Melanocortin receptor comes up often in conversation and rarely with the context attached. Here we lay out the basics in order, then work through the practical considerations.
Last reviewed on 2026-04-21. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Semax binds to melanocortin receptors and is thought to influence neuronal survival and plasticity rather than to act through the adrenal axis. Laboratory work has shown increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor in treated tissue. Changes in c-Fos, a marker of neuronal activation, have also been reported. Because the peptide is rapidly degraded by peptidases, its effects are generally attributed to downstream signaling cascades rather than to sustained receptor occupancy.
Published studies are dominated by animal models of stroke, ischemia, and cognitive impairment, with a smaller number of human trials conducted in Russia. Many of the human reports are small, single-center, and published in Russian-language journals, which limits independent scrutiny. Outcome measures vary between studies and often rely on clinician-rated scales rather than objective biomarkers. Systematic reviews have noted the methodological weaknesses and called for larger, preregistered trials before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Development of the compound took place in the Soviet Union during the 1980s, largely through peptide research groups affiliated with the Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute and Moscow State University. Investigators screened fragments of adrenocorticotropic hormone for activity on the central nervous system while attempting to separate cognitive effects from hormonal ones. The shortened sequence was selected because it retained behavioral activity in animal models without stimulating corticosteroid release. Early publications described the molecule as an ACTH(4-10) analog.
Published research on this peptide originates mainly from Russian laboratories, and the wider international literature is comparatively thin. Studies have used rodent models of stroke, hypoxia, and memory tasks, with a smaller number of human trials reported. Reported outcomes include changes in attention and memory measures, along with effects on neurotrophic factor expression in some experiments. Small sample sizes, inconsistent dosing protocols, and limited independent replication are widely noted limitations, so the strength of the clinical evidence remains an open question.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | White lyophilized powder | Typical for synthetic peptides |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water | Also soluble in saline |
| Storage temperature | -20 C or below | Protect from repeated freeze-thaw |
| Analytical method | Reverse-phase HPLC | Confirms purity and identity |
| Common synonym | ACTH(4-10) analog | Reflects structural origin |
从分子层面看，Semax 是线性七肽，没有二硫键、糖基或脂链修饰，N 端为游离氨基，C 端为游离羧基。分子含组氨酸与谷氨酸侧链，因此在水和甲醇等极性溶剂中溶解良好，在非极性溶剂中溶解有限。计算分子量约为 814 Da，与其质子化离子的质荷比吻合，可用于质谱确认。
稳定性主要由水解与氧化两条路径支配。肽键在中性或弱酸性条件下相对稳定，遇到强碱或长时间高温则明显断裂；甲硫氨酸侧链容易被氧化成亚砜，使主峰前移并拉低实际含量。金属离子、光照和反复冻融会进一步促进降解或聚集。冻干粉在低温避光条件下可存放较长时间，配制后的水溶液通常需要冷藏并尽快用完。
纯度评估以反相高效液相色谱为主，通过主峰面积百分比给出粗略结果，再配合电喷雾质谱核对分子量。氨基酸分析可验证组成比例，手性色谱或毛细管电泳用于检查残基构型。常见杂质包括缺失序列的短肽、氧化产物与二聚体。由于多数市售品不附带完整检验报告，独立第三方检测常被用来核实标称值。
Laboratory descriptions of the material are consistent across suppliers. It appears as a white to off-white lyophilized powder that dissolves readily in water and in polar organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide. Aqueous solutions are clear and colorless at low concentrations. Because the peptide contains methionine, oxidation at the sulfur atom is a recognized degradation pathway, and handling notes usually call for protected, desiccated storage. Reported purity for research-grade lots is generally above 95 percent as measured by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.
The compound is registered in Russia as a pharmaceutical product, most commonly formulated as a nasal solution, and has been used in that setting since the 1990s. Outside that jurisdiction it is generally handled as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine. Regulatory status therefore differs sharply between countries, and material sold internationally may not correspond to the Russian pharmaceutical formulation. Documentation with commercial samples is typically limited to a certificate of analysis covering purity and identity, not clinical status or local legal classification.
Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. It corresponds to the ACTH(4-7) fragment extended at the C-terminus by a Pro-Gly-Pro tripeptide, an addition intended to slow enzymatic breakdown. The molecular formula is C37H51N9O10S and the molecular mass is approximately 814 daltons. In the literature it is often described as an ACTH(4-10) analog, although that label reflects a naming convention as much as a precise structural relationship. The compound was developed in Russia and remains most closely associated with that research tradition.
==== Challenge ==== Finding a specific molecule that selectively inhibits the activity of a certain E3 ligase and/or the protein–protein interactions implicated in the disease remains as an expanding research area. Moreover, as ubiquitination is a multi-step process with various variables and intermediate forms, consideration of the much complex interactions between components is advised to be taken heavily into account while designing the small molecule inhibitors.
==== Slavery in the modern era ==== Brass, Tom; van der Linden, Marcel (1997). Free and unfree labour: the debate continues. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-3-906756-87-5. Brass, Tom (2015). Towards a Comparative Political Economy of Unfree Labour: Case Studies and Debates. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-82735-1. Bales, Kevin, ed. (2005). Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-93207-4. Bales, Kevin (2007). Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-25470-1. Craig, Gary (2007). Contemporary Slavery in the UK: Overview and Key Issues (PDF). York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. ISBN 978-1-85935-573-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 14, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2007. Hawk, David R. (2012). The Hidden Gulag: The Lives and Voices of "those Who Are Sent to the Mountains" (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. ISBN 978-0-615-62367-2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2012. Nazer, Mende; Lewis, Damien (2009). Slave: My True Story. PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-0-7867-3897-7. Sage, Jesse (2015). Enslaved: True Stories of Modern Day Slavery. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-08310-4. Sowell, Thomas (2010). "The Real History of Slavery". Black Rednecks and White Liberals. ReadHowYouWant.com. ISBN 978-1-4596-0221-2.
== Climate == Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2020: Of 57 nations responsible for about 90% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, Thailand was ranked 33rd, "poor". Other ASEAN nations ranked were Indonesia, 39 "poor" and Malaysia, 53 "very poor". Among other findings, Thailand's population and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to rise and its climate policy is "poor". Germanwatch's Global Climate Risk Index 2019 analyzes the extent to which countries have been affected by climate risks—impacts of weather-related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves, etc.). The most recent data available, for 2017 and from 1998 to 2017, are the basis of the report, which uses an algorithm based on deaths and financial losses. For the period 1998–2017, Thailand ranked 13 of 181 nations (1=most affected; 181=least affected). Other ASEAN nations were ranked: Myanmar, 3; Philippines, 5; Vietnam, 9; Cambodia, 19; Indonesia, 69; Laos, 89; Malaysia, 116; Brunei, 175; Singapore, 180. In 2019, YouGov surveyed 30,000 citizens in 28 nations about their views on climate change and the role of humans, if any, in causing it. Sixty-nine percent of Thais thought that the climate is changing and that humans were mostly responsible for it. Most of the people of other ASEAN nations surveyed were largely in agreement: Indonesia, 69%; Vietnam, 64%; Philippines, 62%; Singapore, 54%; and Malaysia, 48%. Global Climate Risk Index 2018: Thailand was ranked ninth on a list of countries most affected by extreme weather events during the period 1997–2016.
==== Pollybeak ==== The "pollybeak" deformity, characterized by excessive supratip fullness usually involving a cartilaginous hump or loss of tip projection, is the indication for approximately 50% of all revision rhinoplasties. If too much of the osseo-cartilaginous framework is removed, the consequent weakening can cause the external nasal skin to become shapeless, resulting in a "pollybeak" deformity, resembling the beak of a parrot.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
After optimizing the concentration of graphene oxide concentration and anisotropic porous structure, tensile tests were performed. It was found that MGCA could recover 99.8% and 96.3% when compressed to 60% and 90% strain, respectively. SEM images showed that due to its unique structure, MCGA pore walls were able to wrinkle and fold during compression. Another unique characteristic of this material is its absorption capacity of 80-197 times its weight towards hydrophobic compounds, such as oils and chemical solvents. On the contrary, less effort has been made to study the stretchability of porous carbons. Gao, et al. synthesized a long-range lamellar scaffold composed of chitosan and graphene oxide via bidirectional freezing, freeze drying, and annealing. The result is a material with density of 11 mg cm−3 and porosity of about 99.4%. Various tensile tests were conducted, and it was found that carbon spring could revert to its original shape upon 80% compression strain and -60% stretching strain with a Poisson's ratio between 0.05 and 0.1. The narrow hysteresis loop of the stress-strain curve indicates a low energy dissipation (energy loss coefficient of about 0.2) because of its negligible interior friction, localized buckling, or cracks during deformation processes. The stretchable mechanical properties of this material allow for great candidates for vibrational and magnetism sensors.
=== Benzene toxicity === Benzene poisoning can increase risk of hematological cancers and other disorders. The mechanism of benzene metabolism and how it affects toxicity has not been completely understood. A general observation is that there is high variation in the extent of damage due to benzene poisoning. A possible explanation is the accumulation of phenols and hydroquinone in the target organ—the bone marrow—and subsequent oxidation of these metabolites to reactive quinone metabolites via a number of possible pathways. A case-control study conducted in China showed that patients with two copies of the NQO1 C609T (NQO1*2 polymorphism) mutation had a 7.6-fold increased risk of benzene poisoning compared to those who carried one or two wild-type NQO1 alleles.
=== CaMK2B === CaMK2B has an autophosphorylation site at Thr287. It functions as a targeting or docking module. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing analysis identified at least five alternative splicing variants of beta CaMKII (beta, beta6, betae, beta'e, and beta7) in brain and two of them (beta6 and beta7) were first detected in any species.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is associated with the melanocortin receptor family, particularly subtypes found in the central nervous system. This interaction is separate from the adrenal pathway activated by full-length ACTH.
Peptidases degrade the compound within minutes in circulation. This short half-life is one reason nasal delivery is used, placing the substance close to the olfactory and trigeminal pathways.
No large multicenter trials have been published in English-language journals. The existing human evidence consists mainly of smaller studies conducted in Russia, which limits generalization.
It is a synthetic peptide of seven amino acids. Its backbone corresponds to a fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone extended at the carboxyl end. The material is distributed as a lyophilized solid for laboratory use.