If you have been reading about semax and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Updated 2026-02-05. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Russian regulatory authorities approved the peptide for nasal administration, and it remains listed in the national pharmacopoeia under several trade names. Documented indications include acute ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attacks, traumatic brain injury, and certain ophthalmological and neurological conditions. Physicians also prescribe it for cognitive complaints in older patients, although the evidence base for that use is thinner. Outside Russia and a few neighboring states, the substance is not an approved medicine and is sold instead as a research chemical.
Later generations of the molecule include an N-acetylated form and an amidated form, both marketed online alongside the parent peptide. These variants differ in terminal chemistry and stability, and they are frequently discussed in the same breath even though they have not been compared in controlled trials. Supply outside formal healthcare systems comes largely from laboratories that synthesize peptides to order. Purity and identity of these materials vary widely, and no single body oversees the international trade.
Semax is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide whose sequence extends the ACTH(4-10) fragment with a C-terminal proline-glycine-proline tripeptide. The commonly cited sequence is Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro, giving a molecular formula near C37H51N9O10S and a molecular weight close to 813.9 g/mol. It belongs to the broader class of synthetic ACTH fragments studied for central nervous system effects rather than for adrenal steroid stimulation. In practice the material appears as a lyophilized white powder for laboratory work or as a dilute saline solution in clinical settings.
Development is attributed to researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow during the early 1980s, building on earlier Soviet work with ACTH fragments. Russian regulatory approval followed for intranasal use, and the compound has remained commercially available there for decades. Most published human data originate from Russian and, later, some Eastern European clinical reports, which are not always accessible in English translation. Outside that region the material is generally handled as a research chemical rather than a licensed medicine.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular class | Synthetic heptapeptide | Analog of an ACTH fragment |
| Amino acid length | Seven residues | Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro |
| Origin | Moscow, 1980s | Institute of Molecular Genetics |
| Approved regions | Russia and some neighboring states | Not cleared in Western markets |
| Common trade names | Multiple national brands | Sold as a nasal formulation |
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. It corresponds to the ACTH(4-7) fragment extended at the C-terminus by a Pro-Gly-Pro tripeptide, an addition intended to slow enzymatic breakdown. The molecular formula is C37H51N9O10S and the molecular mass is approximately 814 daltons. In the literature it is often described as an ACTH(4-10) analog, although that label reflects a naming convention as much as a precise structural relationship. The compound was developed in Russia and remains most closely associated with that research tradition.
Laboratory descriptions of the material are consistent across suppliers. It appears as a white to off-white lyophilized powder that dissolves readily in water and in polar organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide. Aqueous solutions are clear and colorless at low concentrations. Because the peptide contains methionine, oxidation at the sulfur atom is a recognized degradation pathway, and handling notes usually call for protected, desiccated storage. Reported purity for research-grade lots is generally above 95 percent as measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.
The compound is registered in Russia as a pharmaceutical product, most commonly formulated as a nasal solution, and has been used in that setting since the 1990s. Outside that jurisdiction it is generally handled as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine. Regulatory status therefore differs sharply between countries, and material sold internationally may not correspond to the Russian pharmaceutical formulation. Documentation with commercial samples is typically limited to a certificate of analysis covering purity and identity, not clinical status or local legal classification.
该化合物于二十世纪八十年代在俄罗斯被开发，相关工作由俄罗斯科学院分子遗传学研究所的研究团队主导。开发目标并非复制 ACTH 的完整激素活性，而是寻找保留其神经作用方向、同时去除促肾上腺皮质激素释放效应的短肽片段。研究记录显示，这一方向促成了多个相关短肽的合成与筛选，而 Semax 是其中被研究最广泛的一个。当地文献常以 Семакс 这一名称指代它。
研究兴趣主要集中在神经营养因子相关的路径上，包括脑源性神经营养因子与神经生长因子的表达变化。部分实验报告称在特定条件下观察到这些因子的水平上升，但具体信号通路和剂量依赖关系仍未完全厘清。多数公开数据来自细胞模型和动物实验，人体对照研究数量有限。因此，该化合物的作用机制在文献中属于活跃讨论，而非已经确立的定论。
Semax is a synthetic peptide created in the Soviet Union during the early 1980s by researchers working in Moscow. It was built from the short adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment known as ACTH(4-10), and the chain was then extended with three additional amino acids. The resulting molecule was named semax and entered clinical use in Russia in 1994. It is generally described as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent rather than as a hormone analogue.
The parent fragment ACTH(4-10) carries the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly. Semax replaces the arginine and tryptophan positions with a proline-glycine-proline tail, giving Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. That change removes residues associated with adrenal stimulation, so the peptide does not drive cortisol release the way full ACTH does. This distinction shapes how the compound is grouped in the literature, where it sits with neuropeptides and peptide neuromodulators rather than with corticosteroids.
Regulatory status varies sharply by country. Semax is registered for medical use in Russia, where it appears in formularies as a nasal solution, and it also holds registration in a small number of neighbouring states. It has no approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency, and it is not a scheduled controlled substance in most jurisdictions. Elsewhere it circulates mainly as laboratory material, so purity documentation comes from suppliers rather than from a national pharmacopoeia.
=== Person-centred approach === Person-centred clinical management is widely recognised as an effective and sustainable model for chronic disease care. Kalra has extensively applied person-centred principles to insulin initiation and intensification. He has also examined barriers to insulin use, especially in low- and middle-income countries, and suggested frameworks ("bridges") to address these challenges. Kalra has been lead author for several multinational panels and evidence-based recommendations on individualising time-in-range goals, and on administration techniques, including work published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
1977: Argentine-Canadian scientist Veronica Dahl became the first graduate at Université d'Aix-Marseille II (and one of the first women in the world) to earn a PhD in artificial intelligence. 1977: Canadian-American Elizabeth Stern published her research on the link between birth control pills – which contained high levels of estrogen at the time – and the increased risk of cervical cancer development in women. Her data helped pressure the pharmaceutical industry into providing safer contraceptive pills with lower hormone doses. 1977: Janina Oszast is among the first Polish palaeobotanists attempting biogeographic synthesis of Miocene land sediments. She was also the first person in Poland to identify pollen from a range of herbaceous plants and the first to find pollen grains of Ephedra in glaciation period deposits. 1978: Anna Jane Harrison became the first female president of the American Chemical Society. 1978: American biochemist Mildred Cohn served as the first female president of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, then called the American Society of Biological Chemists.
== Early life and education == Stalcup has described herself as a military brat, and spent her childhood in several different locales. She completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at the California State University, Sacramento, after training in southern and northern California. As an undergraduate student she worked several different jobs to cover her costs. After working for a couple of years at Versailles, Inc as an analytical chemist, she moved to Georgetown University as a doctoral researcher. Stalcup completed her doctoral research in 1988. During her graduate work, she held a joint position as a fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Stalcup joined the Missouri University of Science and Technology as a postdoctoral fellow. Early in her academic career Stalcup was introduced to chiral separation chemistry by Daniel W. Armstrong and first interacted with capillary electrophoresis columns.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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==== Clinical effects ==== The total endometrial proliferation dose of sublingual estradiol in women is 60 to 140 mg per cycle or 14 days and of sublingual estradiol benzoate in women is 60 to 180 mg per cycle or 14 days. Both sublingual estradiol and sublingual estradiol benzoate have a persistence of estrogenic effect after a dose of only one day. The effects of sublingual estradiol on gonadotropin levels have also been studied in postmenopausal women. After a dose of sublingual estradiol, levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) decrease precipitously within 4 hours. Following this, LH and FSH levels gradually increase, and return to near-baseline levels by 24 hours. One study found no difference between oral and sublingual estradiol in suppression of LH levels. However, FSH levels were suppressed to a greater extent with sublingual estradiol than with oral estradiol in the study. It is notable that the magnitude of the genomic effects of estradiol (i.e., signaling through the nuclear ERs) may, at least in some cases, be dependent on the total estrogenic exposure as opposed to the duration of exposure. For instance, in normal human epithelial breast cells and ER-positive breast cancer cells, the rate of breast cell proliferation has been found not to differ with estradiol incubation of 1 nM for 24 hours and incubation of 24 nM for 1 hour.
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Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== miRNA === MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have complementary sequences in the 3' UTR and 5' UTR of target mRNAs of protein-coding genes, and cause mRNA cleavage or repression of translational machinery. In diseased vascular vessels, miRNAs are dysregulated and highly expressed. miR-33 is found in cardiovascular diseases. It is involved in atherosclerotic initiation and progression including lipid metabolism, insulin signaling and glucose homeostatis, cell type progression and proliferation, and myeloid cell differentiation. They found in rodents that the inhibition of miR-33 raises HDL-C levels, and miR-33 expression is down-regulated in humans with atherosclerotic plaques. miR-33a and miR-33b are located on intron 16 of human sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2) gene on chromosome 22 and intron 17 of SREBP1 gene on chromosome 17. miR-33a/b regulates cholesterol/lipid homeostasis by binding in the 3'UTRs of genes involved in cholesterol transport, such as ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and enhances or represses their expression. Studies have shown that ABCA1 mediates cholesterol transport from peripheral tissues to Apolipoprotein-1. It is also important in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway, where cholesterol is delivered from peripheral tissue to the liver, where it can be excreted into bile or converted to bile acids before excretion. Therefore, ABCA1 prevents cholesterol accumulation in macrophages. By enhancing miR-33 function, ABCA1 levels decrease, leading to decreased cellular cholesterol efflux to apoA-1.
Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from Penicillium moulds, principally P. chrysogenum and P. rubens. Eight species of Penicillium, in the section Chrysogena, produce penicillins. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using deep tank fermentation and then purified. A number of natural penicillins have been discovered, but only two purified compounds are in clinical use: penicillin G (intramuscular or intravenous use) and penicillin V (given by mouth). Penicillins were among the first medications to be effective against many bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. They are still widely used today for various bacterial infections, though many types of bacteria have developed resistance following extensive use. In the United States, 10% of the population claims penicillin allergies, but because the frequency of positive skin test results decreases by 10% with each year of avoidance, 90% of these patients can eventually tolerate penicillin. Additionally, those with penicillin allergies can usually tolerate cephalosporins (another group of β-lactam) because the immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross-reactivity is only 3%. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by the Scottish physician Alexander Fleming as a crude extract of P. rubens. Fleming's student Cecil George Paine was the first to successfully use penicillin to treat eye infection (neonatal conjunctivitis) in 1930.
=== Quality control === No less than 90% of MAA particles can be between 10 - 90 micrometres in size and no particles may exceed 150 micrometres due to the risk of pulmonary artery blockade. No less than 90% of the radioactivity present in the product must be tagged to albumin particles. Thus, no more than 10% soluble impurities may be present.
1994: Ong Yeow Tian, a Singaporean hairstylist who was hanged on 25 November 1994 for murdering a police officer and shooting two other cops in 1989. 1995: Ng Theng Shuang, a Malaysian national, hanged on 14 July 1995 for discharging a firearm with intent to cause injury, after shooting 3 people during the attempted robbery of Tin Sing Goldsmiths in South Bridge Road in 1992. 1997: Lim Chwee Soon, hanged on 25 July 1997 for discharging a firearm seven times during the robbery of the Kee Hing Hung Rolex boutique at the People's Park Complex in 1995. 2001: Tay Chin Wah, a Singaporean taxi driver, was arrested for an unsolved 1995 case of shooting two men. He was sentenced to death on 21 February 2001, and hanged on 26 October 2001. 2006: Khor Kok Soon, one of Singapore's top ten fugitives, was charged in 2004 for firing a gun at 43-year-old police sergeant Lim Kiah Chin (who escaped unharmed) in 1984. He was sentenced to death in February 2005, and eventually hanged. Khor was also alleged to have killed 25-year-old truck driver Ong King Hock. 2006: Lim Thian Lai, a Singaporean gunman who was caught in 2004 for murdering an illegal moneylender Tan Tiong Huat back in 1997. Lim was found guilty of discharging a firearm and killing Tan by shooting, and sentenced to death in May 2005. He lost his appeal in September 2005 and had since been hanged. 2009: Tan Chor Jin, alias Tony Kia, nicknamed the "One-eyed Dragon" in Singapore media, was executed on 9 January 2009 for illegally discharging a firearm and killing 41-year-old nightclub owner Lim Hock Soon by shooting.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It originated at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow during the 1980s. The work was carried out by a Russian research group that specialized in peptide neuropharmacology.
It is registered as a medicine in Russia and has been used clinically there for decades. No regulatory agency in Western Europe or North America has approved it for any indication.
Semax corresponds to the four-to-ten fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Because it omits the first three residues, it lacks the adrenal-stimulating action of the full hormone.
It is a short synthetic peptide built from seven amino acids: methionine, glutamic acid, histidine, phenylalanine and three prolines. The sequence derives from the 4-10 fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone with an added proline-glycine-proline tail. No plant or animal extract is involved; the material is produced by solid-phase peptide synthesis.