsLast reviewed October 7, 2026

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