en · de · es · fr · pt
glossary-desk.peptides6823.com › Topic › Semax Peptide Structure And Origin — Research Overview

Semax Peptide Structure And Origin — Research Overview

By Editorial Desk · published 2025-08-29 · last reviewed 2025-09-30 · Topic

This is a working overview of Semax, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.

Reviewed 2025-09-30. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.

Semax Peptide Structure and Origin

Terminology around the compound varies by source. It appears in catalogues and papers as Semax, as the heptapeptide ACTH(4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro, and under various alphanumeric laboratory codes used by individual suppliers. These names refer to the same sequence but may imply different salt forms, purity grades, or counter-ions. Peptide databases usually list the free base mass, while product descriptions sometimes report acetate or trifluoroacetate salts with a different formula weight. Because naming conventions for research peptides are not standardised across vendors, checking the declared sequence and measured mass is more reliable than relying on a trade name alone.

Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. Its design combines the ACTH(4-7) core fragment with a C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro extension, a modification intended to improve stability and prolong activity. The molecule is hydrophilic, carries no lipid chains or glycosylation, and has a theoretical mass just over 810 daltons in its free form. All seven residues are proteinogenic amino acids, so no non-natural building blocks appear in the backbone. A free N-terminal methionine and C-terminal proline define the unmodified parent peptide.

研发背景与监管地位

当时的短肽研究普遍关注能否穿越血脑屏障、在低剂量下产生中枢效应,Semax 属于这一路线。鼻内给药是其主要使用方式,俄语文献报道的适应症涵盖缺血性卒中、短暂性脑缺血发作、认知功能减退以及视神经病变。这些研究大多发表在当地期刊上,样本规模与终点设置同西方试验惯例存在差异,国际同行对其临床证据的强度看法不一。

各国监管态度分化明显。俄罗斯按处方药管理,部分东欧国家留有使用记录;欧盟与美国未批准其作为药物上市,市面流通品通常标注为研究用化学品。身份差异意味着标示含量、纯度与无菌性缺少统一核查。体育领域还牵涉反兴奋剂名录,跨境携带则受目的地药品法规约束。

Semax 是人工设计的七肽,序列为 Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro,骨架取自促肾上腺皮质激素片段 ACTH(4-10)。它于二十世纪八十年代在苏联的分子遗传学研究机构内合成。设计目标是保留该片段与注意力和记忆相关的活性,同时剔除促皮质激素释放等内分泌作用。此后俄罗斯将其登记为药品并进入临床使用。

Semax at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Chemical classSynthetic heptapeptideACTH(4-7) analogue
SequenceMet-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-ProFree N terminus, unmodified side chains
Molecular weight813.9 DaFree base; salt forms differ
AppearanceWhite to off-white powderLyophilised solid
SolubilityFreely soluble in waterHydrophilic; polar solvents preferred

Background and Development History

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.

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.

Related pages on this site

Chemical Identity and Research Background

Published research on this peptide originates mainly from Russian laboratories, and the wider international literature is comparatively thin. Studies have used rodent models of stroke, hypoxia, and memory tasks, with a smaller number of human trials reported. Reported outcomes include changes in attention and memory measures, along with effects on neurotrophic factor expression in some experiments. Small sample sizes, inconsistent dosing protocols, and limited independent replication are widely noted limitations, so the strength of the clinical evidence remains an open question.

Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide whose sequence is Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. The first four residues correspond to the ACTH(4-10) fragment, while the terminal Pro-Gly-Pro extension was added to improve metabolic stability. Its molecular formula is C37H51N9O10S and its monoisotopic mass is approximately 813.9 Da. The compound is classified as a peptide research chemical and as a registered pharmaceutical product in Russia, but it does not hold marketing approval in the European Union or the United States. Naming conventions vary across supplier catalogs.

Semax 的分子背景与结构

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 是一种人工合成的七肽,氨基酸序列为 Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro,单字母缩写记作 MEHFPGP。它被归类为促肾上腺皮质激素片段 ACTH(4-10) 的结构类似物,但并不天然存在于生物体内。母体片段 ACTH(4-10) 的序列为 Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly,Semax 替换了中间两个残基,并在羧基端延长了 Pro-Gly-Pro 三肽。这种延长被普遍认为能提升分子对肽酶的耐受性。

Background from the literature

== Production == Guanidine can be obtained from natural sources, being first isolated in 1861 by Adolph Strecker via the oxidative degradation of an aromatic natural product, guanine, isolated from Peruvian guano. A laboratory method of producing guanidine is gentle (180-190 °C) thermal decomposition of dry ammonium thiocyanate in anhydrous conditions:

=== Pharmacokinetics === Butane-1,4-diol is rapidly converted into GHB acid by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, and differing levels of these enzymes may account for differences in effects and side effects between users. While co-administration of ethanol and GHB already poses serious risks, co-administration of ethanol with 1,4-butanediol will interact considerably and has many other potential risks. This is because the same enzymes that are responsible for metabolizing alcohol also metabolize 1,4-butanediol so there is a strong chance of a dangerous drug interaction. Emergency room patients who overdose on both ethanol and 1,4-butanediol often present with symptoms of alcohol intoxication initially and as the ethanol is metabolized the 1,4-butanediol is then able to better compete for the enzyme and a second period of intoxication ensues as the 1,4-butanediol is converted into GHB.

===== Linear or reticular opacities ===== Acute: Pulmonary edema Chronic: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Connective tissue-associated interstitial lung diseases Asbestosis Sarcoidosis Hypersensitivity pneumonitis Drug-induced lung disease

Zolpidem, sold under the brand name Ambien among others, is a medication primarily used for the short-term treatment of sleeping problems. Guidelines recommend that it be used only after cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia and after behavioral changes, such as sleep hygiene, have been tried. It decreases the time to sleep onset by about fifteen minutes and at larger doses helps people stay asleep longer. It is taken by mouth and is available as conventional tablets, extended-release tablets, or sublingual tablets. Common side effects include daytime sleepiness, headache, nausea, and diarrhea. More severe side effects include memory problems and hallucinations. While flumazenil, a GABAA receptor antagonist, can reverse zolpidem's effects, usually supportive care is all that is recommended in overdose. Zolpidem is a nonbenzodiazepine, or Z-drug, which acts as a sedative and hypnotic as a positive allosteric modulator at the GABAA receptor. It is an imidazopyridine and increases GABA effects in the central nervous system by binding to GABAA receptors at the same location as benzodiazepines. It generally has a half-life of two to three hours. This, however, is increased in those with liver problems. Zolpidem was approved for medical use in the United States in 1992. It became available as a generic medication in 2007. Zolpidem is a schedule IV controlled substance in the US under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (CSA). In 2023, it was the 54th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 11 million prescriptions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reference notes

In Wolverine and the X-Men and the English dub of the Wolverine anime series, Logan was voiced by Steven Blum, who has voiced the characters across more animated films, series, and video games than any other voice actor. Wolverine has appeared in a variety of Marvel and X-Men video games, and has been the titular lead in six games: Wolverine (1991), Wolverine: Adamantium Rage (1994), X-Men: Wolverine's Rage (2001), the X2 tie-in X2: Wolverine's Revenge (2003), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), a tie-in to the film of the same name, and Marvel's Wolverine (2026), developed by Insomniac Games.

A number of variants of the city's name have appeared in both English and Spanish. Stanley Harbour was originally known as "Port Jackson", and this name would have applied to the area before the town was built. Although the town is officially known as "Stanley", it is frequently referred to as "Port Stanley", especially in British reports about the Falklands War. This is in line with various other settlements around the islands, e.g. Port Howard and Port Stephens. However, "Stanley" without the "Port" prefix was established long before the war, and on 2 August 1956, the Officer Administering the Government of the Falkland Islands reported to the Secretary of State for the Colonies in London as follows:

=== Combination therapy === Combinations of finasteride, minoxidil, and ketoconazole are more effective than individual use. Combination therapy of LLLT or microneedling with finasteride or minoxidil demonstrated substantive increases in hair count.

=== EC 1.4.3 With oxygen as acceptor === EC 1.4.3.1: D-aspartate oxidase EC 1.4.3.2: L-amino-acid oxidase EC 1.4.3.3: D-amino-acid oxidase EC 1.4.3.4: monoamine oxidase EC 1.4.3.5: pyridoxal 5′-phosphate synthase EC 1.4.3.6: replaced by two enzymes, EC 1.4.3.21 (primary-amine oxidase) and EC 1.4.3.22 (diamine oxidase) EC 1.4.3.7: D-glutamate oxidase EC 1.4.3.8: ethanolamine oxidase EC 1.4.3.9: Now included with EC 1.4.3.4 amine oxidase (flavin-containing) EC 1.4.3.10: putrescine oxidase EC 1.4.3.11: L-glutamate oxidase EC 1.4.3.12: cyclohexylamine oxidase EC 1.4.3.13: protein-lysine 6-oxidase EC 1.4.3.14: L-lysine oxidase EC 1.4.3.15: D-glutamate(D-aspartate) oxidase EC 1.4.3.16: L-aspartate oxidase EC 1.4.3.17: Now EC 1.3.3.10, tryptophan α,β-oxidase EC 1.4.3.18: Not approved as the enzyme was shown to be a dehydrogenase and not an oxidase (see EC 1.5.99.12, cytokinin dehydrogenase) EC 1.4.3.19: glycine oxidase EC 1.4.3.20: L-lysine 6-oxidase EC 1.4.3.21: primary-amine oxidase EC 1.4.3.22: diamine oxidase EC 1.4.3.23: 7-chloro-L-tryptophan oxidase EC 1.4.3.24: Now EC 1.4.2.3, pseudooxynicotine oxidase EC 1.4.3.25: L-arginine oxidase EC 1.4.3.26: pre-mycofactocin synthase

Other reagents present in amounts greater than required to react with all the limiting reagent present are considered excess. As a result, the yield should not be automatically taken as a measure for reaction efficiency. In their 1992 publication General Chemistry, Whitten, Gailey, and Davis described the theoretical yield as the amount predicted by a stoichiometric calculation based on the number of moles of all reactants present. This calculation assumes that only one reaction occurs and that the limiting reactant reacts completely. According to Whitten, the actual yield is always smaller (the percent yield is less than 100%), often very much so, for several reasons. As a result, many reactions are incomplete and the reactants are not completely converted to products. If a reverse reaction occurs, the final state contains both reactants and products in a state of chemical equilibrium. Two or more reactions may occur simultaneously, so that some reactant is converted to undesired side products. Losses occur in the separation and purification of the desired product from the reaction mixture. Impurities are present in the starting material which do not react to give desired product.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

What is Semax chemically?

It is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide built from the ACTH(4-7) sequence plus a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. It belongs to the family of short ACTH fragments studied for nervous-system effects. Its backbone contains only standard amino acids.

How does it relate to ACTH?

It contains the 4-7 fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone extended at the C terminus. That truncation removes the region associated with steroidogenic activity. The design intent was to keep neurotrophic properties while avoiding full hormonal effects.

Does it occur naturally?

No natural source of the intact heptapeptide is known. It is produced by solid-phase peptide synthesis. Some related ACTH fragments arise as hormone processing products, but the Pro-Gly-Pro extension is a designed addition rather than a natural sequence.

Semax 在自然界中存在吗?

不存在。它是依据 ACTH 的一段序列人工设计的分子,天然蛋白质中找不到与之完全相同的七肽。名称属于研究代号,而非天然物质名。

Network