VILON

Vilon is the synthetic dipeptide L-lysyl-L-glutamic acid (Lys-Glu, KE), an immunomodulatory dipeptide from the same research program as the thymic dipeptide Thymogen. At two residues it is one of the shortest peptides in this catalog. Vilon peptide studies span lifespan and spontaneous tumors in CBA mice, chemically induced bladder carcinogenesis in rats, cardiac gene expression by microarray, chromatin in lymphocytes from elderly donors and sirtuin expression in mesenchymal stem cells. Research Market supplies Vilon as a lyophilized research reagent, with purity and identity data for each lot reported on its certificate of analysis. It is sold strictly for laboratory research use.

Chemical structure and identification

• Molecular formula: C₁₁H₂₁N₃O₅
• Molecular weight: 275.30 g/mol
• CAS number: 45234-02-4
• PubChem CID: 7010502
• Amino acid sequence: Lys-Glu (KE)
• Synonyms: Lysylglutamic acid; KE dipeptide; H-Lys-Glu-OH
• Form: Lyophilized powder
• Analytical methods: RP-HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity, reported on the batch certificate of analysis

Research applications

• Lifespan in mice: Female CBA mice given vilon from the sixth month of life showed longer lifespan and fewer spontaneous neoplasms, with no change in estrous function or free-radical processes [1]
• Bladder carcinogenesis: In rats given the carcinogen N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine, bladder tumors developed in 56% of vilon-treated animals versus 75.5% of controls [2]
• Cardiac gene expression: A microarray of 15,247 clones in mouse heart found that vilon alone changed expression of 36 clones, and 144 with Epithalon [3]
• Chromatin in aged lymphocytes: In cultured lymphocytes from elderly donors, Vilon decondensed total and facultative heterochromatin and reactivated ribosomal genes, but not pericentromeric structural heterochromatin [4]
• Sirtuins in stem cells: In human mesenchymal stem cells, KE raised SIRT1 gene expression 6-fold in young cells and lowered PARP1 and PARP2 expression during replicative aging [5]

Reference citations

1. Khavinson V. et al. (2000). Effect of vilon on biological age and lifespan in mice. Bull Exp Biol Med, 130(7):687–690. PMID 11140587 · DOI
2. Pliss G. et al. (2001). Inhibitory effect of peptide vilon on the development of induced rat urinary bladder tumors in rats. Bull Exp Biol Med, 131(6):558–560. PMID 11586406 · DOI
3. Anisimov S. et al. (2002). Studies of the effects of Vilon and Epithalon on gene expression in mouse heart using DNA-microarray technology. Bull Exp Biol Med, 133(3):293–299. PMID 12360356 · DOI
4. Lezhava T. et al. (2004). Bioregulator Vilon-induced reactivation of chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people. Biogerontology, 5(2):73–79. PMID 15105581 · DOI
5. Khavinson V. et al. (2023). [KE peptide regulates SIRT1, PARP1, PARP2 gene expression and protein synthesis in human mesenchymal stem cells aging]. Adv Gerontol, 36(3):302–312. PMID 37782636

Compound data from PubChem CID 7010502. Literature summaries describe published preclinical research and are not claims about this product’s effects in humans or animals.