Cognitive & Nootropic Peptide Research

Tuftsin-Derived Anxiolytic & Immunomodulatory Research

Selank is a synthetic analog of tuftsin, an immunomodulatory peptide fragment. Because of its origin, Selank is studied both for anxiolytic-like activity in preclinical models and for immunomodulatory effects tied to tuftsin's role as an immune-signaling peptide.

ACTH-Derived Neuroprotective Research

Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide derived from ACTH(4-10) — a fragment that retains none of ACTH's hormonal activity but is studied extensively for neuroprotective mechanisms, with particular research interest in BDNF expression and cognitive-performance models.

Sleep-Regulation Research

DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide) is a nonapeptide first isolated from rabbit cerebral venous blood in 1977 by Swiss researchers investigating blood-borne sleep factors. It is studied for its apparent influence on sleep architecture, though its name is something of a historical artifact: DSIP's actual effect on slow-wave ("delta") sleep specifically has been inconsistent across studies, and its precise mechanism of action remains poorly characterized more than four decades after its discovery. See its full research profile.

Brain Bioregulator Research

Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide (Glu-Asp-Arg) from the same Khavinson bioregulator family as Cartalax and Epitalon, but targeted at brain tissue rather than cartilage or the pineal gland's telomerase pathway. It is proposed to cross the blood-brain barrier via the PEPT2 peptide transporter and bind DNA regulatory regions in cortical cells, modulating gene expression linked to oxidative stress and cognitive aging — a mechanism, like Cartalax's, that rests on the same disputed direct peptide-DNA-binding hypothesis rather than a conventional receptor pathway. See its full research profile, or the full Cartalax vs Pinealon comparison.

Clinical & Preclinical Trial Data

Selank: A published human trial (Zozulya et al., 2008; 62 patients with generalized anxiety disorder or neurasthenia, comparing 30 on Selank against 32 on the benzodiazepine medazepam) found Selank produced anxiolytic effects comparable to medazepam, plus antiasthenic and mild psychostimulant effects the benzodiazepine did not show, correlating with increased leu-enkephalin levels. Selank has been approved as a prescription pharmaceutical by Russia's Ministry of Health since 2009. See its full research profile.

Semax: A published human trial (Gusev et al., 2018; 110 ischemic stroke patients at different rehabilitation stages) found that a course of Semax (6000mcg/day for 10 days, repeated after a 20-day interval) increased plasma BDNF, accelerated functional recovery, and improved motor performance regardless of when treatment began during rehabilitation. Semax has been a registered pharmaceutical in Russia since 1994 for ischemic stroke and cognitive impairment. See its full research profile.

Both compounds' human trial data comes from Russian-language clinical literature and has not been replicated in a Western trial or independently reviewed in a Cochrane-style systematic review — real published human evidence, but outside the FDA trial pathway that governs drug approval in the United States. See the full Semax vs Selank comparison.

DSIP: Early small-scale human trials in the late 1970s and 1980s reported real effects: a double-blind crossover study in 6 healthy volunteers found total sleep time increased 59% within 130 minutes of dosing versus placebo, and a separate double-blind study of 16 chronic insomnia patients reported higher sleep efficiency and shorter sleep latency versus placebo. Research interest declined sharply after the 1980s — the reasons are disputed, but results were inconsistent across labs and DSIP was never developed into an approved drug. No large-scale modern clinical trial exists, and DSIP is not FDA-approved for any indication.

Pinealon: All published evidence is preclinical, from cell-culture and rodent work concentrated within a single research group. Studies report Pinealon improved learning and memory performance in aged rats, reduced reactive oxygen species accumulation and lipid peroxidation in neuronal tissue, and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential in neuronal cultures exposed to oxidative stress, hypoxia, and ischemia. No human clinical trial has been conducted, no dose has been established for human use, and it has not been evaluated by the FDA.

See the discovery history behind these peptides →

DSIP comes up often in sleep- and cognitive-aging research literature but isn't part of our standard catalogue. We can still source it for your order — get in touch for pricing and lead time.