Everything below concerns shelf life. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Updated 2026-01-03. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Scientific literature on semax is unevenly distributed. A substantial share of published work originates from a small number of laboratories in Russia, while independent replication elsewhere is limited. Human data consist mostly of small trials with short follow-up, and several reported outcomes rely on subjective rating scales. Questions about how much intact peptide reaches the central nervous system after nasal administration, and how long it persists there, are still unresolved. The compound is best described as an active research subject rather than a settled pharmacological agent.
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. It was derived from the ACTH(4-10) fragment, a short segment of adrenocorticotropic hormone that lacks the hormonal activity associated with the full-length peptide. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow developed the compound during the 1980s. It has been registered as a pharmaceutical product in Russia and several neighbouring countries, where it is supplied as a nasal solution, and it is also sold internationally as a research chemical.
The proposed mechanism centres on neurotrophic signalling rather than direct receptor activation. Semax is reported to increase expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in several brain regions, and to shift the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter systems. Interaction with melanocortin receptors has been suggested because of the parent ACTH fragment. Many of these findings come from rodent studies, and the extent to which they translate to human physiology remains an open question.
纯度评估以反相高效液相色谱为主，通过主峰面积百分比给出粗略结果，再配合电喷雾质谱核对分子量。氨基酸分析可验证组成比例，手性色谱或毛细管电泳用于检查残基构型。常见杂质包括缺失序列的短肽、氧化产物与二聚体。由于多数市售品不附带完整检验报告，独立第三方检测常被用来核实标称值。
从分子层面看，Semax 是线性七肽，没有二硫键、糖基或脂链修饰，N 端为游离氨基，C 端为游离羧基。分子含组氨酸与谷氨酸侧链，因此在水和甲醇等极性溶剂中溶解良好，在非极性溶剂中溶解有限。计算分子量约为 814 Da，与其质子化离子的质荷比吻合，可用于质谱确认。
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C37H51N9O10S | Calculated for the free peptide |
| Molar mass | 813.9 g/mol | Anhydrous free base |
| Peptide class | Synthetic heptapeptide | ACTH(4-10) analogue |
| Parent fragment | ACTH(4-10) | Adrenocorticotropic hormone segment |
| Developmental origin | Institute of Molecular Genetics, Moscow | Work began in the 1980s |
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 heptapeptide developed in the Soviet Union during the 1980s by researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow. It was designed as a truncated analog of adrenocorticotropic hormone, retaining only the fragment spanning residues four through ten. Investigators sought a peptide that would preserve the cognitive effects associated with ACTH while eliminating the hormonal stimulation of the adrenal cortex. The compound entered clinical use in Russia during the following decade.
Published research has focused mainly on neurological and cognitive endpoints in animal models, with proposed mechanisms involving brain-derived neurotrophic factor and related signalling pathways. A substantial share of the human data originates from a limited number of research groups, and independent replication in other countries remains sparse. Regulatory status reflects that distribution: the peptide is registered as a medicine in Russia and appears in some neighbouring markets, while elsewhere it is handled as a research chemical without approved therapeutic labelling. Questions about dose-response relationships, long-term effects, and comparability across studies are still open.
Lyophilised powder is normally kept at -20 °C in a desiccated container, with some suppliers recommending -80 °C for long-term archival storage. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are the most common cause of avoidable loss, so aliquoting before freezing reduces variability between working sessions. Dissolved peptide is far less stable than the dry solid and is usually prepared fresh or held briefly at 4 °C. Aqueous solutions support both hydrolysis of the backbone and oxidation of the N-terminal methionine, and these two routes dominate degradation under ordinary laboratory conditions.
=== Primary source === Cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 metabolize arachidonic acid to the 15-hydroperoxy, 20 carbon prostaglandin (PG) intermediate, PGG2, and then to the 15-hydroxy, 20 carbon intermediate, prostaglandin H2 (PGH2). Thromboxane synthase further metabolizes PGH2 to the 20 carbon product, thromboxane A2, the 17 carbon product, 12-HHT, and the 3 carbon product, malonyldialdehyde. Platelets express cyclooxygenase and thromboxane synthase enzymes, producing PGG2, PGH2, and TXA2 in response to platelet aggregating agents such as thrombin; these metabolites act as autocrines by feeding back to promote further aggregation of their cells of origin and as paracrines by recruiting nearby platelets into the response as well as exerting effects on other nearby tissues such as contracting blood vessels. These effects combine to trigger blood clotting and limiting blood loss. 12-HHT is a particularly abundant product of these pro-clotting responses, accounting for about one third of the total amount of arachidonic acid metabolites formed by physiologically stimulated human platelets. Its abundant production during blood clotting, the presence of cyclooxygenases and to a lesser extent thromboxane synthase in a wide range of cell types and tissue, and its production by other pathways imply that 12-HHT has one or more important bioactivities relevant to clotting and, perhaps, other responses.
=== Acquired and inherited enzyme deficiencies === Downregulation of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) can be caused by genetic polymorphisms, cytokines, or both. KMO deficiency leads to an accumulation of kynurenine and to a shift within the tryptophan metabolic pathway towards kynurenic acid and anthranilic acid. Deficiencies of one or more enzymes on the kynurenine pathway leads to an accumulation of intermediate metabolic products which can cause effects depending on their concentration, function and their inter-relation with other metabolic products. For example, kynurenine 3-monooxygenase deficiency is associated with disorders of the brain (such as schizophrenia and tic disorders) and of the liver. The mechanism behind this observation is typically a blockade or bottleneck situation at one or more enzymes on the kynurenine pathway due to the effects of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) and/or due to genetic polymorphisms afflicting the particular genes. Dysfunctional states of distinct steps of the kynurenine pathway (such as kynurenine, kynurenic acid, quinolinic acid, anthranilic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine) have been described for a number of disorders, for example:
Streptomycin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections, including tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium complex, endocarditis, brucellosis, Burkholderia infection, plague, tularemia, and rat bite fever. For active tuberculosis it is often given together with isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide. It is administered by injection into a vein or muscle. Common side effects include vertigo, vomiting, numbness of the face, fever, and rash. Use during pregnancy may result in permanent deafness in the developing baby. Use appears to be safe while breastfeeding. It is not recommended in people with myasthenia gravis or other neuromuscular disorders. Streptomycin is an aminoglycoside. It works by blocking the ability of 30S ribosomal subunits to make proteins, which results in bacterial death. Albert Schatz first isolated streptomycin in 1943 from Streptomyces griseus. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. The World Health Organization classifies it as critically important for human medicine.
A direct relativistic effect is that as the atomic numbers of elements increase, the innermost electrons begin to revolve faster around the nucleus as a result of an increase of electromagnetic attraction between an electron and a nucleus. Similar effects have been found for the outermost s orbitals (and p1/2 ones, though in dubnium they are not occupied): for example, the 7s orbital contracts by 25% in size and is stabilized by 2.6 eV. A more indirect effect is that the contracted s and p1/2 orbitals shield the charge of the nucleus more effectively, leaving less for the outer d and f electrons, which therefore move in larger orbitals. Dubnium is greatly affected by this: unlike the previous group 5 members, its 7s electrons are slightly more difficult to extract than its 6d electrons.
In August 2025, the United States began a military buildup in the southern Caribbean, deploying warships and military personnel. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sent a team into Venezuela that began tracking Maduro's movements, using a source close to the Venezuelan president, and plans were made for the capture of Maduro months in advance. The Delta Force and other participants in the operation erected a mockup of the safe house in which Maduro was believed to be hiding, described by Trump as a "very highly guarded ... fortress". In September, the United States Southern Command began conducting military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea, alleging some were trafficking drugs on behalf of Venezuela. In November 2025, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado promised to open Venezuela's oil and gas reserves during a business meeting in Miami attended by Trump, and the Trump administration engaged in secret talks with Maduro's government about its oil reserves. In December 2025, this escalated to include seizures of sanctioned oil tankers carrying Venezuelan crude. These seizures formed part of the broader blockade on sanctioned oil preceding the January 2026 operation. The US also launched covert operations in Venezuela under the directive of the CIA in late December. On 2 January 2026, Trump announced that the US military would conduct strikes inside Venezuela. In the weeks preceding the operation, Trinidad and Tobago signed an agreement with the US to allow US military access to its airports.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
==== Peptidoglycan recognition proteins ==== PGLYRPs are conserved from insects to mammals. Mammals produce four secreted soluble peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGLYRP-1, PGLYRP-2, PGLYRP-3 and PGLYRP-4) that recognize muramyl pentapeptide or tetrapeptide. They can also bind to LPS and other molecules by using binding sites outside of the peptidoglycan-binding groove. After recognition of peptidoglycan, PGLYRPs activate polyphenol oxidase (PPO) molecules, Toll, or immune deficiency (IMD) signalling pathways. That leads to production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Each of the mammalian PGLYRPs display unique tissue expression patterns. PGLYRP-1 is mainly expressed in the granules of neutrophils and eosinophils. PGLYRP-3 and 4 are expressed by several tissues such as skin, sweat glands, eyes or the intestinal tract. PGLYRP-1, 3 and 4 form disulphide-linked homodimers and heterodimers essential for their bactericidal activity. Their binding to bacterial cell wall peptidoglycans can induce bacterial cell death by interaction with various bacterial transcriptional regulatory proteins. PGLYRPs are likely to assist in bacterial killing by cooperating with other PRRs to enhance recognition of bacteria by phagocytes. PGLYRP-2 is primarily expressed by the liver and secreted into the circulation. Also, its expression can be induced in skin keratinocytes, oral and intestinal epithelial cells. In contrast with the other PGLYRPs, PGLYRP-2 has no direct bactericidal activity.
==== Spinal cord ==== In spinal cord, KOR is expressed in the substantia gelatinosa and superficial laminae of the dorsal horn, where they modulate thermal nociception and chemical viscelar pain. They are concentrated in the upper laminae of the dorsal horn (laminae I–III) and within the posterolateral tract. The highest density was localized within the inner segment of lamina II, forming a dense band immediately dorsal to lamina III. 53% of KOR binding sites in the superficial dorsal horn (laminae I–II) are localized presynaptically on primary afferent terminals, with the remainder distributed postsynaptically.
In 1804 the Balmis Expedition, an official Spanish mission commanded by Francisco Javier de Balmis, sailed to spread the vaccine throughout the Spanish Empire, first to the Canary Islands and on to Spanish Central America. While his deputy, José Salvany, took vaccine to the west and east coasts of Spanish South America, Balmis sailed to Manila in the Philippines and on to Canton and Macao on the Chinese coast. He returned to Spain in 1806. The vaccine was not carried in the form of flasks, but in the form of 22 orphaned boys, who were 'carriers' of the live cowpox virus. After arrival, "other Spanish governors and doctors used enslaved girls to move the virus between islands, using lymph fluid harvested from them to inoculate their local populations". Napoleon was an early proponent of smallpox vaccination and ordered that army recruits be given the vaccine. Additionally a vaccination program was created for the French Army and his Imperial Guard. In 1811 he had his son, Napoleon II, vaccinated after his birth. By 1815 about half of French children were vaccinated and by the end of the Napoleonic Empire smallpox deaths accounted for 1.8% of deaths, as opposed to the 4.8% of deaths it accounted for at the time of the French Revolution. On March 26, 1806, the Swiss canton Thurgau became the first state in the world to introduce compulsory smallpox vaccinations, by order of the cantonal councillor Jakob Christoph Scherb. Half a year later, Elisa Bonaparte issued a corresponding order for her Principality of Lucca and Piombino on 25 December 1806.
The citation reads, as deputy director of a special British agency in the European Theater of Operations from January 1943 to June 1945, rendered exceptionally devoted and meritorious service to the Allied armies, by American forces in a special province of military operations, and continuing it through the long period of preparation for the Normandy invasion and during the march into Germany, Colonel Vivian made an outstanding contribution to Allied military and to the enemy's defeat. On 25 September 1947, then Colonel (later Major General) Alfred H. Musson of the British Army was awarded the Legion Merit, Degree of Officer, for his service as a liaison and technical at Bell Labs, helping develop highly accurate fire control systems for artillery systems. The citation reads, "Colonel Alfred Henry Musson, British Army, during the period of active hostilities in World War II, performed exceptionally meritorious service in the field of scientific research and development. Representing in the United States the needs of the British Government in the field or fire control he devoted his personal efforts and furnished British information to aid developments of instruments in that wide field. Through his unusual knowledge of the technical material and his attitude or warm cooperation, colonel Musson contributed greatly to the success of the joint war effort." On 30 January 1948, Captain J. Alberto Sánchez López Commander-in-Chief of the Ecuadorian Navy, was awarded the legion of Merit officer level.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Semax is based on the ACTH(4-10) fragment, a seven-amino-acid segment of adrenocorticotropic hormone. The synthetic peptide retains the core sequence while removing regions associated with endocrine activity. This modification is intended to isolate effects on the nervous system.
It is registered for clinical use in Russia and a few other countries, typically as a nasal drop formulation. It does not hold approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency. Outside those markets it is generally handled as a research chemical.
The compound was developed in Moscow and the earliest studies were conducted there, so the primary literature is largely in Russian-language journals. Translation and indexing have been incomplete, which limits access for outside researchers. Independent groups have since published some work, but the total volume remains modest.
电喷雾或基质辅助激光解吸电离质谱是常用手段，测得的质子化离子质荷比可换算为分子量。结果与理论值落在合理误差内，才支持结构一致的判断。