Semax
A seven-amino-acid ACTH fragment analogue studied mainly via intranasal routes for neuroprotective and cognitive research.
What Semax is
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide analogue of ACTH(4-10) with a Pro-Gly-Pro extension that improves stability relative to the native fragment. It has a long research history in Russian neuroscience for nootropic, neuroprotective, and cerebrovascular questions, with intranasal delivery as the dominant route.
Indexed studies examine brain penetration after nasal dosing, membrane binding and biodegradation, BDNF-related signaling, and clinical-research use in acute ischemic stroke settings where multi-milligram daily intranasal totals were tested. Western large-scale replication is more limited than the domestic literature base.
For dosage education, distinguish animal mcg/kg work, human stroke-trial milligram schedules, and lower-microgram nootropic research-chemical practices discussed online. Only documented literature ranges are emphasized here, under research-use-only framing.
How it works
Semax does not act like a classical long-acting endocrine ACTH drug at therapeutic glucocorticoid doses. Research points to rapid CNS availability after intranasal dosing, specific binding interactions, proteolytic processing to shorter fragments, and downstream effects on neurotrophic systems including BDNF protein levels in animal work. Functional effects can outlast intact peptide concentrations because of gene-expression and network-level changes.
Who studies it, and why
Neuropharmacology labs, stroke-research clinicians in regions where Semax was developed, and blood-brain-barrier delivery groups are the primary audiences. Cognitive-enhancement communities drive search traffic, but legitimate content should stay anchored to peer-reviewed neuroscience rather than lifestyle dosing culture.
What the research examines
Each tag marks a field where this compound appears in research. Appearing in a literature is not the same as working.
How it appears in the literature
Taken from the methods sections of the cited work. Not a recommendation.
| Research context | Reported amount | Frequency | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human acute ischemic stroke clinical research (intranasal) | 12 mg – 18 mg | daily totals over 5–10 days | intranasal |
| Commonly cited nootropic research-chemical discussions (not equivalent to stroke-trial dosing) | 200 mcg – 600 mcg | 1–2 times daily | intranasal |
Handling & storage
Lyophilized Semax is stored refrigerated or frozen, dry and dark. Reconstituted nasal research solutions are kept cold; sterile technique matters because the route is mucosal.
Notes on combined research
Research comparisons often place Semax beside Selank (another Russian regulatory peptide) when mapping anxiolytic vs nootropic peptide tools. Stroke papers evaluate it as an add-on to standard care rather than as part of a multi-peptide lifestyle stack. BDNF-pathway discussions sometimes reference other neurotrophic strategies at the mechanistic level only.
Semax questions
It depends which literature you mean. Acute stroke research used roughly 12–18 mg/day intranasally for several days. Secondary nootropic research discussions often cite a few hundred micrograms intranasally. Do not collapse those into one chart without labels.
For lyophilized powder, researchers pick a diluent volume that matches nasal spray or drop calibration, commonly 2–3 mL per multi-milligram vial. Some finished research preparations arrive already in solution.
Stroke-trial daily totals were in the low multi-milligram range. Cognitive research-chemical practice often discusses split intranasal mcg doses once or twice daily. Route in both cases is typically nasal, not subcutaneous.
A careful chart separates (1) animal mcg/kg data, (2) human stroke mg/day protocols, and (3) lower mcg secondary references. Mixing them without context creates false precision.
The intact peptide is degraded quickly, yet behavioral or physiologic readouts in animal work can persist far longer, consistent with downstream neurotrophic signaling rather than continuous high plasma levels.
Research discourse sometimes pairs it conceptually with Selank or standard stroke therapy. Controlled evidence for elaborate multi-peptide stacks is limited; combinations remain experimental.
The dominant researched human route is intranasal. That is a major practical difference from most injectable research peptides on dosage pages.
It has an established research/clinical history in Russia and related literature. It is not broadly approved as a consumer nootropic in the United States; treat U.S. context as research-use education.
Read the research yourself
Each citation was checked against PubMed before it went on this page. If we cannot link it, we do not claim it.
- [Effectiveness of semax in acute period of hemispheric ischemic stroke (a clinical and electrophysiological study)].PubMed
- Semax, an analogue of adrenocorticotropin (4-10), binds specifically and increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein in rat basal forebrain.PubMed
- [Kinetics of Semax penetration into the brain and blood of rats after its intranasal administration].PubMed
- [A nootropic adrenocorticotropin analog 4-10-semax (l5 years experience in its design and study)].PubMed