NAD+ vs Vilon

NAD+ is a coenzyme central to cellular energy metabolism, serving as an electron carrier in glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. It is also a required substrate for sirtuins (SIRT1–7) and PARP enzymes, which regulate DNA repair, gene expression, and mitochondrial biogenesis. NAD+ levels decline measurably with age; IV or subcutaneous delivery aims to restore intracellular pools more directly than oral precursors such as NMN or NR.

NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme found in every cell, central to energy production, DNA repair, and sirtuin activation. While not a peptide in the traditional sense, it is widely administered by functional medicine and longevity providers via intravenous infusion or subcutaneous injection. Research interest centres on its role in mitochondrial health, cellular resilience, and neurological function as NAD+ levels decline with age. NAD+ IV therapy: intravenous NAD+ infusion is the administration route that has attracted the most clinical interest, particularly in longevity and functional medicine contexts. IV NAD+ therapy delivers the compound directly into the bloodstream, bypassing digestive absorption — a route considered relevant given that oral NAD+ precursors (NMN, NR) have variable bioavailability. NAD+ IV therapy cost typically ranges from $200–$1,000 per session depending on the clinic, infusion volume, and geographic market; treatment frequency in clinical settings commonly ranges from weekly to monthly maintenance infusions following an initial loading protocol. NAD+ IV therapy clinics operate across major US markets including Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas. For those researching where to find NAD+ IV therapy providers, PeptideBase maintains a directory of verified clinics and telehealth platforms offering NAD+ protocols.

Synthetic dipeptide Lys-Glu; modulates T-cell and NK cell activity; reduces age-related immune decline; normalizes cytokine production via epigenetic gene regulation

Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide (Lys-Glu, KE) classified as a Khavinson-class bioregulator originally derived from thymic tissue, proposed to modulate immune function in aging subjects by providing minimal thymic regulatory dipeptide signals that support T-lymphocyte activation and immune homeostasis diminished by age-related thymic involution. As the minimal active dipeptide unit of the Khavinson thymic bioregulator class, vilon is proposed to act through amino acid transporter uptake and modulation of intracellular signaling — including sphingomyelin pathway signal transduction in thymocytes — to restore T-cell activation thresholds and proliferative responses in immune cells from elderly subjects. Research has characterized natural and synthetic thymic peptides including vilon as therapeutic candidates for immune dysfunction, and experimental work has demonstrated that short Khavinson-class peptides modulate thymocyte blast transformation and sphingomyelin pathway signaling in immune cell preparations. Vilon has no FDA approval; evidence derives from Khavinson-series Russian preclinical and observational studies, and it has no regulatory approval in any major Western jurisdiction.