Semax

Compound identifiers & literature

Public database identifiers and a selection of peer-reviewed publications for Semax, provided so researchers can verify this compound independently. Each entry links to the primary source.

Selected literature

1. [1]
   Dolotov OV, Karpenko EA, Seredenina TS, et al. (2006). Semax, an analogue of adrenocorticotropin (4-10), binds specifically and increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein in rat basal forebrain Journal of Neurochemistry.

   Measured binding of tritium-labelled peptide to cell membranes isolated from rat basal forebrain, reporting time-dependent, reversible, calcium-dependent binding with a dissociation constant of 2.4 +/- 1.0 nM, and quantified BDNF protein by immunoenzymatic assay in basal forebrain and cerebellum 3 hours after intranasal administration at 50 and 250 microg/kg.

   rodentPMID 16635254DOI
2. [2]
   Eremin KO, Kudrin VS, Saransaari P, et al. (2005). Semax, an ACTH(4-10) analogue with nootropic properties, activates dopaminergic and serotoninergic brain systems in rodents Neurochemical Research.

   Measured tissue and extracellular striatal concentrations of dopamine, its metabolites, and the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA in C57BL mice using in vivo microdialysis, together with locomotor activity, after intraperitoneal administration (0.15 mg/kg) alone and 20 minutes before D-amphetamine; tissue and extracellular dopamine were not altered by the peptide alone.

   rodentPMID 16362768DOI
3. [3]
   Medvedeva EV, Dmitrieva VG, Povarova OV, et al. (2014). The peptide semax affects the expression of genes related to the immune and vascular systems in rat brain focal ischemia: genome-wide transcriptional analysis BMC Genomics.

   Performed genome-wide transcriptional profiling of rat brain cortex tissue at 3 and 24 hours after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion, comparing peptide-treated animals with ischaemic controls; reported differentially expressed transcripts concentrated in immune-system and vascular-system gene categories.

   rodentPMID 24661604DOI
4. [4]
   Gusev EI, Martynov MY, Kostenko EV, Petrova LV, Bobyreva SN (2018). [The efficacy of semax in the tretament of patients at different stages of ischemic stroke] Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova.

   Clinical study in 110 post-ischaemic-stroke patients (43 men, 67 women; mean age 58.0 +/- 9.7 years) allocated to early (89 +/- 9 days) or late (214 +/- 22 days) rehabilitation groups, each subdivided into semax-treated and untreated subgroups; measured plasma BDNF concentrations, British Medical Research Council motor scale scores and Barthel index. Reported dosing was two 10-day courses of 6000 mcg/day separated by a 20-day interval. The abstract describes no placebo control and no blinding.

   human clinical trialPMID 29798983DOI
5. [5]
   Liu R, Chen Y, Huang H, et al. (2025). Semax peptide targets the μ opioid receptor gene Oprm1 to promote deubiquitination and functional recovery after spinal cord injury in female mice British Journal of Pharmacology.

   Administered the peptide to female C57BL/6 mice after T9-T10 contusive spinal cord injury and recorded Basso locomotor scores, footprint analysis and inclined-plane testing, alongside assays of oxidative stress and pyroptosis markers, reporting a mu-opioid receptor (Oprm1)-associated pathway in which USP18 alters ubiquitination of FTO.

   rodentPMID 40692165DOI

These references are provided for scientific context only. They describe published research on this compound and are not evidence of safety or efficacy, not an endorsement of any use, and not medical advice. This product is supplied for laboratory research use only — not for human or animal consumption.