Study summary · research use only
Neurotrophin gene expression in rat brain under the action of Semax, an analogue of ACTH 4-10
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
In this rat study, the authors examined the heptapeptide Semax, an analogue of the ACTH(4-10) fragment, on neurotrophin gene expression in the brain. Male Wistar rats were treated for 1 h with Semax (50 microg/kg, single intranasal application), and nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression was analyzed by real-time PCR. The abstract reports that intranasal Semax increased expression of both neurotrophin genes in the hippocampus, that Bdnf expression also increased in the brainstem and cerebellum, and that Ngf expression decreased in the frontal cortex. The authors conclude that Semax induced rapid, gene- and region-specific changes in neurotrophin gene expression in normal rat brain.
Abstract
The heptapeptide Semax, an analogue of the N-terminal adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment (4-10) (ACTH(4-10)), has been shown to exert a number of neuroprotective effects. There are some investigations that connected these effects with the increase of neurotrophin gene expression under the peptide drug application in neuron cell cultures [M.I. Shadrina, O.V. Dolotov, I.A. Grivennikov, P.A. Slominsky, L.A. Andreeva, L.S. Inozemtseva, S.A. Limborska, N.F. Myasoedov, Rapid induction of neurotrophin mRNAs in rat glial cell cultures by Semax, an adrenocorticotropic hormone analogue, Neurosci. Lett. 308 (2001) (2) 115-118]. In this work, we examined the action of Semax on rapid changes of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression in vivo. Male Wistar rats were treated for 1h with Semax (50 microg/kg, single intranasal application) and neurotrophin gene expression in rat brain was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It was revealed that an intranasal application of Semax increased the expression of both neurotrophin genes in rat hippocampus. Bdnf gene expression also increased in the brainstem and cerebellum. Ngf gene expression decreased in rat frontal cortex. Thus, Semax induces rapid, gene- and region-specific changes in neurotrophin gene expression in normal rat brain.
pepmg summarizes the peer-reviewed literature and links to every source — it sells nothing, ships nothing, and gives no medical, dosing, or human-use guidance. Don't just trust this summary: follow the citation to its source and read it yourself. Research use only.