Cartalax is a synthetic tripeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp, AED) from the short-peptide bioregulator series developed at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is the synthetic counterpart to a cartilage-derived polypeptide complex, and is a defined synthetic peptide rather than a tissue extract. It has the molecular formula C₁₂H₁₉N₃O₈, a molecular weight of approximately 333.29 g/mol. Its sequence is Ala-Glu-Asp (AED). In the published literature AED is reported to interact with DNA and with histone proteins in cultured cells; the binding sites described are derived from molecular modeling rather than solved structures. Supplied as a white to off-white lyophilized powder, stored refrigerated at 2–8 °C. This product is strictly for research purposes only.