If you have been reading about intranasal delivery 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.
Last reviewed on 2026-04-09. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Published studies examine a fairly narrow set of endpoints. Rodent experiments commonly measure maze learning, infarct volume after induced ischemia, and tissue levels of neurotrophic factors. Clinical reports from Russian centres describe attention, memory and recovery scores in patients after stroke or transient ischemic attack. Most of those human studies are small and few have been repeated by independent groups. Outcome measures differ between studies, which limits direct comparison.
Circulation time for the peptide is short because peptidases cleave it readily. The Pro-Gly-Pro tail is thought to slow breakdown compared with the bare ACTH fragment, but the gain appears modest. Absorption after intranasal dosing is limited, and only a fraction of a dose is expected to reach the central nervous system. Laboratory concentrations therefore sit well above levels achieved systemically, a gap that complicates translation from bench findings to clinical claims.
The mechanisms attributed to semax are inferred from animal and cell studies rather than traced to one confirmed target. The most frequently cited pathway involves increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in hippocampal and cortical tissue. Some work points to engagement of melanocortin receptors, particularly MC4, which the parent ACTH fragment can activate. Effects on dopaminergic and serotonergic signalling have also been reported. No single account explains all observed results, and the relative weight of each pathway remains unsettled.
Semax is normally supplied as a lyophilized powder, and that form is the most stable. Suppliers commonly recommend storage at -20 °C in a desiccated container protected from light, with short-term handling at room temperature limited to weighing and transfer. Powder that has absorbed moisture degrades faster, so vials should be warmed to ambient temperature before opening to prevent condensation on the contents. Hygroscopic behavior is typical of short hydrophilic peptides, and humidity control matters more than temperature alone for long-term retention.
Once dissolved, the peptide is considerably less stable than the solid. Aqueous solutions are usually prepared at neutral to slightly acidic pH, filtered, and divided into single-use aliquots before freezing. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are a common cause of avoidable loss and are best prevented by never refreezing a thawed aliquot. Adsorption to plastic and glass surfaces can lower the measured concentration of dilute solutions, particularly below roughly 0.1 mg/mL. Buffer choice, salt content, and container material all influence how much peptide remains detectable after storage.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Lyophilized solid from research suppliers |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water | Also dissolves in aqueous buffers; solutions are used fresh |
| Typical storage temperature | -20 °C for lyophilized powder | Short-term transport at 2-8 °C is common |
| Common analytical method | Reverse-phase HPLC | Paired with mass spectrometry for identity confirmation |
| Common synonyms | ACTH(4-10) analogue; MEHFPGP | N-terminal methionine retained in the chain |
Stability depends heavily on physical state. Lyophilized powder held dry, cold and dark retains its content over long periods, whereas dissolved peptide begins to change within days at room temperature. The most cited degradation route is oxidation of the methionine residue, which converts the peptide to a sulfoxide form that elutes differently on chromatography. Hydrolysis of amide bonds and adsorption onto container walls contribute smaller losses. Buffers that exclude oxygen from the headspace slow the oxidation pathway, but no single condition prevents all change indefinitely.
Practical handling follows from those properties. Bulk material is best divided into single-use portions soon after receipt, because each thaw exposes the whole container to moisture and temperature cycling. Vials should be allowed to reach room temperature before opening to prevent condensation on the powder. Low-binding plasticware reduces loss of dilute solutions, and sterile filtration is used when a preparation must remain free of microbial growth. Records of batch number, reconstitution date and storage history are what allow a later analytical result to be interpreted meaningfully.
Identity and purity of Semax are established mainly by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The chromatographic trace gives a purity estimate as a percentage of total peak area, while electrospray or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization confirms the molecular mass against the calculated value. Amino acid analysis and sequence-specific fragmentation provide further confirmation when a supplier's chain of custody is unclear. Vendors frequently quote a purity figure without stating the detection wavelength or the integration method, which limits how far one number can be compared with another.
Identity and purity of semax are established with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to ultraviolet detection, usually at 214 nanometres. Mass spectrometry, most often electrospray ionisation in positive mode, confirms the molecular mass and reveals truncated sequences. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping after enzymatic digestion provide additional structural confirmation. Laboratories typically report purity as the percentage area of the main peak, a figure that does not capture isomeric or oxidised variants unless the method resolves them.
The peptide is prone to several degradation pathways. Oxidation of the methionine residue produces a sulfoxide that elutes close to the parent peak in many chromatographic systems. Hydrolysis of peptide bonds and deamidation of susceptible residues in related sequences also reduce purity over time. Lyophilised material kept dry at minus twenty degrees Celsius and shielded from light is the most stable form commonly described in laboratory practice.
Material sold for laboratory use varies widely in stated purity and documentation. A certificate of analysis should list the analytical method, the column and detector used, and the observed purity value. Independent verification by an outside laboratory is the practical way to confirm identity when documentation is absent or internally inconsistent. Regulatory status differs by country, and a product legal in one jurisdiction may be unapproved or controlled in another.
=== Sense of self and self-concept === Individuals diagnosed with BPD frequently experience significant difficulties in maintaining a stable self-concept. This identity disturbance manifests as uncertainty in personal values, beliefs, preferences, and interests. They may also express confusion regarding their aspirations and objectives in terms of relationships and career paths. Such indeterminacy leads to feelings of emptiness and a profound sense of disorientation regarding their own identity. Moreover, their self-perception can fluctuate dramatically over short periods, oscillating between positive and negative evaluations. Consequently, individuals with BPD might adopt their sense of self based on their surroundings or the people they interact with, resulting in a chameleon-like adaptation of identity, known as mirroring. This can also often lead to pervasive emotional contagion.
There are a variety of methods and machinery that can be used to perform extraction, but the general concept is that the leaves are treated with a solvent in order to extract the compounds within them. In the aforementioned study, it was stated that the maximum yield of solids that could be extracted was 35%. Over time, other chemical methods of increasing extraction yields have been discovered, such as using hydrogen peroxide on extracted leaves to obtain a yield of 42% solids. After the extraction step, the solution is clarified by passing through a decanter, centrifuge, or filter press. Stripping is a physical separation process where components can be removed from a liquid stream through usage of a vapor stream. The stripping gas, typically steam, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide, passes through the liquid solution and dissolves the aromatic compounds within it. Aroma compounds are easily volatilized into the air. For this reason, passing gas through the liquid provides a favorable condition for the compounds to leave the liquid. The equation for determining the rate of mass transfer between a food and the gas phase is:
=== Heart failure === Cilostazol is dangerous for people with severe heart failure. Cilostazol has been studied in people without heart failure, without evidence of harm, but much more data would be needed to determine no risk exists. Although cilostazol would not be approvable for a trivial condition the Cardio-Renal Advisory Committee and FDA concluded that fully informed patients and physicians should be able to choose to use it to treat intermittent claudication. Patient and physician labeling will describe the basis for concern and the incomplete information available.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Italy === The Fascist regime in 1926 banned the production, import, transport, and sale of any liquor named Assenzio. The ban was reinforced in 1931 with harsher penalties for transgressors and remained in force until 1992 when the Italian government amended its laws to comply with the EU directive 88/388/EEC.
== Clinical significance == ProIAPP has been linked to Type 2 diabetes and the loss of islet β-cells. Islet amyloid formation, initiated by the aggregation of proIAPP, may contribute to this progressive loss of islet β-cells. It is thought that proIAPP forms the first granules that allow for IAPP to aggregate and form amyloid which may lead to amyloid-induced apoptosis of β-cells. IAPP is cosecreted with insulin. Insulin resistance in Type 2 diabetes produces a greater demand for insulin production which results in the secretion of proinsulin. ProIAPP is secreted simultaneously, however, the enzymes that convert these precursor molecules into insulin and IAPP, respectively, are not able to keep up with the high levels of secretion, ultimately leading to the accumulation of proIAPP. In particular, the impaired processing of proIAPP that occurs at the N-terminal cleavage site is a key factor in the initiation of amyloid. Post-translational modification of proIAPP occurs at both the carboxy terminus and the amino terminus, however, the processing of the amino terminus occurs later in the secretory pathway. This might be one reason why it is more susceptible to impaired processing under conditions where secretion is in high demand. Thus, the conditions of Type 2 diabetes—high glucose concentrations and increased secretory demand for insulin and IAPP—could lead to the impaired N-terminal processing of proIAPP. The unprocessed proIAPP can then serve as the nucleus upon which IAPP can accumulate and form amyloid.
LSD is an extraordinarily potent substance, and is one of the most potent psychoactive drugs known. This means that it produces its pharmacological effects at very small doses, with its dose range measured in micrograms (μg); that is, millionths of a gram. Noticeable effects can occur with doses of LSD as low as 20 μg, which is around 1/200th the mass of a grain of sand. LSD is approximately 200 times as potent as psilocybin and 5,000 times as potent as mescaline, meaning that it produces effects of similar magnitude at 1/200 and 1/5,000 times the respective doses. The usual dose range of LSD for psychedelic effects is 20 to 200 μg. The typical intermediate and "good effect" dose for a psychedelic experience is 100 μg (range 75–150 μg, while 20 to 50 μg is a low or "minidose" and 200 μg is a high or ego-dissolution dose.) A dose range as wide as 10 to 450 μg has been reported. LSD may also be used in microdosing. In this context, it may be used at subthreshold or microdoses of less than 10 μg. The extremely high potency of LSD played an essential role in its emergence and popularity during the counterculture of the 1960s due to the economic feasibility of its manufacture, in contrast to the case of mescaline, which had been known for many decades previously but remained relatively little-known. The doses of LSD present in illicit LSD samples have decreased over time.
== Techniques and instruments used == Molecular engineers utilize sophisticated tools and instruments to make and analyze the interactions of molecules and the surfaces of materials at the molecular and nano-scale. The growing complexity of surface-bound molecular systems has driven the development of increasingly refined surface analysis methods. In parallel, advances in high-performance computing have enabled wider use of computational modeling and simulation in the investigation of molecular-scale systems.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
DOM-NBOMe, or NBOMe-DOM, also known as N-(2-methoxybenzyl)-4-methyl-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine, is a serotonin 5-HT2 receptor agonist and putative psychedelic drug of the phenethylamine, DOx, and 25-NB (NBOMe) families. It is the N-(2-methoxybenzyl) derivative of DOM and the amphetamine (i.e., α-methyl) analogue of 25D-NBOMe.
=== Remediation === Algae has shown selectivity for strontium in studies, where most plants used in bioremediation have not shown selectivity between calcium and strontium, often becoming saturated with calcium, which is greater in quantity and also present in nuclear waste. Researchers have looked at the bioaccumulation of strontium by Scenedesmus spinosus (algae) in simulated wastewater. The study claims a highly selective biosorption capacity for strontium of S. spinosus, suggesting that it may be appropriate for use in treating nuclear wastewater. A study of the pond alga Closterium moniliferum using non-radioactive strontium found that varying the ratio of barium to strontium in water improved strontium selectivity.
==== Australian plate ==== Lord Howe hotspot (22) 34°42′S 159°48′E, w= 0.8 az= 351° ±10° Tasmantid hotspot (39) 40°24′S 155°30′E, w= 0.8 az= 007° ±5° rate= 63 ±5 mm/yr East Australia hotspot (30) 40°48′S 146°00′E, w= 0.3 az= 000° ±15° rate= 65 ±3 mm/yr
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It consists mainly of animal experiments and small clinical reports, with much of the clinical material published in Russian-language journals. Large independent trials are scarce. Separating reliable effects from chance findings is consequently difficult.
A fraction of an intranasal dose is thought to reach the central nervous system, and this route is favoured partly for that reason. The proportion is not well characterized. Direct measurement in humans remains difficult with current methods.
Raised BDNF and NGF expression has been reported across several animal studies, which makes the signal fairly consistent. Whether the same change occurs in humans at usable doses is not established. It is best treated as a working hypothesis rather than a confirmed clinical mechanism.
Each freeze-thaw cycle can degrade a fraction of the peptide and promote aggregation. Dividing a stock solution into single-use volumes removes repeated cycling as a variable. It also limits the time a thawed solution spends at room temperature.