If you have been reading about Semax and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Updated 2026-06-20. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Development took place during the 1980s at institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where peptide fragments of ACTH were screened for cognitive and neuroprotective effects. The compound received regulatory approval in Russia as a nasal preparation, marketed for conditions such as ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attacks, and optic nerve disorders. Registration in other countries has not followed. Most published clinical reports originate from a small number of Russian research groups, and independent replication outside that setting remains limited. The regulatory status therefore differs sharply between Russia and the rest of the world.
Laboratory work points toward modulation of neurotrophic signaling, particularly expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in hippocampal tissue. Studies also describe effects on monoamine turnover, inflammatory mediators, and oxidative markers. These observations come mainly from animal models and cultured cells, so the causal chain in humans is not firmly established. Whether the reported molecular changes translate into measurable clinical benefit is an open question. Reviews generally present the mechanism as plausible rather than demonstrated.
Clinical evidence consists largely of small trials with modest sample sizes, often without independent replication. Reported endpoints include cognitive scores, recovery after stroke, and visual function, but study designs vary widely and few trials meet contemporary reporting standards. Systematic reviewers have noted a high risk of bias in several of these reports. No large multicenter trial conducted outside Russia has been published. The compound is therefore best described as investigational in most jurisdictions, with its clinical role still unresolved.
Development of the compound took place in the Soviet Union during the 1980s, largely through peptide research groups affiliated with the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute and Moscow State University. Investigators screened fragments of adrenocorticotropic hormone for activity on the central nervous system while attempting to separate cognitive effects from hormonal ones. The shortened sequence was selected because it retained behavioral activity in animal models without stimulating corticosteroid release. Early publications described the molecule as an ACTH(4-10) analog.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence | Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro | Heptapeptide; ACTH(4-10) analog extended at C-terminus |
| Molecular mass | ~813.9 Da | Free peptide, unmodified |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typical lyophilized solid |
| Solubility | Soluble in water and saline | Also soluble in common aqueous buffers |
| Storage (solid) | -20 °C, desiccated | Protect from moisture and repeated thawing |
== Combination with other mass analyzers == LITs can be used as stand alone mass analyzers, and they can be combined with other mass analyzers, such as 3D Paul ion traps, TOF mass spectrometers, FTMS, and other kind of mass analyzers.
However, the experimental chemistry of darmstadtium has not received as much attention as that of the heavier elements from copernicium to livermorium. The more neutron-rich darmstadtium isotopes are the most stable and are thus more promising for chemical studies. However, they can only be produced indirectly from the alpha decay of heavier elements, and indirect synthesis methods are not as favourable for chemical studies as direct synthesis methods. The more neutron-rich isotopes 276Ds and 277Ds might be produced directly in the reaction between thorium-232 and calcium-48, but the yield was expected to be low. Following several unsuccessful attempts, 276Ds was produced in this reaction in 2022 and observed to have a half-life less than a millisecond and a low yield, in agreement with predictions. Additionally, 277Ds was successfully synthesized using indirect methods (as a granddaughter of 285Fl) and found to have a short half-life of 3.5 ms, not long enough to perform chemical studies. The only known darmstadtium isotope with a half-life long enough for chemical research is 281Ds, which would have to be produced as the granddaughter of 289Fl.
== Science and technology == SST (Menter’s Shear Stress Transport), a model used in fluid dynamics Solid-state Technology deployed in every Solid-state battery Salt spray test, a method of measuring corrosion resistance of materials and surface coatings Sea surface temperature Sea surface topography Serum-separating tube, used in venipuncture Socioemotional selectivity theory, a life-span theory of motivation Solid-state transformer, a type of transformer Somatostatin, a peptide hormone Stainless steel (a symbol for stainless steel on engineering drawings as per Y14.38–2007) Steady state topography, a research methodology in cognitive neuroscience and neuromarketing Super Sound Tracing, a demodulation technique for FM tuners by Sony Total sum of squares, in statistics Small Sugary Treat, a liquid form of Sucrose used in behavioural studies of animals
== Total synthesis == There is no reported total synthesis of chloroeremomycin, although there are several total syntheses of vancomycin. The structures of vancomycin and chloroeremomycin are very similar, differing only in the glycosylation sites. Vancomycin is glycosylated at aa4 with a (2-beta1)-Glc-vancosamine disaccharide. As mentioned above, chloroeremomycin is glycosylated at aa4 with a (2-beta1)-Glc-epivancosamine disaccharide and at aa6 with a beta1-epivancosamine saccharide.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The mechanism of SDA is unknown, but in the case of dietary carbohydrates, it has been shown to be strongly related to increases in sympathetic activity. TEF has been described as the energy used in the distribution of nutrients and metabolic processes in the liver. For example, dietary protein produces a high TEF because of the high energy costs associated with processing it, and it has been shown that hepatectomized animal exhibits no signs of TEF. By contrast, the energy costs of the digestion and absorption of food play a much less significant role; indeed, research shows that intravenous injections of nutrients such as glucose or amino acids results in an effect equal to that of oral ingestion of the same nutrients.
Caroxazone (Surodil, Timostenil) is an antidepressant which was formerly used for the treatment of depression but is now no longer marketed. It acts as a reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (RIMA) of both MAO-A and MAO-B subtypes, with five-fold preference for the latter.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF): the most common subgroup, representing more than 30% of ILD Desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) Acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP): also known as Hamman-Rich syndrome Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) Respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease (RB-ILD) Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP): also known by the older name bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) Lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP)
== Chemistry == Three chemical syntheses of zolpidem are common. 4-Methylacetophenone is first brominated and that product is treated with 2-amino-5-methylpyridine to give the imidazopyridine. From here the reactions use a variety of reagents to complete the synthesis, either involving thionyl chloride or sodium cyanide. These reagents are challenging to handle and require thorough safety assessments. Though such safety procedures are common in the industry, they make clandestine manufacture difficult. Several major side-products of the sodium cyanide reaction have been characterised and include dimers and mannich products. Alpidem is also an imidazopyridine and is an analogue of zolpidem. Both agents are GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulators. However, whereas zolpidem is used as a hypnotic and sedative, alpidem was used as an anxiolytic.
==== Chorion ==== The chorionic membrane is a fibrous tissue layer containing the fetal blood vessels. Chorionic villi form on the outer surface of the chorion, which maximise surface area for contact with maternal blood. The chorionic villi are involved in fetal-maternal exchange.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
DisplayPort (DP) is a digital interface used to connect a video source, such as a computer, to a display device like a monitor. Developed by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), it can also carry digital audio, USB, and other types of data over a single cable. Introduced in 2008, DisplayPort was designed to replace older standards like VGA, DVI, and FPD-Link. While not directly compatible with these formats, adapters are available for connecting to HDMI, DVI, VGA, and other interfaces. Unlike older interfaces, DisplayPort uses packet-based transmission, similar to how data is sent over USB or Ethernet. The design enables support for high resolutions and adding new features without changing the connector. DisplayPort includes an auxiliary data channel used for device control and automatic configuration between source and display devices. It supports standards such as Display Data Channel (DDC), Extended Display Identification Data (EDID), Monitor Control Command Set (MCCS), and VESA Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS). Some implementations also support Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), which allows devices to send commands to each other and be operated using a single remote control.
== Routes of administration == Since they are not absorbed from the gut, they are administered intravenously and intramuscularly. Some are used in topical preparations for wounds. Oral administration can be used for gut decontamination (e.g., in hepatic encephalopathy). Tobramycin may be administered in a nebulized form.
== War crimes == During the Battle of France, soldiers of the division perpetrated summary executions of hundreds of Black prisoners of war in French service. These executions were racially motivated, as German troops had been conditioned by Nazi propaganda to see Black people as subhuman. In several instances, Black prisoners of war were separated from White ones and murdered by soldiers of the division, including on 10 June 1940, where 150 Black prisoners were massacred in Erquinvillers. Another mass killing committed by the division was the Chasselay massacre; on 19-20 June hundreds of Black prisoners of war were murdered in Chasselay, Rhône.
Adrenomedullin (AM) exerts its actions through combinations of the calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CALCRL) or CLR; and either (Receptor activity-modifying protein) 2 (RAMP2) or RAMP3, (known as AM1 and AM2 receptors, respectively). Both transduce the hormone binding to intracellular signaling via second messenger cascades. The AM2 receptor has a low affinity for CGRP, but this is of no physiological relevance. Unlike the classical one ligand-one receptor notion of receptor signalling, the interaction of both CALCRL and RAMP at the membrane is required for AM to mediate its action: neither can bind the hormone (and therefore transduce a signal) alone. Stimulation by AM of its receptor increases production of both cyclic AMP (cAMP) and nitric oxide. Before the discovery of the RAMPs and the identification of heteromeric receptors for the calcitonin family of peptides, a single G Protein coupled Adrenomedullin receptor was identified, but more recent reports have cast doubts as to its importance in the major effects of adrenomedullin. In more recent research, the roles of the AM1 and AM2 receptors have been clarified through studies in genetically manipulated mice. The adrenomedullin knockout is an embryonic lethal phenotype that dies mid-gestation from a condition known as hydrops fetalis. The CALCRL or CLR KO mouse recapitulates the same phenotype, as it lacks both the AM1 and AM2 receptors (incidentally confirming the lack of physiological significance for the earlier single protein AM receptor discovered by Kapas).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Semax is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide derived from a fragment of corticotropin. It is used in Russia as a nasal preparation, while elsewhere it is studied as a research compound. It is not approved as a medicine in most countries.
Its sequence corresponds to the 4-10 region of corticotropin extended by three residues. This fragment lacks the region responsible for adrenal steroid release, so it is explored for neural rather than hormonal effects. The relationship explains the compound's classification among ACTH-derived peptides.
It holds approval in Russia for several neurological indications as a nasal spray or drop formulation. Regulatory agencies in the United States and the European Union have not approved it. Products sold elsewhere are generally labeled for research use only.
It is a synthetic peptide of seven amino acids. Its backbone corresponds to a fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone extended at the carboxyl end. The material is distributed as a lyophilized solid for laboratory use.