Semax Nasal
A synthetic heptapeptide analogue of adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment 4-10, extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. Supplied here as a nasal preparation.
- Purity
- 99.2%
- Lot
- PU-0927
- Format
- Nasal solution
- Third-party tested
- Discreet packaging
- Same-day shipping
- Encrypted checkout
For research use only. Not for human consumption.
Mechanism of Action
Semax is an analogue of ACTH(4-10) extended at the C-terminus with proline-glycine-proline. The parent fragment lacks the corticotropic activity of the full hormone; the added tripeptide tail was introduced to slow enzymatic degradation, and two studies from 1991 and 1993 characterised the degradation of the parent and the analogue by rat blood and serum enzymes directly.
Mechanistically, published work has reported regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor TrkB in the hippocampus, effects on dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, and modulation of immune-response gene expression in ischaemia models. A 2025 British Journal of Pharmacology paper reported an interaction with the mu-opioid receptor gene Oprm1.
Research Findings
Primary studies published in Brain Research, the Journal of Neurochemistry and Neurochemical Research examined BDNF and TrkB expression, receptor binding and monoaminergic activation in rodent brain. Transcriptomic work examined gene-expression profiles after experimental ischaemia.
A 2020 connectomic study examined Semax and Selank effects together. Much of this literature originates from Russian research groups, and independent replication elsewhere is limited - a point reviewers have consistently raised.
Storage & Reconstitution
The supplied vial is stored sealed and refrigerated at 2-8 degrees C, protected from light, and brought to room temperature before it is opened. Nasal preparations are aqueous from the point of supply, so the stability considerations that apply to a reconstituted solution apply from the moment the container is received.
The spray device is kept upright and the actuator kept clean and dry. Priming the pump consumes a small volume, which should be accounted for when calculating the number of metered actuations available from a given fill volume. Do not decant into a secondary container: transfer steps introduce both contamination and adsorptive loss.
Nasal solutions are single-container preparations and are not refilled or topped up. Note that intranasal bioavailability is strongly formulation-dependent - the delivery literature cited above regards it as a parameter that must be measured for each peptide rather than inferred from the route.
- Physical form
- Aqueous nasal solution, metered pump
- Sealed storage
- 2-8 C, protected from light
- In use
- Upright, 2-8 C between uses
- Priming
- Consumes volume - account for it
- Avoid
- Decanting, refilling, freezing
Handling summary
References
Every entry below links to its PubMed record. Publication is not endorsement: several of these papers report limitations, negative findings or adverse events, and they are listed for that reason.
- [1]Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects(opens PubMed in a new tab)
Dokl Biol Sci · 2020 · PMID 32342318
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]
- [5]
- [6]