PreclinicalShort bioregulator peptide

Livagen

Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA)

Common dose: ~1 mg daily for 10–20 days
Cycle: 2-week course, about every 5 months
Vial sizes: 20 mg
Typical draw: 10 units20 mg with 2 mL, 1 mg

A synthetic four-amino-acid peptide from the Russian bioregulator family, built from the amino acid makeup of calf-liver extracts and promoted for liver support and aging. Its developers say it reactivates genes silenced with age, a claim that rests on cell studies.

Evidence. Test-tube, cell, tissue-culture and rat studies, nearly all from Vladimir Khavinson’s St Petersburg institute and partner labs in Tbilisi, many in Russian. Some used blood cells from people over 75, grown in a dish, but no study has given Livagen to a person.

What it’s used for

None of these uses is approved, and none has been tested in people. Here is what each claim rests on.

Liver protection and liver disease: AnimalUnproven in people. It aided rat liver cells and tissue in culture, and a 2020 developer review says it and a calf-liver extract protected the liver in animal hepatitis models. No human study exists.
Aging and gene activity: AnimalIn developer and Tbilisi studies (2002–2007), blood cells from people aged 75–91, grown in a dish, showed looser chromatin and active ribosomal genes. Whether this matters in a living person is unknown.
Digestion in older age: AnimalIn old rats given it by mouth for 2 weeks, gut enzyme activity moved toward young-rat levels, while in young rats it fell. Not studied in people.
DNA and chromosome protection: AnimalIn Tbilisi lab studies (2008–2017), cultured blood cells from older people and from patients with atherosclerosis or breast cancer showed fewer chromosome-damage markers with it. Not tested in a person.
Detox: No studyNo study has measured detoxification, a common guide claim, in people or animals.

Animal: cell or animal studies only. No study: nothing published supports it.

Every compound’s uses, by body system: evidence map, and by condition: conditions A to Z.

Status

Approval: Not approved as a drug in the US or EU, and no registered medicine containing it was found anywhere.
US compounding: Not nominated for US compounding: it isn’t on FDA’s 503A (May 2026) or 503B (March 2025) bulk substance nomination lists.
European Union: No marketing authorization; no medicine containing Livagen is approved anywhere.
United Kingdom: No marketing authorization (MHRA).
Canada: No marketing authorization; no Livagen product is listed in Health Canada’s Drug Product Database.
Australia: No marketing authorization. Livagen isn’t named in the Poisons Standard (October 2026).
Sport (WADA 2026): Likely banned in sportNot named on WADA’s 2026 list, but its S0 rule bans substances with no current approval by any health authority for human use, at all times.

Category 2 is FDA’s list of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding. The 503A bulks list adds substances that pharmacies may compound with. Advisory committee votes are advice; FDA makes the final decision. Sport status follows the WADA Prohibited List in force since January 1, 2026; athletes should confirm with their anti-doping organization. Checked October 5, 2026. Status outside the US checked October 7, 2026 against EMA, MHRA, Health Canada and TGA records. By country: EU, UK, Canada, Australia. Status of every compound.

How it works

No receptor or target is known. Its developers propose that this four-amino-acid peptide, modeled on calf-liver extracts, loosens tightly packed chromatin (DNA wound around proteins) and switches on genes silenced with age. In the developers’ 2001–2004 lab studies it raised protein synthesis in rat liver cells and activated ribosomal genes, which build the cell’s protein factories, in blood cells from people over 75 grown in a dish. In a test tube it also blocked serum enzymes that break down enkephalins, the body’s own opioids.

AnimalMainly from cell and animal studies; not shown in people.

Not known

Its target is unknown, as is whether it survives digestion or injection to reach the liver, and whether any cell or rat effect happens in people.

Protocol

Community

Injected: guides range from 100–200 mcg to 1–5 mg once daily for 10–20 days, about a 50-fold spread. No dose has been tested in people.

Community

By mouth: a few guides list 10–40 mg a day for 10–30 days. Only rats have been given it by mouth in a published study.

Frequency: Once daily during a course
Route: Subcutaneous injection (community); by mouth in some guides
Cycle: 10–20 day courses, 2–3 times a year.
2-week course, about every 5 months, shown over 26 weeks

Common protocols

The ways Livagen is most often run, each tagged with where it comes from.

Injected course

Community

Dose: 1 mg (guides range from 100 mcg to 5 mg)
How often: Once daily
How long: 10–20 days

Most guides repeat the course 2–3 times a year. No dose has been tested in people.

Draw 10 units20 mg + 2 mL

Low-dose injected course

Community

Dose: 100–200 mcg
How often: Once daily
How long: 10 days

A minority of guides; one adds 200 mcg every other day after the course. Untested.

Draw 1–2 units20 mg + 2 mL

Oral course

Community

Dose: 10–40 mg
How often: Once daily
How long: 10–30 days

A few guides. The only oral data come from rats given it for 2 weeks.

Taking it

Where it goes

Subcutaneous, rotating between the abdomen, thigh and upper arm. Some guides take it by mouth instead. Published research used cells, tissue cultures and rats, not people.

If you miss a dose

No published guidance. Resume the next day and don’t double up.

Missed doses for every compound

What to expect

During a course
Guides claim liver support. No human study has measured liver tests or any other effect.
Community
After 2 weeks (rats)
In old rats given it by mouth for 2 weeks, gut enzyme activity moved toward young-rat levels; in young rats it fell.
Animal

Side effects and what to do

Injection-site redness or swelling

Usually mild; rotate sites. Spreading redness, heat or pus means see a doctor.

No side-effect data from people

No study has given it to anyone, so side effects and their rates are unknown.

Allergic reaction (possible with any injected peptide)

Stop and get emergency care for hives, facial swelling or trouble breathing.

Stop and get medical help

Stop and get medical help for hives, swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, or a hot, spreading or pus-filled injection site.

Can it cause …?

There are almost no human safety data for Livagen, so most of these can’t be answered either way.

Liver strain: No dataNo human data. It’s promoted for the liver, but no study has checked liver tests in anyone taking it.
Cancer risk: PrecautionUnknown. In cell studies it switched on silenced genes and raised protein production; no study has tested its effect on tumors.
TirednessHeadacheNausea or vomitingDiarrhea or constipationDizzinessTrouble sleepingHair lossAcne, rash or skin changesWater retention or swellingJoint or muscle painAnxiety, low mood or irritabilityLow or high blood sugarFast heartbeat or blood pressure changesMore hungerKidney problems: No dataNo human data: no study of Livagen in people has been published, so side effects are unknown.

Precaution: a concern that follows from how it works or from a related drug, not measured. No data: no human safety data. A side effect that hasn’t been reported can still happen, especially with long or high-dose use. Any of these across every compound: the side-effect finder.

Who should avoid it

No product label covers Livagen, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Most important first.

Anyone with active or past cancer: PrecautionIn cell studies it switched on silenced genes and raised protein production. No study has tested its effect on tumors.
Pregnancy or breastfeeding: PrecautionNo human safety data exist.
Liver disease: PrecautionPromoted for the liver, but never tested in anyone with liver disease; its protective effects come only from rat and cell studies.
Anyone relying on product quality: PrecautionIt isn’t an approved drug anywhere, so vials have no regulated standard for identity, purity or sterility, and it is easily confused with Ovagen, a different liver peptide.

Interactions

No interaction studies have been published, and no product label lists any.

Precaution: follows from how it works or from a related drug, and hasn’t been tested. This isn’t a complete list: a pharmacist or doctor can check a specific medicine or condition. Every documented interaction, by medicine: drug interactions.

Special situations

What’s known about pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney and liver problems, age and surgery. Where nothing has been studied, the row says so.

Pregnancy: PrecautionNo human or animal pregnancy data, so effects on a pregnancy are unknown.
Breastfeeding: PrecautionNo human data; it isn’t known whether it passes into breast milk.
Kidney problems: PrecautionNot studied in people with kidney disease; how the body clears it is unknown.
Liver problems: PrecautionPromoted for the liver, but never tested in people with liver disease; the protective findings come from rat and cell studies only.
Older adults: PrecautionNo study has given it to older people. Studies used blood cells from people aged 75–91 grown in a dish, which shows nothing about safety in a person.
Children and teens: PrecautionNot studied in anyone under 18, and not approved for any age.
Surgery and anesthesia: PrecautionNo data; tell the surgical team about any injected compound.

Precaution: not studied, so the caution follows from how it works or from a related drug. Ages are given as approved or studied; this site never gives doses for children. Across every compound: pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney disease, liver disease, older adults and surgery.

Tracking and pairing

Worth tracking

Liver tests (ALT, AST), as some guides suggest; no study defines an expected change

Often paired with

Ovagen
Some guides pair the two liver-marketed peptides. No study has tested them together.

Human studies

No published human studies of Livagen turned up in our October 2026 review. The evidence note at the top of this page sums up what is known.

Trials under way

No ongoing trial of Livagen is registered, and none has finished recently without publishing its results. Checked on ClinicalTrials.gov, October 7, 2026. Every compound: trials under way.

Limits of the evidence

No study has given Livagen to people. The published work is test-tube, cell and tissue-culture studies, some using blood cells from people over 75 or from patients, plus a 2-week oral study in rats, nearly all from Khavinson’s St Petersburg institute and partner labs in Tbilisi, many in Russian. A 2020 review by the same group says it and a calf-liver extract protected the liver in animal hepatitis models, but those studies aren’t in PubMed. Doses, long-term safety and product purity are untested.

Mixing your vial

Vial	Water	Common dose	Draw	Strength	Action
20 mg	2 mL	1 mg	10 units (0.10 mL)	10 mg/mL

20 mg in 2 mL gives 10 mg per mL, so 1 mg is 10 units on a U-100 syringe; guides using 100–200 mcg doses add more water. Check that the certificate of analysis shows KEDA: Ovagen (EDL) is a different liver-marketed peptide.

Dose chart

20 mg vial

Syringe units for common doses at different water volumes. Select a cell to open it in the calculator.

Dose	Water added
Dose	1 mL	2 mL	3 mL
0.1 mg
0.25 mg
0.4 mg
0.75 mg
1 mg
1.5 mg
3 mg
5 mg

U-100 insulin syringe: 100 units is 1 mL. Draws over 100 units show in mL. Faded values are under 2 units, which is hard to measure. Check that your vial holds the larger volumes.

Datasheet

Half-life: No reliable value has been published.
Type: Peptide, 4 amino acids
Molecular weight: 461.5 g/mol
Formula: C₁₈H₃₁N₅O₉
Sequence: KEDA
Storage before use: Freezer (about −20 °C) for long-term storage.
After mixing or opening: Fridge (2–8 °C); use within about 4 weeks.

Molecule: PubChem CID 87919683 (H-Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala-OH, synonym Livagen)
Storage: Community Common practice for research peptides; no approved label exists.

Every compound side by side: the half-life chart and the storage chart.

Identifiers

CAS number: 433257-50-2 (as listed in PubChem)
UNII (FDA): None assigned
PubChem CID: 87919683
ATC code: None assigned
Development codes: None; also written KEDA (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala)
Brand names: None; no medicine containing it is approved anywhere
First described: From Vladimir Khavinson’s St Petersburg group, designed from liver extracts; the earliest PubMed records date from 2001.

Every compound’s numbers: the identifiers table.

Product form and quality

A four-amino-acid peptide, Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA), not the calf-liver extract it was modeled on. Ovagen (Glu-Asp-Leu) is a different liver-marketed peptide from the same group. Research vials have no regulated standard for identity, purity or sterility.

Cautions

No study has given Livagen to people, so there are no human safety or dosing data.
Guide doses differ about 50-fold, and none was tested.
Not the same as Ovagen (Glu-Asp-Leu), a different liver-marketed peptide from the same group.

Questions

What is Livagen?

How does Livagen work?

Is Livagen FDA-approved?

Not approved as a drug in the US or EU, and no registered medicine containing it was found anywhere. Not nominated for US compounding: it isn’t on FDA’s 503A (May 2026) or 503B (March 2025) bulk substance nomination lists.

What is the usual Livagen dose?

From community reports, not established: Injected: guides range from 100–200 mcg to 1–5 mg once daily for 10–20 days, about a 50-fold spread. No dose has been tested in people. By mouth: a few guides list 10–40 mg a day for 10–30 days. Only rats have been given it by mouth in a published study. These are the amounts sources reference, not recommendations.

How much water do I mix Livagen with?

There’s no single right amount, because the water only sets the strength. With 2 mL of bacteriostatic water in a 20 mg vial, the strength is 10 mg/mL, so 1 mg is 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. More water makes small doses easier to measure. The dose chart above shows other volumes.

Who should avoid Livagen?

No product label covers Livagen, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Anyone with active or past cancer: In cell studies it switched on silenced genes and raised protein production. No study has tested its effect on tumors. Pregnancy or breastfeeding: No human safety data exist. Liver disease: Promoted for the liver, but never tested in anyone with liver disease; its protective effects come only from rat and cell studies. The “Who should avoid it” section lists 1 more group.

How should Livagen be stored?

Before mixing: Freezer (about −20 °C) for long-term storage. After mixing: Fridge (2–8 °C); use within about 4 weeks. This is common practice; no product label covers it.

Is Livagen banned in sport?

Probably. Not named on WADA’s 2026 list, but its S0 rule bans substances with no current approval by any health authority for human use, at all times.

Has Livagen been studied in people?

No published human studies turned up in our October 2026 review. The evidence note at the top of this page sums up what is known.

How long has Livagen been studied in people?

No data No human studies: no study of Livagen in people has been published.

Does Livagen come in other forms, like a pill or nasal spray?

Animal No human data for any route. Guides inject it under the skin or take it by mouth. In a rat study, small-intestine enzymes didn’t break it down, and 2 weeks by mouth changed gut enzymes.

Can you drink alcohol while taking Livagen?

No study No data. No study has looked at Livagen and alcohol together.

Can Livagen be taken with semaglutide or tirzepatide?

No study No study has combined them. No interaction is known, but none has been looked for.

What happens if you take too much Livagen?

No data There’s no label, no overdose data and no human dosing study. Call Poison Help (1-800-222-1222), or emergency services for severe symptoms.

Sources

Brodskiĭ et al., Livagen (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala), built from liver peptide extracts, and protein synthesis in rat liver cells (Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol 2001, in Russian) PMID 15926314
Khavinson et al., Livagen and chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people (Bull Exp Biol Med 2002) PMID 12533768
Kuznik et al., review of a calf-liver peptide complex and KEDA in liver disease and aging (Adv Gerontol 2020, in Russian) PMID 32362099

For the protocol details

Timofeeva et al., Livagen by mouth in young and old rats (Adv Gerontol 2005, in Russian) PMID 16075683

For how it works, who should avoid it and the limits of the evidence

Kost et al., Livagen and Epitalon on enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human serum (Izv Akad Nauk Ser Biol 2003, in Russian) PMID 12942748

For uses, the side-effect questions, special situations, trials, identifiers and status outside the US

Khavinson, tissue-specific effects of Cortagen, Epithalon, Livagen and Vilon in rat tissue explants (Bull Exp Biol Med 2001) PMID 11713572
Khavinson et al., short peptides and lymphocyte chromatin in people aged 75–88 (Bull Exp Biol Med 2004) PMID 15085253
Lezhava and Jokhadze, Livagen and heterochromatin in cultured lymphocytes from people aged 80–91 (Ann N Y Acad Sci 2007) PMID 17460203
Dzhokhadze et al., Livagen and genomic instability in lymphocyte cultures from patients with atherosclerosis (Georgian Med News 2014, in Russian) PMID 25541832
Jokhadze et al., Livagen and genomic markers in lymphocyte cultures from breast cancer patients (Georgian Med News 2017, in Russian) PMID 28574395
ClinicalTrials.gov search for Livagen (October 8, 2026)
FDA Global Substance Registration System search (no record) and PubChem CID 87919683
Health Canada Drug Product Database search (October 8, 2026) and Australian Poisons Standard, October 2026 (F2026L01327)

Doses tagged Community come from public dosing guides and user reports, checked against at least two of them. Those sites aren’t named here because many of them sell peptides or earn commissions on them.

By Vial Guide editorsLast reviewed October 7, 2026

How we review