Vilon: what it is, what the studies show and where it stands
Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide, Lys-Glu (KE). The researchers who made it, the group behind the thymus extract Thymalin, describe it as an immunomodulator.
At a glance
US Not approved
Canada Not authorized
Group Immune
Sources 17
Checked 10 Oct 2026What is Vilon?
Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide, Lys-Glu (KE). The researchers who made it, the group behind the thymus extract Thymalin, describe it as an immunomodulator. [1]
Other names: KE, KE peptide, Lys-Glu, L-Lys-L-Glu.
How it has been given to people: given to patients in three published studies, but their PubMed abstracts state no route or dose; the mouse lifespan study injected it under the skin.
Looking for doses? Vilon dosage chart and vial math
Is Vilon approved in the US and Canada?
United States: Not FDA approved. No Vilon product is in Drugs@FDA, and it is not on the FDA page of bulk substances reviewed for compounding. [13]
Canada: No Vilon product is in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada warns against all unauthorized injectable peptide drugs. [15]
Both were checked on 10 Oct 2026 against the regulators' own product databases.
Which approved products contain Vilon?
No approved medicine containing Vilon was found in the US or Canada. Anything sold under this name is not a regulated product, so there is no label to check a dose against.
What human studies of Vilon exist?
The 10 findings listed here: 3 from smaller or observational human studies and 7 from animal or lab work.
In patients with type 1 diabetes, adding Vilon to their treatment was reported to reduce or clear signs of chronic clotting inside blood vessels. The effect was weaker in elderly patients with severe disease. The abstract gives no dose, route or number of patients. [2]
In elderly patients with type 1 diabetes, Vilon added to standard treatment was reported to lower the insulin dose needed in most cases. The abstract gives no dose of Vilon, no patient count and no control group details. [3]
In elderly patients treated for stage III colon and rectal cancer, the authors added Vilon to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and called their results preliminary. The abstract gives no numbers, dose or comparison group. [4]
In female mice injected under the skin from 6 months of age, Vilon was reported to lengthen lifespan and lower the rate of spontaneous tumours. This is a mouse result. [5]
In the same mouse study, long-term dosing caused no harm to the animals' development. This is not human safety data. [5]
In rats given a chemical that causes bladder cancer, tumours developed in 56% of Vilon-treated animals and 75.5% of controls. [6]
In old male rats with one testis removed, 50 mcg per rat was reported to raise sexual activity and lower prolactin. This is a rat dose and a rat result. [7]
In blood lymphocytes from old people treated in culture, Vilon loosened tightly packed chromatin and switched ribosomal genes back on. The cells were treated, not the people. [8]
Added to mouse spleen cells in a dish, Vilon raised interleukin-2 gene activity with no other trigger present. It was one of the two strongest of the three peptides tested. [9]
In a human monocyte cell line studied at an Italian university together with the St. Petersburg group, Vilon and four other peptides lowered the inflammatory signals TNF and IL-6 after a bacterial trigger. [10]
What are the side effects of Vilon?
Reported in human studies or on a label:
- No human side-effect figures for Vilon were found in the abstracts read. Health Canada lists these risks for unauthorized injectable peptide drugs in general: hormonal imbalance, mood swings, blood sugar imbalance, liver or kidney damage, blood clots and growth of cancerous tumours. [15]
How does Vilon compare with others in its group?
These are the peptides filed under immune. The last column says whether a randomized human trial is on record for each.
| Peptide | US | Canada | Half-life | Randomized human trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thymosin Alpha-1 | Not approved | Not authorized | Less than 3 hours after injection under the skin in healthy volunteers, with the peak blood level at 1 to 2 hours and no build-up over 5 days of dosing. | Yes |
| LL-37 | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | Yes |
| Vilon | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
What could not be found
These were searched for and did not turn up. They are listed so a missing number is not mistaken for a hidden one.
- No human dose. Three studies gave Vilon to patients [2], [3], [4], but none of their PubMed abstracts states a dose, a route, a schedule or the number of patients. The papers are in Russian and the full texts were not read.
- No randomized or placebo-controlled human trial was identified from the abstracts.
- The only stated doses are animal doses: 50 mcg per rat [7] and 10 mcg per kg in mice [12].
- No human half-life or other pharmacokinetic figure.
- No trial registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: a search for vilon as the intervention returned no studies [17].
- No approved label in the US or Canadian sources searched, so no official dose, contraindications, interaction list or storage instructions.
- No human side-effect figures in the abstracts read.
Vilon questions
Is Vilon approved in the US?
Not FDA approved. No Vilon product is in Drugs@FDA, and it is not on the FDA page of bulk substances reviewed for compounding.
Is Vilon authorized in Canada?
No Vilon product is in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada warns against all unauthorized injectable peptide drugs.
Has Vilon been tested in a randomized human trial?
No randomized human trial was found. What exists is listed under the studies heading on this page.
Sources
Each one was opened on 10 Oct 2026 and matched to the line it supports.
- Morozov VG et al. Natural and synthetic thymic peptides as therapeutics for immune dysfunction. Int J Immunopharmacol 1997. PubMed 9637345.
- Kuznik BI et al. [Effect of thymomimetic vilon on blood coagulation system and fibrinolisis in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients of different age]. Adv Gerontol 2006. PubMed 17152731.
- Kuznik BI et al. [Effect of vilon on the immunity status and coagulation hemostasis in patients of different age with diabetes mellitus]. Adv Gerontol 2007. PubMed 18306698.
- Ias'kevich LS et al. [Application of peptide bioregulator in complex treatment of elderly cancer patients]. Adv Gerontol 2005. PubMed 16075684.
- Khavinson VK et al. Effect of vilon on biological age and lifespan in mice. Bull Exp Biol Med 2000. PubMed 11140587.
- Pliss GB et al. Inhibitory effect of peptide vilon on the development of induced rat urinary bladder tumors in rats. Bull Exp Biol Med 2001. PubMed 11586406.
- Kudriavtseva TA et al. [Effect of vilon on neuroendocrine status and sexual function of old male rats]. Adv Gerontol 2006. PubMed 17152729.
- Lezhava T et al. Bioregulator Vilon-induced reactivation of chromatin in cultured lymphocytes from old people. Biogerontology 2004. PubMed 15105581.
- Kazakova TB et al. In vitro effect of short peptides on expression of interleukin-2 gene in splenocytes. Bull Exp Biol Med 2002. PubMed 12447482.
- Avolio F et al. Peptides Regulating Proliferative Activity and Inflammatory Pathways in the Monocyte/Macrophage THP-1 Cell Line. Int J Mol Sci 2022. PubMed 35408963.
- Khavinson VKh et al. [Peptide bioregulators: the new class of geroprotectors. Message 2. Clinical studies results]. Adv Gerontol 2013. PubMed 24003726.
- Pliss GB et al. [The effect of vilon (Lys-Glu) on 1.2-dimethylhydrazine-induced neoplasia]. Vopr Onkol 2005. PubMed 16308980.
- US Food and Drug Administration openFDA search of Drugs@FDA: vilon 2026. api.fda.gov.
- US Food and Drug Administration Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks 2026. fda.gov.
- Health Canada Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you 2026. recalls-rappels.canada.ca.
- Health Canada Health Canada Drug Product Database, active ingredient search: vilon 2026. health-products.canada.ca.
- US National Library of Medicine ClinicalTrials.gov search, intervention: vilon 2026. clinicaltrials.gov.
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