Pair page
Cortagen with Semax
Mechanism-tag overlap and published literature for Cortagen and Semax, pulled verbatim from each Kalios compound profile. Kalios is a literature reference, not a recommendation.
Mechanism overlap
Mechanism tags are verbatim labels on each compound's profile. Generic tags ("peptide", "small-molecule", "research-chemical") are excluded from this overlap view. Tags are descriptive — not an inference about combined effect.
khavinson-cortical-neural-bioregulator
acth-analogneuroprotectivenootropic
Co-administration notes from the literature
Verbatim summary text pulled from each compound's profile data. Researchers studying Cortagen and Semax have published these mechanism-level observations. Not a co-administration recommendation.
Semax (Russian-developed ACTH(4-10) analog) provides acute BDNF elevation and nootropic effects. Frequently paired with Cortagen as a longer-term neuroprotective adjunct in nootropic community protocols.
Quick facts
Cortagen
Semax
Literature table
Classified references from each compound profile. Click a column header to sort. Click a PMID to open PubMed. Findings are quoted verbatim from each profile's literature_summary; nothing here is added or interpreted.
| Year | Compound | Source | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Cortagen | Khavinson VKh, Popovich IG, Linkova NS, Mironova ES, Ilina AR. Peptide Regulation of Gene Expression: A Systematic Review. Molecules. 2021;26(22):7053. PMID: 34834147. PMID 34834147 | systematic review |
| 2006 | Cortagen | Gumen AV, Kozinets IA, Shanin SN, Malinin VV, Rybakina EG. Production of lymphocyte-activating factors by mouse macrophages during aging and under the effect of short peptides. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2006;142(3):360-362. PMID: 17266159. PMID 17266159 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2016 | Cortagen | Linkova NS, Drobintseva AO, Orlova OA, Kuznetsova EP, Polyakova VO, Kvetnoy IM, Khavinson VKh. Peptide regulation of skin fibroblast functions during their aging in vitro. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2016;161(1):175-178. PMID: 27259486. PMID 27259486 | preclinical, in vitro |
| 2011 | Cortagen | Fedoreyeva LI, Kireev II, Khavinson VKh, Vanyushin BF. Penetration of short fluorescence-labeled peptides into the nucleus in HeLa cells and the specific interaction of the peptides with deoxyribooligonucleotides and DNA in vitro. Biochemistry (Moscow). 2011;76(11):1210-1219. PM… PMID 22117548 | preclinical, in vitro |
| 2015 | Cortagen | Gromova OA, Torshin IYu, Kalacheva AG, et al. Cortexin: modern view on the mechanism of action. Neurology, Neuropsychiatry, Psychosomatics. 2015;7(1):88-95. (Russian-language review of Cortexin parent-extract mechanism and clinical use.) | mechanism / discovery |
| 2012 | Cortagen | Khavinson VKh, Solov'ev AIu, Zhilinskii DV. Molecular mechanism of the peptide regulation of gene expression: a review. Advances in Gerontology. 2012;25(3):447-456. PMID: 23289233. PMID 23289233 | mechanism / discovery |
| 2020 | Cortagen | Khavinson V, Linkova N, Diatlova A, Trofimova S. Peptide Regulation of Cell Differentiation. Stem Cell Reviews and Reports. 2020;16(1):118-125. PMID: 31813120. DOI: 10.1007/s12015-019-09938-8. PMID 31813120 | bioregulator literature |
| 2016 | Cortagen | Vanyushin BF, Khavinson VKh. Short Biologically Active Peptides as Epigenetic Modulators of Gene Activity. In: Epigenetics — A Different Way of Looking at Genetics. Springer, 2016. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-27186-6_5. | bioregulator literature |
| 2012 | Cortagen | Khavinson VKh, Linkova NS, Polyakova VO, Kheifets OV, Tarnovskaya SI, Kvetnoy IM. Peptides tissue-specifically stimulate cell differentiation during their aging. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2012;153(1):148-151. PMID: 22808513. PMID 22808513 | bioregulator literature |
| 2010 | Cortagen | Anisimov VN, Khavinson VKh. Peptide bioregulation of aging: results and prospects. Biogerontology. 2010;11(2):139-149. PMID: 19633997. PMID 19633997 | bioregulator literature |
| 2005 | Cortagen | Khavinson VKh, Malinin VV. Gerontological Aspects of Genome Peptide Regulation. Karger Publishers, Basel, 2005. ISBN 3-8055-7903-3. | bioregulator literature |
| 2002 | Cortagen | Kolosova LI, Moiseeva AB, Turchaninova LN, Malinin VV, Polyakov EL, Nozdrachev AD, Khavinson VKh. The delayed effect of cortagen on the restoration of injured nerve function. Doklady Biological Sciences. 2002;384:183-184. PMID: 12375535. PMID 12375535 | bioregulator literature |
| 2002 | Semax | Skvortsova VI, Platonova IA, Tvorogova TV, Miasoedov NF. Effect of semax on disability and handicap indexes in patients survived carotid ischemic stroke. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2002;102(Suppl 5):36-39. | human study |
| 2020 | Semax | Filippenkov IB, Stavchansky VV, Denisova AE, et al. Novel Insights into the Protective Properties of ACTH(4-7)PGP (Semax) Peptide at the Transcriptome Level Following Cerebral Ischaemia-Reperfusion in Rats. Genes (Basel). 2020;11(6):681. | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2013 | Semax | Glazova NY, Sebentsova EA, Manchenko DM, et al. Prolonged beneficial effect of neonatal treatment with Semax on the grooming behavior of elderly rats. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2013;155(6):731-733. | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2011 | Semax | Stavchansky VV, Tvorogova TV, Botsina AY, Skvortsova VI, Limborska SA, Myasoedov NF, Dergunova LV. The effect of Semax and its C-end peptide PGP on expression of neurotrophins and their receptors in rat brain during incomplete global ischemia. Mol Biol (Mosk). 2011;45(6):1026-10… | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2010 | Semax | Shadrina M, Kolomin T, Agapova T, et al. Comparison of the temporary dynamics of NGF and BDNF gene expression in rat hippocampus, frontal cortex, and retina under Semax action. J Mol Neurosci. 2010;41(1):30-35. | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2007 | Semax | Agapova TY, Agniullin YV, Shadrina MI, Shram SI, Slominsky PA, Lymborska SA, Myasoedov NF. Neurotrophin gene expression in rat brain under the action of Semax, an analogue of ACTH(4-10). Neurosci Lett. 2007;417(2):201-205. | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2007 | Semax | Storozheva ZI, Proshin AT, Sherstnev VV, Stolyarov ID, Boĭko AN. Effects of Semax on different forms of learning and memory in adult and aged rats. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2007;143(4):482-485. | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2006 | Semax | Dolotov OV, Karpenko EA, Inozemtseva LS, et al. Semax, an analogue of adrenocorticotropin (4-10), binds specifically and increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor protein in rat basal forebrain. J Neurochem. 2006;97 Suppl 1:82-86. PMID: 16635254. PMID 16635254 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2006 | Semax | Volkova MV, Shadrina MI, Kolomin TA, Dolotov OV, Grivennikov IA, Shaburova EV, Solntseva OS, Myasoedov NF, Limborska SA, Slominsky PA. Semax, an analog of ACTH(4-10) with cognitive effects, regulates BDNF and trkB expression in the rat hippocampus. Brain Res. 2006;1117(1):54-60.… PMID 16996037 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 1991 | Semax | Potaman VN, Antonova LV, Dubynin VA, et al. Entry of the synthetic ACTH(4-10) analogue into the rat brain following intravenous injection. Neurosci Lett. 1991;130(1):11-13. | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2001 | Semax | Kost NV, Sokolov OY, Gabaeva MV, Grivennikov IA, Andreeva LA, Myasoedov NF, Zozulya AA. [Semax and selank inhibit the enkephalin-degrading enzymes from human serum]. Bioorg Khim. 2001;27(3):180-183. PMID: 11443939. PMID 11443939 | research article |
| 1997 | Semax | Gusev EI, Skvortsova VI, Miasoedov NF, Nezavibatko VN, Zhuravleva EIu, Vanichkin AV. [Effectiveness of semax in acute period of hemispheric ischemic stroke (a clinical and electrophysiological study)]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 1997;97(6):26-34. PMID: 11517472. PMID 11517472 | research article |
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Frequently asked
Have Cortagen and Semax been studied together?
Researchers have published mechanistic-level co-administration discussion of Cortagen and Semax. No human co-administration trials are catalogued in the Kalios profiles. The pair page lists each compound's classified literature; full citations sit on each individual profile.
What mechanisms do Cortagen and Semax share?
Cortagen and Semax do not share a specific mechanism tag on their Kalios profiles. They appear on the same pair page because at least one profile lists the other in its co-administration data.
What is the FDA status of Cortagen and Semax?
Cortagen: Not approved. Semax: Not approved. FDA-status text is pulled verbatim from each compound profile. See /fda-pcac-2026.html for the broader FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee context.
Where can I find the full research on Cortagen and Semax?
Full citation lists, dosing tables from the literature, reconstitution data, and the FDA / WADA status are on the individual compound profiles: the Cortagen profile and the Semax profile. The Kalios Stack Research Tool hub lists every compound covered.
Last updated: April 2026