Nootropic Peptides: Semax, Selank and the Brain-Repair Compounds

Nootropic peptides are short amino-acid chains studied for effects on cognition, mood and brain signalling, working not as stimulants but on the brain's own growth and repair systems, chiefly BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). The best known are Semax, Selank, DSIP, Pinealon and Cerebrolysin. Most are approved medicines in Russia and Eastern Europe and research compounds in the West.

Most "nootropics" you read about are stimulants in disguise, or supplements with a hopeful label. Peptides are studied as a different category: rather than caffeine-style stimulation, the research interest is in the systems the brain uses to grow, repair and regulate itself, chiefly BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, the molecule studied in learning, memory and neural repair).

This is a straight guide to the brain peptides worth knowing: the two Primogen stocks, the two joining the range, what the research describes for each, and the honest state of the evidence, which is heavier on Russian clinical use than Western trials and worth understanding for what it is.

Which nootropic peptides does Primogen stock now?

Primogen stocks three nootropic peptides today: Semax, Selank and DSIP. Semax and Selank are the backbone of the category, studied as a complementary pair because they are characterised in opposite directions: Semax as activating, Selank as calming. DSIP rounds out the lineup on the sleep-and-stress side.

What is Semax and what is it studied for?

Semax is a short peptide derived from a fragment of ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone, the body's own stress-response signal), studied chiefly for effects on BDNF signalling and brain injury. It is an approved medicine in Russia for stroke, cognitive disorders and ADHD; in the West it is a research compound (and as of late 2023 it was removed from US compounding pharmacy lists). Mechanistically it is reported to raise BDNF and its receptor TrkB (the docking point BDNF acts through), to activate dopamine and serotonin systems, and to be protective in animal models of brain injury. In one rat study, a single intranasal dose lifted hippocampal (the hippocampus is the brain's memory hub) BDNF protein around 1.4-fold and tripled BDNF gene expression (Dolotov 2006), and the bulk of its clinical record is in stroke recovery (Gusev 1997, 2018).

The research interest centres on focus, verbal fluency, and stress resilience, with the subjective profile reported in user communities described as "engaged, not wired" rather than stimulant-like. In research settings it is handled intranasally (the primary route) or subcutaneously, meaning a small injection just under the skin, typically in the 200 to 600 mcg per day range, often in short cycles. Solutions are clear and colourless, and the intranasal route avoids any injection step.

One thing to know if you compete: Semax sits in an "unclear status" grey zone in anti-doping analyses, flagged as a cognitive enhancer with a biological profile resembling substances on the WADA list rather than being explicitly named on it (Pokrywka 2025). Tested athletes should treat it as a risk.

What is Selank and what is it studied for?

Selank is a synthetic peptide based on tuftsin, a fragment of a natural immune molecule, and is studied as an anxiolytic without the downsides of benzodiazepines. Research describes it as a gentle, selective modulator of the GABA-A system (GABA is the brain's main calming, brakes-on signal), the same broad target benzodiazepines hit, but reported without the sedation, tolerance or dependence. Russian clinical work has studied its anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) profile alongside benzodiazepines, and the research framing emphasises that it is investigated specifically as a non-tolerance, non-withdrawal alternative.

The research interest centres on situational anxiety, general stress load, and a non-addictive profile versus benzodiazepines. In research settings it is handled nasally or subcutaneously, commonly 150 to 500 mcg a day. It is often studied alongside Semax as the classic pair: Semax on the activating side, Selank on the calming side. Reconstituted Selank is a clear, colourless solution.

Does DSIP count as a brain peptide?

Yes. DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) is a neuropeptide (a peptide that acts as a signalling molecule in the brain and nervous system), studied chiefly for deepening slow-wave (delta) sleep. Research also describes effects on the stress axis, dialling down the ACTH and cortisol (the main stress hormone) drive, with reported knock-on effects on circadian rhythm, the body's roughly 24-hour internal clock. That makes it the sleep-and-stress member of this group, with research interest spanning sleep architecture and stress-axis regulation. In research settings it is handled subcutaneously, usually around 100 to 300 mcg an hour or two before bed, often cycled. One useful distinction: DSIP does not feature in the anti-doping analyses that flag Semax and Selank as grey-zone cognitive enhancers (the World Anti-Doping Agency sets the banned-substance list for sport), so of this group it is the one least entangled in doping concerns, though tested athletes should always check the current list themselves. The honest caveat is that reported response varies widely across studies and user accounts.

Which nootropic peptides are joining the range next?

Pinealon and Cerebrolysin are the two Primogen is bringing in next, and they sit at the more serious, brain-repair end of the category. Both are studied for neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects, with Cerebrolysin carrying the deeper clinical record and Pinealon the more experimental profile.

What is Pinealon and what is it studied for?

Pinealon is a Khavinson peptide bioregulator, one of a Russian-developed class of very short peptides studied for switching on the body's own maintenance programs. It is a tripeptide (a tiny peptide just three amino acids long) thought to slot into DNA and help expose the right genes for transcription, the step where a gene gets read out and switched on, with research interest in brain metabolism and neuroprotective (nerve-cell-protecting) pathways. The research focus is on neuroprotection, circadian and cognitive markers, and brain ageing in animal models. It is the most experimental of the four here, with a thinner evidence base, so it belongs in the "promising, still early" bucket, and we will say so plainly.

What is Cerebrolysin and why is it the heavyweight?

Cerebrolysin is the most clinically established compound in this group: it is not a single peptide but a blend of neurotrophic peptides derived from purified pig brain (neurotrophic just means nerve-cell-nourishing), studied for supplying neurotrophic factors such as BDNF, GDNF, NGF and CNTF. That source sounds wild, we know, but the material is purified right down to the active peptides, with none of the disease risk associated with raw animal tissue. And if pig-derived is an issue for you, on halal grounds or otherwise, there is a like-for-like option: Cortexin is produced the same way but from cattle rather than pigs, which makes it a halal-friendly alternative. It is also reported to be cost-effective (a small dose is said to carry a peptide load comparable to a much larger volume of Cerebrolysin), and it is one we may bring into the range. It is sometimes called the "Rolls-Royce of nootropics", and its clinical record is the most substantial in this whole group: it is an approved medicine in Russia and parts of Eastern Europe, with decades of use in stroke, dementia and traumatic brain injury. In clinical protocols it is given as a course of intramuscular injections (a shot into the muscle; 5 to 10 ml a day), and the literature describes effects building over a cycle rather than within an hour. Clinical settings have also used it as an intravenous drip, but that is a medical context and not something we recommend for research use.

What other nootropic peptides are worth knowing?

Beyond the main four, several other brain peptides come up often enough to put on your radar, ranging from genuinely experimental to nootropic-adjacent. A few worth knowing:

• Dihexa is a potent synapse-targeting compound (synapses are the junctions where brain cells connect and talk to each other), studied in animal models for forming new neural connections and memory tasks. Early, and very much a research compound, but one of the most interesting molecules in the category.
• The Khavinson bioregulators are a whole family: Pinealon is one, and Epitalon (aimed at the pineal gland, a tiny gland deep in the brain studied in relation to sleep hormones, telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of your DNA that shorten as cells age, and longevity markers, and one we already stock) is another. A deep, still-emerging area we will give its own full guide soon.
• Noopept and a few similar compounds are nootropic-adjacent rather than true peptides, but come up in the same conversation often enough to mention.

We are not going to pretend these are all equally proven. Some are well-used, some are genuinely experimental, and we will always tell you which is which. But the direction of travel is clear, and so is ours: Primogen fully intends to keep expanding its brain-peptide range as the space matures. This is one of the areas we are most excited about, so watch this space.

How do nootropic peptides work?

Most of this category comes back to one theme: supporting BDNF and the brain's own repair and signalling systems. Semax and Cerebrolysin are studied for raising neurotrophic support directly, Selank for tuning the calming GABA system while also affecting BDNF, and Pinealon for working further upstream on the genetic programs behind brain maintenance. None of them are stimulants. The shared research framing is neurotrophic and regulatory support rather than acute stimulation.

How are nootropic peptides dosed and handled?

In research settings, dosing and handling differ by compound:

• Semax and Selank are handled intranasally or subcutaneously in micrograms (roughly 150 to 600 mcg a day), usually in short cycles of a couple of weeks to a couple of months.
• Cerebrolysin is run as a course of intramuscular injections over a set number of days in clinical protocols.
• Pinealon is community-dosed in milligrams, oral or injectable, in short courses.

For a worked example: a 30 mg vial of Semax reconstituted with 3 ml of bacteriostatic water gives 10 mg/ml, so a 300 mcg research dose is 0.03 ml, which on a 100-unit (1 ml) insulin syringe is just 3 units. See how to reconstitute and dose for the full method.

For how these fit alongside other compounds, see peptide stacking.

How good is the evidence for nootropic peptides?

The strongest clinical evidence, especially for Semax, Selank and Cerebrolysin, is Russian and Eastern European, where they have been approved medicines and used for decades. That is a real and substantial track record, not something to wave away just because it did not come out of a US trial. At the same time, large Western randomised trials and long-term independent safety surveillance are thin, the human data rarely runs past a few weeks, and Pinealon in particular is still early. Treat the established compounds as well-used with a credible clinical history, and the newer ones as promising but unproven, and you will have it about right.

They are all research compounds in the West, and the cognitive-enhancer peptides are increasingly flagged in anti-doping contexts as potential brain doping, sitting in a grey zone that tested athletes should treat as a risk (Pokrywka 2025).

Produk terkait

Semax

Rp 1.090.000 · 10mg

Selank

Rp 1.090.000 · 10mg

DSIP

Rp 1.390.000 · 10mg

Which nootropic peptide matches my research interest?

It depends on which system you want to study, mapped to the research framing for each compound:

• Focus, drive and verbal fluency is the research area for Semax.
• Anxiolytic and composure research points to Selank.
• Both ends together is the classic Semax-plus-Selank pair.
• Sleep architecture and stress-axis research points to DSIP.
• Neural repair and neurotrophic research points to Cerebrolysin as the heavyweight, with Pinealon as the experimental bioregulator option.

Primogen stocks Semax, Selank and DSIP now, with Pinealon and Cerebrolysin joining the range and more brain peptides to follow. This is one of the spaces we are most excited about and actively building out, so if there is one you want that we do not list yet, ask, and watch this space.