--- title: "ARA-290 vs Cartalax: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)" url: https://www.bodyhackguide.co/compare/ara-290-vs-cartalax description: "Compare ARA-290 vs Cartalax side by side. We earn a commission on some vendor links. Mechanism, half-life, dose range, side effects and prices." lang: en --- Skip to content Compare notes on r/BodyHackGuide (https://reddit.com/r/bodyhackguide) Compare notes with other researchers. Join r/BodyHackGuide (https://reddit.com/r/bodyhackguide) # ARA-290 vs Cartalax Side-by-side comparison of ARA-290 and Cartalax: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing. ARA-290 from $32.00 Cartalax from $58.85 ## Price snapshot ### ARA-290 Current low $32.00 current listings 7-day low — not enough history yet 30-day low — not enough history yet 30-day change — not enough history yet ### Cartalax Current low $58.85 current listings 7-day low — not enough history yet 30-day low — not enough history yet 30-day change — not enough history yet ## ARA-290 ARA-290, also known as Cibinetide or pHBSP (Helix B Surface Peptide), is an 11-amino-acid peptide — QEQLERALNSS — designed to mimic a specific region of the tissue-protective surface of erythropoietin (EPO) without… **Lowest listed price:** $32.00 across 5 listings Full ARA-290 profile (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/compound/ara-290) ## Cartalax Cartalax is a short synthetic peptide developed in Russia by Vladimir Khavinson and colleagues at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, positioned as a "cartilage bioregulator" intended to… **Lowest listed price:** $58.85 across 3 listings Full Cartalax profile (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/compound/cartalax) ## Side-by-side comparison | Attribute | ARA-290 | Cartalax | | --- | --- | --- | | Category | Recovery | Recovery | | Research Stage | Phase 2 | Preclinical | | Mechanism of Action | ARA-290's mechanism of action is one of the more elegantly engineered examples of pharmaceutical design in the peptide space. Understanding it requires appreciation of the dual-receptor biology of erythropoietin and the specific receptor-selective engineering… | Mechanism of Action Cartalax's proposed mechanism is the Khavinson short-peptide framework applied to cartilage: passive membrane permeation, nuclear import, and sequence-selective chromatin modulation producing chondrocyte-favourable transcriptional shifts.… | | Half-Life | ~2 minutes (plasma half-life; downstream tissue-protective effects persist hours to days) | No published human or animal pharmacokinetic data for Cartalax. As a small (~446.5 Da) tetrapeptide, rapid plasma hydrolysis (on the order of minutes) is expected, consistent with other Khavinson short peptides, but this has not been directly measured. | | Typical Dose Range | 1 mg - 4 mg subcutaneous daily | 20 mg oral/sublingual once daily for 10 days; 60-90 day washout | | Dosing Frequency | Once daily | Once daily | | Administration | — | — | | Side Effects | ARA-290 has demonstrated a notably favorable safety profile across clinical trials — one of the cleaner safety records among research peptides. The engineering rationale of separating tissue-protective effects from hematopoietic effects appears to have largely… | Side Effects and Safety Cartalax has been used in Russian clinical settings for roughly 20 years with a sparse adverse-event literature — reassuring in direction, insufficient for confident pharmacovigilance. Reported short-term adverse effects -… | | Molecular Weight | ~1257 Da | 333.29 g/mol | | Common Vial Sizes | — | — | ## Price History 3 data points - Ion Peptide - BHG Labs - LB ## Price History 3 data points - Ion Peptide - Disguised Alpha - LB ### ARA-290: potential benefits - Neuroprotective effects - Anti-inflammatory activity - Tissue repair without erythropoiesis - Potential diabetic neuropathy treatment - Sarcoidosis symptom reduction ### Cartalax: potential benefits - Joint and cartilage repair support - Connective tissue maintenance - Anti-aging effects on musculoskeletal system - Improved joint mobility ## Frequently asked ### What's the difference between ARA-290 and Cartalax? ARA-290 is a recovery that ara-290's mechanism of action is one of the more elegantly engineered examples of pharmaceutical design in the peptide space. understanding it requires appreciation of the…. Cartalax is a recovery that mechanism of action cartalax's proposed mechanism is the khavinson short-peptide framework applied to cartilage: passive membrane permeation, nuclear import, and sequence-selective…. The two differ in mechanism, half-life (~2 minutes (plasma half-life; downstream tissue-protective effects persist hours to days) vs No published human or animal pharmacokinetic data for Cartalax. As a small (~446.5 Da) tetrapeptide, rapid plasma hydrolysis (on the order of minutes) is expected, consistent with other Khavinson short peptides, but this has not been directly measured.), and typical dose range. ### Which has the longer half-life, ARA-290 or Cartalax? ARA-290 has a half-life of ~2 minutes (plasma half-life; downstream tissue-protective effects persist hours to days). Cartalax has a half-life of No published human or animal pharmacokinetic data for Cartalax. As a small (~446.5 Da) tetrapeptide, rapid plasma hydrolysis (on the order of minutes) is expected, consistent with other Khavinson short peptides, but this has not been directly measured.. Longer half-lives generally mean less frequent dosing but slower on/off kinetics. ### Which is cheaper, ARA-290 or Cartalax? Lowest listed price on BodyHackGuide: ARA-290 from $32.00, Cartalax from $58.85. Prices are pulled from the vendor listings tracked on BHG and change frequently. See the compare tables on each compound page for the current set of offers. ### Can you stack ARA-290 and Cartalax? Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. ARA-290 and Cartalax should only be stacked after reviewing each compound's individual protocol page, side effect profile, and any published interaction data. Use the BodyHackGuide stack builder for a structured review before combining research compounds. ## See current vendor prices Listings from the vendors we track. Prices change often, so check the vendor before you buy. ARA-290 prices: https://www.bodyhackguide.co/compound/ara-290?tab=prices Cartalax prices: https://www.bodyhackguide.co/compound/cartalax?tab=prices Compare all compounds: https://www.bodyhackguide.co/compare ### Before you buy ARA-290 or Cartalax Check the vendor trust score. Every supplier we track is rated 0-100 on COA verification, payment transparency, shipping, reviews, and listings: one published, reproducible methodology, applied to every vendor. View Vendor Scorecard (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/vendors/scorecard) ## Related comparisons **Research use only.** BodyHackGuide is a research and price-comparison reference. The compounds discussed on this page are not approved by the FDA for human consumption and are sold strictly for laboratory research. Prices shown are pulled from vendor listings tracked on BHG and are subject to change. Every vendor is ranked on the same public, reproducible methodology. See editorial standards (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/editorial-standards) and affiliate disclosure (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/affiliate-disclosure). BodyHackGuide (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/) Your biohacking research hub: compound pricing, brain health protocols, dosing tools, and vendor reviews. support@bodyhackguide.co Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/Mhq5UdRYBA r/BodyHackGuide on Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/BodyHackGuide **Affiliate Disclosure:** We rank every vendor on the same public, reproducible methodology (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/vendors/methodology). Full details in our affiliate disclosure (https://www.bodyhackguide.co/affiliate-disclosure). **Research Disclaimer:** All compounds listed are for laboratory and research purposes only. Not for human consumption. This site does not sell or ship any products. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional and comply with local regulations. © 2026 BodyHackGuide. 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As a small (~446.5 Da) tetrapeptide, rapid plasma hydrolysis (on the order of minutes) is expected, consistent with other Khavinson short peptides, but this has not been directly measured.. Longer half-lives generally mean less frequent dosing but slower on/off kinetics." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which is cheaper, ARA-290 or Cartalax?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Lowest listed price on BodyHackGuide: ARA-290 from $32.00, Cartalax from $58.85. Prices are pulled from the vendor listings tracked on BHG and change frequently. See the compare tables on each compound page for the current set of offers." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can you stack ARA-290 and Cartalax?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. ARA-290 and Cartalax should only be stacked after reviewing each compound's individual protocol page, side effect profile, and any published interaction data. 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