Livagen Nasal Spray
20 mg of the Khavinson tetrapeptide Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA) as a sterile solution in bacteriostatic water, in a metered spray bottle. Made from peptide tested in the manufacturer’s own laboratory.
| Compound | Livagen (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala (KEDA)) |
|---|---|
| CAS number | Not assigned |
| Molecular formula | C18H31N5O9 |
| Contents | Livagen: 20 mg per bottle (≤ 0.2% w/v) |
| Form | Sterile aqueous solution in bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol), supplied in a metered nasal spray bottle |
| Storage, sealed | Store at 2–8 °C, protected from light; do not freeze |
| Format | Solution in a metered nasal spray bottle |
Sizes and lots
- 20 mg · 1 bottle — $118.99
- 20 mg · Kit of 10 — $1057.82
Livagen nasal spray contains Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala, the four-residue peptide listed as KEDA in the Khavinson bioregulator series. The bottle holds 20 mg of Livagen in sterile bacteriostatic water, at no more than 0.2% w/v according to the safety data sheet, supplied already in solution. Livagen research consists of a short list of chromatin and cytogenetic studies in cultured human cells, and nasal drug delivery is a separate field that has not examined this peptide.
What is in the bottle
The solution holds 20 mg of the KEDA tetrapeptide, the same compound sold dry in the Livagen 20 mg vial, at or below 0.2% w/v in bacteriostatic water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol as preservative. The peptide itself is unclassified on the safety data sheet. Benzyl alcohol is the hazardous component: harmful if swallowed or inhaled, irritating to the eyes and able to cause allergic skin reactions.
Keep the bottle capped and upright at 2 to 8 °C, out of light, and do not freeze it. More on keeping peptide solutions is in peptide storage and stability.
What the research covers
Interest in the nose as a route for peptides comes from pharmaceutical research in general. Illum's 2002 review covered nasal delivery systems being developed for conventional drugs and peptides and discussed evidence that some drugs pass directly from the nose to the brain along the olfactory pathway1. It names no Khavinson peptide, and none of the Livagen studies in these references used the nasal route.
What Livagen has been tested for is chromatin structure. In leukocytes from donors aged 75 to 88 it was one of five peptides that activated ribosomal genes and opened up condensed chromatin2. In a separate series of lymphocyte cultures from people over 80, Lezhava and Jokhadze found it reactivated heterochromatin and reduced chromosomal aberrations induced by cobalt chloride3. These are culture results with cells from donors. They say nothing about absorption through a mucous membrane or about the peptide's stability in a spray solution.
There are no animal or human studies of Livagen among these references, and the work comes from Khavinson's institute and its collaborators. The Livagen guide sets out the full list of studies and the limits of each.
Frequently asked questions
Is the spray the same Livagen as the vial and pen?
Yes, the same Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala tetrapeptide in each. The vial is dry powder kept frozen, while the spray and pen are sterile solutions in bacteriostatic water kept at 2 to 8 °C. Each of the three listings contains 20 mg of Livagen.
How much peptide does the bottle contain?
Twenty milligrams, dissolved at no more than 0.2% w/v according to the safety data sheet; the label on the bottle gives the amount. If a study calls for a concentration chosen in the lab, the freeze-dried vial supplies a known mass instead.
Has Livagen been studied as a nasal spray?
Not in any paper cited here. The Livagen studies are culture experiments on donated human cells, and the nasal delivery review on this page discusses drugs and peptides generally without mentioning Livagen.
References
- Illum L. Nasal drug delivery: new developments and strategies. Drug Discov Today. 2002;7(23):1184-9. DOI · PubMed
- Khavinson VKh, Lezhava TA, Malinin VV. Effects of short peptides on lymphocyte chromatin in senile subjects. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(1):78-81. DOI · PubMed
- Lezhava T, Jokhadze T. Activation of pericentromeric and telomeric heterochromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old individuals. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007;1100:387-99. DOI · PubMed
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. Products have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.