Neurotrophic Research
Investigational
Semax
Also known as: ACTH 4-10 analogue, Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro, heptapeptide
Synthetic heptapeptide analogue of an ACTH fragment. Studied in neurotrophic-factor research.
Research overview
Semax is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) developed by Russian researchers. It is built from a short fragment of the hormone ACTH (Met-Glu-His-Phe) with Pro-Gly-Pro added at the end, and is often described as an analogue of ACTH(4-10). It is used as a medicine in Russia.
In rats, Semax raised levels of BDNF (a nerve growth factor) and its receptor TrkB in the hippocampus (Dolotov et al., Brain Research 2006), and it has been studied in rat models of reduced blood flow to the brain. Human studies come mainly from Russian groups and are published largely in Russian. For example, one study compared 30 patients with acute ischaemic stroke given Semax with 80 patients on standard care, and it was not placebo-controlled (Gusev et al., 1997). Large independent placebo-controlled trials have not been published, so how well these findings hold up is unknown. Supplied for laboratory research use only.
Mechanism of action
Semax's mechanism is not fully established. In rats it raised levels of BDNF, a nerve growth factor, and of its receptor TrkB in the hippocampus (Dolotov et al., 2006). It has also been studied in rat models of reduced blood flow to the brain (Stavchansky et al., 2011). These findings come mainly from the Russian groups that developed it.