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Research Reference · Neuro & Cognitive

Semax

A synthetic seven-amino-acid ACTH(4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro peptide studied in BDNF, neuroprotection and brain-ischemia research.

Last reviewed September 2026 5 peer-reviewed sources 2-minute read

At a glance

Semax is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide: the ACTH(4–7) fragment of the hormone ACTH with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail added. It was developed and is mostly studied in Russia. Research focuses on the brain — BDNF, a growth factor that supports nerve cells, and gene activity after stroke-like injury in rats. The evidence reviewed here is from animal studies.

TypeACTH(4-7)-PGP heptapeptide
Studied forBDNF & brain-ischemia models
Evidence stageAnimal (rat) studies
Human dataNot covered by these sources

What it’s studied for

BDNF signaling

Raised BDNF and its receptor TrkB in rat brain regions. 1,2

Animal

Brain ischemia

Changed gene activity after focal ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion in rats. 3,4

Animal

Immune & vascular genes

Influenced immune-response and vascular-system genes during ischemia. 3,5

Animal

Learning in rats

Treated rats showed more conditioned avoidance responses. 1

Animal

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How it works

Semax is built from ACTH(4–7) — Met-Glu-His-Phe, a fragment of the hormone ACTH — with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail added to make it more stable.

In rats it bound specifically in the basal forebrain and quickly raised levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) there, 2 and in the hippocampus it increased BDNF and TrkB expression; treated rats also learned a conditioned-avoidance task better. 1

Genome-wide studies after focal brain ischemia found Semax changed the activity of immune- and vascular-system genes, 3 suppressed inflammation-related gene activity and preserved neurotransmission genes after ischemia-reperfusion, 4 and modulated immune-response genes. 5

Frequently asked questions

What is Semax made of?
Seven amino acids: Met-Glu-His-Phe (the ACTH 4–7 fragment) plus a Pro-Gly-Pro tail.
What is Semax studied for?
Mainly brain research: BDNF signaling, and gene activity after stroke-like ischemia in rats.
What is BDNF?
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a growth factor that supports nerve-cell survival and connections.
What is the CAS number of Semax?
80714-61-0. Its molecular formula is C37H51N9O10S (813.9 g/mol).
Do you sell Semax?
Not currently. This page is a research reference.

Identifiers

Name Semax
Other names ACTH(4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro · MEHFPGP
Class Synthetic heptapeptide (ACTH fragment analogue)
Sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro
Molecular formula C37H51N9O10S
Molecular weight 813.9 g/mol
CAS number 80714-61-0
PubChem CID · UNII 9811102 · I5FAL2585H

Identifiers checked against PubChem (CID 9811102).

Research timeline

  1. 2006Semax binds in the rat basal forebrain and raises BDNF 2; increases hippocampal BDNF and TrkB. 1
  2. 2014Genome-wide study: effects on immune and vascular genes after focal ischemia. 3
  3. 2017Regulation of immune-response genes during ischemic brain injury. 5
  4. 2020Transcriptome effects after ischemia-reperfusion. 4

Key studies

StudyModelWhat it found
Dolotov 2006a 2 Rat Specific binding in basal forebrain; rapid BDNF protein increase.
Dolotov 2006b 1 Rat Higher hippocampal BDNF and TrkB; more conditioned avoidance responses.
Medvedeva 2014 3 Rat Genes for immune and vascular systems changed after focal ischemia.
Filippenkov 2020 4 Rat Compensated gene-expression patterns disrupted by ischemia-reperfusion.

Sources

  1. Semax, an analog of ACTH(4-10) with cognitive effects, regulates BDNF and trkB expression in the rat hippocampus. Dolotov OV, et al. Brain Res, 2006.
  2. Semax, an analogue of adrenocorticotropin (4-10), binds specifically and increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein in rat basal forebrain. Dolotov OV, et al. J Neurochem, 2006.
  3. The peptide semax affects the expression of genes related to the immune and vascular systems in rat brain focal ischemia: genome-wide transcriptional analysis. Medvedeva EV, et al. BMC Genomics, 2014. Free full text
  4. Novel Insights into the Protective Properties of ACTH(4-7)PGP (Semax) Peptide at the Transcriptome Level Following Cerebral Ischaemia-Reperfusion in Rats. Filippenkov IB, et al. Genes (Basel), 2020. Free full text
  5. Semax, an analog of ACTH(4-7), regulates expression of immune response genes during ischemic brain injury in rats. Medvedeva EV, et al. Mol Genet Genomics, 2017.
For Research Use Only. This page summarizes published scientific research for educational purposes. It is not medical advice and does not promote, recommend, or describe any human or animal use. Products referenced are sold strictly for laboratory research and are not for human consumption.

Last reviewed September 2026 by Midwest Compounds. Every source above was checked against its original publication.