Composition of Colon Microbiota in Rats Treated with ACTH(4-7)-PGP Peptide (Semax) under Conditions of Restraint Stress.
Svishcheva. M V MV; Mukhina. A Yu AY; Medvedeva. O A OA; Shevchenko. A V AV; Bobyntsev. I I II; Kalutskii. P V PV; Andreeva. L A LA; Myasoedov. N F NF
Key Findings
- Restraint stress lowered the number of obligate (beneficial) gut bacteria and raised opportunistic microbes in rats.
- Semax injected at 50 µg/kg and 150 µg/kg prevented the stress‑induced shift in gut microbiota composition.
- The protective effect may involve Semax’s central neurotropic actions and its binding to peripheral melanocortin receptors in the intestine.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the study hints that Semax could help maintain a healthier gut under stress, but it’s an animal model using injections, not a human oral dose. Until human data are available, it’s a modest insight that may guide experimental self‑testing of Semax for stress‑related gut health.
Summary
In a rat study, stress messed up the balance of good gut bacteria, but giving the peptide Semax at certain doses (50 and 150 µg per kg) stopped that damage. The researchers think Semax works both in the brain and by hitting gut receptors.
Abstract
We studied the effect of Semax on the state of intestinal microbiota in rats subjected to restraint stress. Semax was injected to Wistar male rats intraperitoneally in doses of 5, 50, 150, 450 μg/kg 12-15 min before modelling chronic restraint stress. It was found that stress exposure reduced the number of obligate bacteria in the colon microbiota, but increased the content of opportunistic microorganisms. Semax in doses of 50 and 150 μg/kg prevented the stress-induced changes in the composition of colon microbiota. The observed effects of Semax might be mediated by the central neurotropic effects as well as by binding to peripheral melanocortin receptors of the intestine.
Study Information
pubmed
2020
2020-08-01T00:00:00.000Z
10.1007/s10517-020-04886-7
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