(p < 0.05). The size but not the number of lung metastases was reduced in Epitalon-treated compared to saline-treated mice (p < 0.05). The treatment with Vilon produced significant negative effects when compared to the control group, with an increased incidence of mammary cancer development (p < 0.05), a shorter mean latent period of tumors (p < 0.05) and an increased cumulative number of tumors (p < 0.05). A 3.7-fold reduction in the expression of HER-2/neu mRNA was found in mammary tumors from HER-2/neu transgenic mice treated with Epitalon compared to control animals. The expression of mRNA for HER-2/neu was also partially reduced in Vilon-treated mice, but it remained significantly higher in Vilon- than in Epitalon-treated animals (1.9-fold increase). The data demonstrate the inhibitory effect of Epitalon in the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu mice, suggesting that a downregulation of HER-2/neu gene expression in mammary adenocarcinoma may be responsible, at least in part, for the antitumor effect of the peptide.42:T453,Female transgenic FVB/N mice carrying the breast cancer gene HER-2/neu received epithalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) in a dose of 1 mg subcutaneously 5 times a week to from the 2nd month of life to death. Epithalon prolonged the average and maximum lifetimes of mice by 13.5 (p<0.05) and 13.9%, respectively. The peptide prolonged the average lifetime of animals without neoplasms (by 34.2%, p<0.05). Epithalon decelerated the development of age-related disturbances in reproductive activity and suppressed the formation of neoplasms. The peptide decreased the incidence of breast adenocarcinomas, lungs metastases (by 1.6 times, p<0.05), and multiple tumors (by 2 times). Epithalon 3.7-fold increased the number of mice without breast tumors (p<0.05), while the number of animals with 6 or more breast tumors decreased by 3 times (p<0.05). Epithalon prolonged the lifetime of mice with breast tumors by 1.4 times (p<0.05). These results indicate that Epithalon possesses geroprotective activit