Semax, an analog of ACTH(4-10) with cognitive effects, regulates BDNF and trkB expression in the rat hippocampus.
Dolotov. Oleg V OV; Karpenko. Ekaterina A EA; Inozemtseva. Lyudmila S LS; Seredenina. Tamara S TS; Levitskaya. Natalia G NG; Rozyczka. Joanna J; Dubynina. Elena V EV; Novosadova. Ekaterina V EV; Andreeva. Lyudmila A LA; Alfeeva. Lyudmila Yu LY; Kamensky. Andrey A AA; Grivennikov. Igor A IA; Myasoedov. Nikolay F NF; Engele. Jürgen J
Key Findings
- Intranasal semax (50 µg/kg) raised BDNF protein levels by about 1.4‑fold in the rat hippocampus
- TrkB receptor activation increased 1.6‑fold and trkB mRNA rose 2‑fold
- BDNF exon III mRNA jumped 3‑fold and treated rats performed better on a conditioned avoidance task
Practical Outcomes
- The data suggest that intranasal semax may enhance brain BDNF signaling and cognition, hinting at a potential nootropic protocol. However, because the work is in rats, any human use would be experimental, requiring careful dose‑finding and safety monitoring.
Summary
A study in rats found that a single low dose of the peptide semax, given through the nose, boosted brain chemicals linked to learning (BDNF and its receptor trkB) and improved a simple memory test. While the results are promising, they are from animals, so we don’t know yet how well it works or how to dose it safely in people.
Abstract
The heptapeptide Semax (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) is an analog of the adrenocorticotropin fragment (4-10) which after intranasal application has profound effects on learning and exerts marked neuroprotective activities. Here, we found that a single application of Semax (50 microg/kg body weight) results in a maximal 1.4-fold increase of BDNF protein levels accompanying with 1.6-fold increase of trkB tyrosine phosporylation levels, and a 3-fold and a 2-fold increase of exon III BDNF and trkB mRNA levels, respectively, in the rat hippocampus. Semax-treated animals showed a distinct increase in the number of conditioned avoidance reactions. We suggest that Semax affects cognitive brain functions by modulating the expression and the activation of the hippocampal BDNF/trkB system.
Study Information
pubmed
2006
2006-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.brainres.2006.07.108
44
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