nasal formulation is one of those subjects where the details matter more than the headlines. This page pulls together the background, the mechanisms, and the practical points readers ask about most.
Updated 2026-06-21. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. It is described in the literature as an analogue of the ACTH(4–10) fragment, a short N-terminal portion of adrenocorticotropic hormone that retains some neurotropic activity without the full hormonal effects of the parent peptide. The molecule carries a methionine residue at the N-terminus and two proline residues near the C-terminus, features that shape both its interactions with receptor systems and its chemical stability. The free peptide corresponds to the formula C37H51N9O10S and a molecular mass near 813.9 Da.
The compound was developed in the 1980s at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow, where it emerged from research on short ACTH fragments and their effects on the central nervous system. Russian pharmaceutical listings describe it as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent, most often formulated as nasal drops. It is not a marketed medicine in the United States or the European Union, and no pharmacopoeial monograph covers it. Consequently, most published clinical experience with the substance originates from a small number of research centres, mainly in Russia and neighbouring countries.
Pharmacological accounts link semax to melanocortin signalling and to modulation of neurotrophic factor expression, particularly brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor. Much of this evidence comes from rodent studies using intranasal delivery, a route chosen because it allows peptides to reach the central nervous system with limited systemic exposure. Whether the same mechanisms operate in humans at comparable magnitude remains an open question. The precise receptor or receptors responsible for the reported behavioural and neuroprotective effects have not been conclusively identified.
Semax is a synthetic peptide created in the Soviet Union during the early 1980s by researchers working in Moscow. It was built from the short adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment known as ACTH(4-10), and the chain was then extended with three additional amino acids. The resulting molecule was named semax and entered clinical use in Russia in 1994. It is generally described as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent rather than as a hormone analogue.
The parent fragment ACTH(4-10) carries the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly. Semax replaces the arginine and tryptophan positions with a proline-glycine-proline tail, giving Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. That change removes residues associated with adrenal stimulation, so the peptide does not drive cortisol release the way full ACTH does. This distinction shapes how the compound is grouped in the literature, where it sits with neuropeptides and peptide neuromodulators rather than with corticosteroids.
Regulatory status varies sharply by country. Semax is registered for medical use in Russia, where it appears in formularies as a nasal solution, and it also holds registration in a small number of neighbouring states. It has no approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency, and it is not a scheduled controlled substance in most jurisdictions. Elsewhere it circulates mainly as laboratory material, so purity documentation comes from suppliers rather than from a national pharmacopoeia.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C37H51N9O10S | Free acid form of the heptapeptide; depends on terminal groups |
| Molecular mass | About 813.9 g/mol | Average mass used for mass spectrometry confirmation |
| Appearance | White to off-white solid | Supplied as a lyophilised powder; hygroscopic |
| Solubility class | Freely soluble in aqueous media | Water, saline, and phosphate buffers; limited organic solubility |
| Typical storage temperature | -20 degrees Celsius | Long term and dry; short working periods may use 2 to 8 degrees Celsius |
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.
Semax 是一种人工合成的七肽，氨基酸序列为 Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro，单字母缩写记作 MEHFPGP。它被归类为促肾上腺皮质激素片段 ACTH(4-10) 的结构类似物，但并不天然存在于生物体内。母体片段 ACTH(4-10) 的序列为 Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly，Semax 替换了中间两个残基，并在羧基端延长了 Pro-Gly-Pro 三肽。这种延长被普遍认为能提升分子对肽酶的耐受性。
该化合物于二十世纪八十年代在俄罗斯被开发，相关工作由俄罗斯科学院分子遗传学研究所的研究团队主导。开发目标并非复制 ACTH 的完整激素活性，而是寻找保留其神经作用方向、同时去除促肾上腺皮质激素释放效应的短肽片段。研究记录显示，这一方向促成了多个相关短肽的合成与筛选，而 Semax 是其中被研究最广泛的一个。当地文献常以 Семакс 这一名称指代它。
=== 1976 === January 8: Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai dies of cancer. February: Soviet and Cuban forces install a communist government in Angola. March 24: The National Reorganization Process takes power in Argentina following a successful military coup and launches military action against Argentine-based guerrillas. Jorge Rafael Videla is installed as president. May 4: The Corsican conflict begins, with the aim of an independent Corsican state against the French government by Corsican nationalists. June 29: The Seychelles becomes independent from the UK, as a republic in the Commonwealth of Nations. July 2: Vietnam is officially reunited under a communist regime. July 20: U.S. Military personnel withdraw from Thailand. September 1: Inception of Safari Club. September 9: Death of Mao Zedong. December 4: Insurgency in Aceh begins. Jean-Bédel Bokassa proclaimed himself as Emperor of the Central African Empire.
In 1926, the Portway, a new road along the Avon Gorge built at a cost of around £800,000, was opened linking the floating harbour to the expanding docks at Avonmouth. As the location of aircraft manufacture and a major port, Bristol was a target of bombing during the Bristol Blitz of World War II. Bristol's city centre also suffered severe damage, especially in November and December 1940, when the Broadmead area was flattened, and Hitler claimed to have destroyed the city. The original central area, near the bridge and castle, is still a park featuring two bombed out churches and some fragments of the castle. Slightly to the north, the Broadmead shopping centre and Cabot Circus were built over bomb-damaged areas. About 1,300 people living or working in the city were killed, and nearly 100,000 buildings were damaged, at least 3,000 beyond repair. As with other British cities, there was immigration from various Commonwealth countries in the post war years, which did lead to some racist tension. In 1963, a colour bar operated by Bristol Omnibus Company, which at that time refused to employ Black or Asian bus crews, was successfully challenged in the Bristol Bus Boycott, which was considered to have been instrumental in the eventual passage of the Race Relations Act 1968. In 1980 a police raid on a cafe in St Paul's sparked the St Pauls riot, which highlighted the alienation of the city's ethnic minorities. Bristol aviation continued to develop in post war years.
Antigens from the extracellular space and sometimes also endogenous ones are enclosed into endocytic vesicles and presented on the cell surface by MHC-II molecules to helper T cells expressing CD4. Only APCs such as dendritic cells, B cells or macrophages express MHC-II molecules on their surface in substantial quantity, so expression of MHC-II molecules is more cell-specific than MHC-I. APCs usually internalise exogenous antigens by endocytosis, but also by pinocytosis, macroautophagy, endosomal microautophagy, or chaperone-mediated autophagy. In the first case, after internalisation, the antigens are enclosed in vesicles called endosomes. There are three compartments involved in this antigen presentation pathway: early endosomes, late endosomes or endolysosomes, and lysosomes, where antigens are hydrolized by lysosome-associated enzymes (acid-dependent hydrolases, glycosidases, proteases, lipases). This process is favored by gradual reduction of the pH. The main proteases in endosomes are cathepsins and the result is the degradation of the antigens into oligopeptides. MHC-II molecules are transported from the ER to the MHC class II loading compartment together with the protein invariant chain (Ii, CD74). A non classical MHC-II molecule (HLA-DO and HLA-DM) catalyses the exchange of part of the CD74 (CLIP peptide) with the peptide antigen. Peptide-MHC-II complexes (pMHC-II) are transported to the plasma membrane and the processed antigen is presented to the helper T cells in the lymph nodes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
==== Guacharo Cave and reflections on mission life ==== One major scientific highlight was the exploration of the famed Guacharo Cave, known locally as ‘the mine of fat’. The cave’s entrance, surrounded by luxuriant vegetation and orchids, led to vast chambers inhabited by large colonies of oil-birds, previously unknown to science. The birds’ fat was harvested annually by locals for cooking oil. The cave expedition revealed bizarre subterranean plants, pale and etiolated, growing in the darkness from seeds dropped by the birds. The indigenous guides, convinced of spirits beyond the cave’s first chamber, refused to proceed further, and the explorers were forced to turn back. Observing mission life, Humboldt saw both advantages and shortcomings. While the mission system protected the Chayma from violence and provided stability, it also imposed a stifling routine and eroded traditional culture, leaving the Natives apathetic and disengaged. Humboldt recognized the superficiality of Christian conversion among them and noted their regret at the loss of traditional freedoms. Upon returning to Cumana, Humboldt and Bonpland abandoned plans to proceed to Havana, instead deciding to explore the Orinoco. Their time in Cumana was punctuated by dramatic events. Bonpland was attacked by a deranged local, suffering a head injury that left him dazed for months. Shortly after, Humboldt experienced his first earthquake, noting the vertical jolts and the reduction in magnetic dip, even as the local population panicked.
coli, but intestinal macrophages still do not release cytokines, even after phagocytosis. Also, intestinal macrophages do not express lipopolysaccharide (LPS), IgA, or IgG receptors. The lack of LPS receptors is important for the gut as the intestinal macrophages do not detect the microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPS/PAMPS) of the intestinal microbiome. Nor do they express IL-2 and IL-3 growth factor receptors.
== Growth and morphology == The conidia of A. parasiticus have rough, thick walls, are spherical in shape, have short conidiophores (~400 μm) with small vesicles averaging 30 μm in size to which the phialides are directly attached. A. parasiticus is further distinguished by its dark green colony colour. Aspergillus parasiticus colonies are dark green. The average growth temperature for this fungus ranges between 12 and 42 °C with the optimum temperature for growth is at 32 °C and no growth reported at 5 °C. Growth pH ranges from 2.4 to 10.5 with the optimum growth ranging between 3.5–8. For the best growth of the fungus the carbon and nitrogen content in the soil is 1:1 and the pH 5.5. A. parasiticus normally reproduces asexually however, the presence of single mating genes MAT1-1 or MAT1-2 in different strains of the fungus suggests it has a heterothallic mating system and may have a hitherto unrecognized teleomorph. A. parasiticus grows on cereal agar, Czapek agar, malt extract agar, malt salt agar, and potato dextrose agar. The sclerotia and stromata transform from white to pink, dark brown and black. When grown on "Aspergillus flavus and parasiticus" agar (AFPA), colonies show an orange yellow reverse colouration. The conidia are pink when grown on media containing anisaldehyde. A. parasiticus has been cultivated on both Czapek yeast extract agar (CYA) plates and Malt Extract Agar Oxoid (MEAOX) plates. The growth morphology of the colonies can be seen in the pictures below.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Oil === One estimate for yield of oil from kernels is 250 L/ha (22 imperial gallons per acre). The oil can be used as a food supplement, as a base for cosmetics, and for hair and the skin. Seeds of Moringa can also be used in production of biofuel.
== Significant people of physical fitness == Arnold Schwarzenegger Erwan Le Corre Georges Hébert (b.1875-d.1957) Jack LaLanne (b.1914-d.2011) John Basedow Joseph Pilates (b.1883-d.1967) Lance Armstrong Robyn Landis Roger Bannister Susan Powter Michael Gonzalez-Wallace
India Archived 11 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. India web resources provided by GovPubs at the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries India from BBC News Wikimedia Atlas of India Geographic data related to India at OpenStreetMap Key Development Forecasts for India from International Futures
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is described as a synthetic analogue of the ACTH(4–10) fragment, a short segment of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Its sequence differs from that fragment and includes two proline residues, which influence stability and behaviour in solution.
It appears in Russian pharmaceutical listings as a nasal formulation, but it is not an authorised medicine in the United States or the European Union. Outside those markets it is normally encountered as a research chemical rather than a prescription product.
Laboratory and animal work points to melanocortin signalling and changes in neurotrophic factor levels, especially brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The exact receptor targets and the degree to which these findings transfer to humans are still unresolved.
Registered medical products are most often 0.1% nasal drops. Research suppliers ship lyophilized powder, usually in milligram quantities, which is dissolved before use. The active peptide is the same in both cases; presentation and excipients differ.