Semax attenuates the influence of neonatal maternal deprivation on the behavior of adolescent white rats.
Volodina. M A MA; Sebentsova. E A EA; Glazova. N Y NY; Levitskaya. N G NG; Andreeva. L A LA; Manchenko. D M DM; Kamensky. A A AA; Myasoedov. N F NF
Key Findings
- Maternal deprivation (5 h/day, days 1‑14) slowed growth and increased anxiety in young rats.
- Intranasal semax from days 15‑28 improved body weight gain compared with untreated deprived rats.
- Semax normalized anxiety levels in a novel‑environment test, reducing the stress‑induced behavioral changes.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, this suggests semax might have anxiolytic or stress‑recovery properties, but the evidence is limited to early‑life animal models. No direct dosing guidance for humans can be drawn, and the relevance to adult performance or longevity is uncertain. Treat the result as a preliminary hint that intranasal semax could modulate stress responses, warranting cautious, further investigation before any personal protocol.
Summary
In a rat study, daily nasal sprays of the peptide semax (0.05 mg/kg) given after a period of early‑life stress helped the animals grow better and reduced anxiety‑like behavior. The drug partly fixed the slowdown in weight gain and the heightened stress responses caused by being separated from their mother for several hours each day.
Abstract
Maternal deprivation in the early postnatal period significantly affects the behavior and development of different animals. Here we studied delayed effects of daily maternal deprivation (5 h/day) on physical development and behavior of white rats during postnatal days 1 to 14. Here we studied the possibility of reducing the negative consequences of deprivation by daily intranasal treatment with Semax, an analog of ACTH(4-10), in a dose of 0.05 mg/kg from postnatal days 15 to 28. It was found that maternal deprivation decelerated the growth of young rats, boosted physical activity and emotional reactivity in novel environment, and increased anxiety in one-month-old animals. Semax weakened the impact of deprivation on animal body weight and normalized the levels of anxiety in rats.
Study Information
pubmed
2012
2012-03-01T00:00:00.000Z
10.1007/s10517-012-1574-2