Immune · Investigational
Thymogen (Glutamyl-Tryptophan)
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
Thymogen is a synthetic dipeptide consisting of L-glutamic acid and L-tryptophan (L-Glu-L-Trp), developed in Russia as a synthetic analog of the thymus extract thymalin (PMID 7980063). It is used there as an immunostimulant, and its mirror-image D-form, Thymodepressin, has been developed as an immunosuppressant (PMID 38732260).
The peptide is thought to influence T-cell differentiation, and it has been studied almost entirely in Russian and Eastern European settings as adjunctive therapy in infections and immune deficiencies.
02 · Research summary & key findings
Russian-language studies report restoration of immune and blood-forming tissues after radiation exposure with thymus-derived peptide preparations including thymogen, in both patients and animals (PMID 7980063). Small clinical studies reported normalization of T-cell markers in chronic suppurative bronchitis (PMID 7984617) and in type 1 diabetes with secondary immunodeficiency (PMID 9026934), and a small double-blind, placebo-controlled study in elderly surgical cancer patients reported improved cellular immunity and fewer postoperative complications (PMID 21957588). These studies are mostly small, published in regional journals, and have not been replicated in large international trials.
03 · Regulatory status
Thymogen (Glutamyl-Tryptophan) is in the investigational stage. While preclinical and early-phase data exist, it has not received regulatory approval for clinical use in the United States.
No lawful pathway today
Thymogen (Glutamyl-Tryptophan) is not FDA-approved and does not currently have a lawful prescription or compounding pathway in the United States, so we do not sell it and will not book a consultation for it. That can change: in 2026 FDA began reviewing several peptides for compounding.
See the 1 FDA-approved compound in Immune
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04 · Administration routes
- Subcutaneous injection
- Topical
References
- [1][Application thymogen for preoperative preparation of elderly patients with tumor processes in abdominal cavity] Adv Gerontol, 2011. PMID 21957588
- [2]The First Reciprocal Activities of Chiral Peptide Pharmaceuticals: Thymogen and Thymodepressin, as Examples Int J Mol Sci, 2024. PMID 38732260
- [3][A cytomorphological basis for the correction of radiation-induced immunodeficiencies and hematopoietic depression using thymus and bone marrow peptides] Arkh Patol, 1993. PMID 7980063
- [4][Changes of immune and non-specific reactivity in patients with chronic suppurative obstructive bronchitis in comprehensive treatment with thymogen] Probl Tuberk, 1994. PMID 7984617
- [5][Thymogen in the treatment of type-1 diabetes mellitus] Ter Arkh, 1996. PMID 9026934
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Thymogen"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Thymogen"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Thymogen"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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