Thymogen
A two-amino-acid peptide (Glu-Trp) that is the active fragment of Thymalin, sold over the counter in Russia as an immunomodulator. Listed here because Western biohacker vendors confuse it with Thymalin — they are not the same thing.
1 · Identity
- Formula
- C16H19N3O5
- PubChem CID
- 100094
- InChIKey
- LLEUXCDZPQOJMY-AAEUAGOBSA-N
- Aliases
- EW dipeptide (EN); Glu-Trp (EN); Thymogenum (EN); Тимоген (RU_LATIN)
2 · Mechanism — what the primary literature actually shows
Synthetic dipeptide α-glutamyl-tryptophan (Cytomed). Mechanism divides into three domains: (1) TLR/RLR signaling — activates innate immune signaling pathways in THP-1 monocyte model and donor blood cells, comparable to ingavirin (Sokolova 2019); (2) innate immunity boost — modulates background AND induced activity of adaptive immunity factors during COVID-19 and respiratory infection season (Ruleva-Krasnov-Petlenko-Zaplutanov-Apryatina 2023); (3) wound-healing synergy — in combination with dalargin and glycyl-histidyl-lysine, thymogen 0.5 µg/kg i.p. ×10d gives synergistic immunostimulating + reparative effect in rat skin trauma (Cherdakov-Smakhtin-Dubrovin-Bobyntsev 2013) and femoral fracture (Cherdakov 2012), more pronounced than dalargin or glycyl-histidyl-lysine alone. Veterinary use: stimulates colostral immunoglobulin absorption in newborn calves (Klyapnev-Velikanov-Kharitonov 2016). Surgical use: alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan in combination therapy of skin/soft-tissue infections improves local wound dynamics and healing rate (Kasimova-Petlenko-Bozhkova 2020). Mechanism appears to be: thymus-substitute activity + direct innate-immunity signaling activation.
How it works
Key findings (6)
- THP-1 monocytes + donor blood cells: thymogen activates TLR and RLR signaling pathways; comparable to ingavirin (Sokolova-Poloshkov-Shuvalov-Buрова-Sokolova 2019)
- Rat femoral fracture: thymogen 0.5 µg/kg i.p. ×10d gives most pronounced neutrophil stimulation compared to dalargin or glycyl-histidyl-lysine; synergistic immunostimulating + reparative effect in combination (Cherdakov-Smakhtin-Dubrovin-Bobyntsev 2012)
- Rat skin trauma: same combination protocol, thymogen gives strongest neutrophil stimulation (Cherdakov 2013)
- Newborn calves: subcutaneous thymogen stimulates colostral immunoglobulin absorption and nonspecific resistance (Klyapnev-Velikanov-Kharitonov 2016)
- COVID-19 prevention: thymogen modulates background + induced activity of adaptive immunity factors (Ruleva-Krasnov-Petlenko-Zaplutanov-Apryatina 2023)
- Surgical SSTI: alpha-glutamyl-tryptophan in combination therapy improves wound dynamics and healing rate (Kasimova-Petlenko-Bozhkova 2020)
Evidence quality
Strong — multiple direct studies from independent labs (Sokolova, Cherdakov, Kasimova) covering cellular mechanism (TLR/RLR), animal models (fracture + skin), veterinary use (calves), and clinical use (SSTI). Note: thymogen is registered in Russia for clinical use (unlike most Khavinson peptides).
Open questions (4)
- Is thymogen a true thymus-substitute or a general innate-immunity booster?
- Why does thymogen work in combination with unrelated peptides (dalargin — opioid, glycyl-histidyl-lysine — copper-binding)?
- TLR/RLR activation — direct receptor binding or via intermediate cell?
- Clinical translation beyond Russian Federation
3 · Summary
Design distribution
| Design | Count | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| CONTROLLED | 3 | ███ |
| CLINICAL_UNCONTROLLED | 5 | █████ |
| ANIMAL | 5 | █████ |
| IN_VITRO | 2 | ██ |
| REVIEW | 3 | ███ |
4 · Possible mechanisms — candidate list
5 · Pathways — questions the corpus does not yet answer
- Pathway
- Falsification experiment for open question 1. Is thymogen a true thymus-substitute or a general innate-immunity booster?
- Blocked by
- See synthesis evidence quality section for barriers.
- Pathway
- Falsification experiment for open question 2. Why does thymogen work in combination with unrelated peptides (dalargin — opioid, glycyl-histidyl-lysine — copper-binding)?
- Blocked by
- See synthesis evidence quality section for barriers.
- Pathway
- Falsification experiment for open question 3. TLR/RLR activation — direct receptor binding or via intermediate cell?
- Blocked by
- See synthesis evidence quality section for barriers.
- Pathway
- Falsification experiment for open question 4. Clinical translation beyond Russian Federation
- Blocked by
- See synthesis evidence quality section for barriers.
6 · Bibliography — Russian primary sources
- vliyanie-alfa-glutamil-triptofana-na-fonovuyu-i-indutsirovannuyu-aktivnost-faktorov-vrozhdyonnogo-immuniteta-pri-profilakticheskom
- primenenie-regulyatornyh-peptidov-timogena-dalargina-glitsil-gistidil-lizina-i-ih-kombinatsiy-dlya-korrektsii-neytrofilnogo-zvena
- signalnye-tlr-rlr-mehanizmy-immunomoduliruyuschego-deystviya-preparatov-ingavirin-i-timogen
- sinergichnoe-immunotropnoe-i-reparativnoe-deystvie-timogena-dalargina-i-regulyatornogo-peptida-gly-his-lys-pri-eksperimentalnoy-travme
- nespetsificheskaya-rezistentnost-u-novorozhdennyh-telyat-pod-vliyaniem-timogena
- dinamika-lokalnyh-izmeneniy-i-skorosti-zazhivleniya-posleoperatsionnyh-ran-pri-ispolzovanii-alfa-glutamil-triptofana-v-kompleksnom
- sposob-vyzyvaniya-superovulyatsii-u-korov-donorov
- immunotropnye-antioksidantnye-i-reparativnye-effekty-novogo-analoga-timogena-modifitsirovannogo-d-alaninom
- sinergichnoe-antioksidantnoe-i-reparativnoe-deystvie-timogena-dalargina-i-peptida-gly-his-lys-pri-perelome-trubchatyh-kostey
- rastsenki-na-platnye-veterinarnye-uslugi-v-respublike-bashkortostan
- immunomoduliruyuschee-deystvie-analogov-timogena-pri-toksicheskom-porazhenii-pecheni
- vozmozhnosti-immunokorrektsii-dlya-snizheniya-urovnya-zabolevaemosti-lyudey-v-rayonah-s-neblagopriyatnymi-professionalnymi-i
- lekarstvennye-peptidnye-preparaty-proshloe-nastoyaschee-buduschee
- sravnitelnyy-analiz-effektivnosti-korrektsii-immunnyh-narusheniy-regulyatornymi-peptidami-i-novym-analogom-timogena-pri-kozhnoy
- peptidnaya-bioregulyatsiya-rezistentnosti-k-ekstremalnym-vozdeystviyam
- prakticheskie-rekomendatsii-po-primeneniyu-preparata-alfa-glutamil-triptofan-pri-respiratornyh-zabolevaniyah
- aminokisloty-osnovnye-dostizheniya-metodov-ih-analiza-i-razdeleniya
- primenenie-timogena-dlya-povysheniya-sohrannosti-i-produktivnosti-porosyat-pri-promyshlennom-vyraschivanii
- sravnitelnoe-vliyanie-timalina-i-timogena-na-immunitet-gemostaz-i-techenie-posleoperatsionnogo-endometrita
- izuchenie-gepatoprotektornoy-aktivnosti-novyh-analogov-immunomodulyatora-timogena-pri-porazheniii-pecheni-tetrahlormetanom-u-krys
- regenerativnaya-aktivnost-regulyatornyh-peptidov-v-usloviyah-eksperimentalnogo-pereloma-kostey
- vliyanie-biokorrektora-timogena-na-organizm-tsyplyat-broylerov-v-protsesse-vyraschivaniya
Inventor (detail): V.G. Morozov + V.Kh. Khavinson.
First publication: Khavinson V.Kh., Morozov V.G., 1997 (same English-language paper as Vilon).
Peptide kind: **Synthetic dipeptide** (L-Glu – L-Trp, "EW"), 2 amino acid residues. Isolated from Thymalin by RP-HPLC; synthesized; trademarked Thymogen® by Цитомед.
Below: substantive excerpts from 6 Russian primary papers. Click each title to expand the Russian/English abstract.
6/6 papers with substantive abstracts · 9,672 characters of Russian/English pharmacological text extracted · 6 Russian abstracts · 6 English abstracts · 6/6 relevance-classified.
Extracted findings (3 models · 6 mechanism terms · direction: ↑5 ↓4 ↺2 across 6 papers)
- Model organisms
- in vitro, телятах
- Doses / concentrations
- 0,5 мкг, 1,2 мкг, 100 мкг, 25 мкг, 300 мкг
- Mechanism terms
- дифференцировкой, иммунной системы, мрнк, регенерации, транскрипцией, экспрессию генов
- Effect direction
- 5× increase · 4× decrease · 2× restoration/normalisation
[2023] ВЛИЯНИЕ АЛЬФА-ГЛУТАМИЛ-ТРИПТОФАНА НА ФОНОВУЮ И ИНДУЦИРОВАННУЮ АКТИВНОСТЬ ФАКТОРОВ ВРОЖДЁННОГО ИММУНИТЕТА ПРИ ПРОФИЛАКТИЧ
[2012] Применение регуляторных пептидов: тимогена, даларгина, глицил-гистидил-лизина и их комбинаций для коррекции нейтрофильно
[2019] Сигнальные TLR/RLR-механизмы иммуномодулирующего действия препаратов ингавирин и тимоген
[2013] Синергичное иммунотропное и репаративное действие тимогена, даларгина и регуляторного пептида Gly-His-Lys при эксперимен
[2016] Неспецифическая резистентность у новорожденных телят под влиянием Тимогена
[2020] ДИНАМИКА ЛОКАЛЬНЫХ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ И СКОРОСТИ ЗАЖИВЛЕНИЯ ПОСЛЕОПЕРАЦИОННЫХ РАН ПРИ ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИИ АЛЬФА-ГЛУТАМИЛ-ТРИПТОФАНА В К
7 · Bibliography — PubMed corpus
8 · Corroboration
- Corpus source
- PubMed (eutils) and OpenAlex, swept against this compound by PMID. Last verified 26.08.2026.
- Identity source
- PubChem CID 100094 verified live. InChIKey LLEUXCDZPQOJMY-AAEUAGOBSA-N. Live fetch on 26.08.2026.
- Provenance
- St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology (1990) Morozov VG — Synthetic dipeptide; immunomodulator; synthetic analog of Thymalin active fraction
9 · Open questions
- Zero A- or B-grade evidence in the corpus. No registered RCT with disclosed n.
- Most of the published evidence for this compound is from the group that developed it. Where independent replication exists, we flag it in the mechanism block above; where it doesn't, treat mechanism claims as developer-side.