Methionine oxidation 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 2026-07-25. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
The compound was developed in the 1980s at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow, where it emerged from research on short ACTH fragments and their effects on the central nervous system. Russian pharmaceutical listings describe it as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent, most often formulated as nasal drops. It is not a marketed medicine in the United States or the European Union, and no pharmacopoeial monograph covers it. Consequently, most published clinical experience with the substance originates from a small number of research centres, mainly in Russia and neighbouring countries.
Pharmacological accounts link semax to melanocortin signalling and to modulation of neurotrophic factor expression, particularly brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor. Much of this evidence comes from rodent studies using intranasal delivery, a route chosen because it allows peptides to reach the central nervous system with limited systemic exposure. Whether the same mechanisms operate in humans at comparable magnitude remains an open question. The precise receptor or receptors responsible for the reported behavioural and neuroprotective effects have not been conclusively identified.
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。
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C37H51N9O10S | Free acid form of the heptapeptide; depends on terminal groups |
| Molecular mass | About 813.9 g/mol | Average mass used for mass spectrometry confirmation |
| Appearance | White to off-white solid | Supplied as a lyophilised powder; hygroscopic |
| Solubility class | Freely soluble in aqueous media | Water, saline, and phosphate buffers; limited organic solubility |
| Typical storage temperature | -20 degrees Celsius | Long term and dry; short working periods may use 2 to 8 degrees Celsius |
Semax is a synthetic peptide created in the Soviet Union during the early 1980s by researchers working in Moscow. It was built from the short adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment known as ACTH(4-10), and the chain was then extended with three additional amino acids. The resulting molecule was named semax and entered clinical use in Russia in 1994. It is generally described as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent rather than as a hormone analogue.
The parent fragment ACTH(4-10) carries the sequence Met-Glu-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly. Semax replaces the arginine and tryptophan positions with a proline-glycine-proline tail, giving Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. That change removes residues associated with adrenal stimulation, so the peptide does not drive cortisol release the way full ACTH does. This distinction shapes how the compound is grouped in the literature, where it sits with neuropeptides and peptide neuromodulators rather than with corticosteroids.
Regulatory status varies sharply by country. Semax is registered for medical use in Russia, where it appears in formularies as a nasal solution, and it also holds registration in a small number of neighbouring states. It has no approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency, and it is not a scheduled controlled substance in most jurisdictions. Elsewhere it circulates mainly as laboratory material, so purity documentation comes from suppliers rather than from a national pharmacopoeia.
Identity and purity of Semax are established mainly by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The chromatographic trace gives a purity estimate as a percentage of total peak area, while electrospray or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization confirms the molecular mass against the calculated value. Amino acid analysis and sequence-specific fragmentation provide further confirmation when a supplier's chain of custody is unclear. Vendors frequently quote a purity figure without stating the detection wavelength or the integration method, which limits how far one number can be compared with another.
Stability depends heavily on physical state. Lyophilized powder held dry, cold and dark retains its content over long periods, whereas dissolved peptide begins to change within days at room temperature. The most cited degradation route is oxidation of the methionine residue, which converts the peptide to a sulfoxide form that elutes differently on chromatography. Hydrolysis of amide bonds and adsorption onto container walls contribute smaller losses. Buffers that exclude oxygen from the headspace slow the oxidation pathway, but no single condition prevents all change indefinitely.
In contrast with gases, there is no simple yet accurate picture for the molecular origins of viscosity in liquids. At the simplest level of description, the relative motion of adjacent layers in a liquid is opposed primarily by attractive molecular forces acting across the layer boundary. In this picture, one (correctly) expects viscosity to decrease with increasing temperature. This is because increasing temperature increases the random thermal motion of the molecules, which makes it easier for them to overcome their attractive interactions. Building on this visualization, a simple theory can be constructed in analogy with the discrete structure of a solid: groups of molecules in a liquid are visualized as forming "cages" which surround and enclose single molecules. These cages can be occupied or unoccupied, and stronger molecular attraction corresponds to stronger cages. Due to random thermal motion, a molecule "hops" between cages at a rate which varies inversely with the strength of molecular attractions. In equilibrium these "hops" are not biased in any direction. On the other hand, in order for two adjacent layers to move relative to each other, the "hops" must be biased in the direction of the relative motion. The force required to sustain this directed motion can be estimated for a given shear rate, leading to
Romaine (1806), speaker of the New York State Assembly Egbert Benson (1807), member of the Board of Aldermen of New York City and 4th president of the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York, nephew of founding father Egbert Benson Henry H. Ross (1808), U.S. congressman from New York Peter Dumont Vroom (1808), U.S. minister to Prussia and governor of New Jersey John Fine (1809), U.S. congressman from New York John Slidell (1810), Confederate minister to France and a central figure of the Trent Affair during the American Civil War; United States senator from Louisiana, brother-in-law of Admiral Matthew C. Perry Charles G. Ferris (1811), U.S. congressman from New York Van Brugh Livingston (1811), chargé d'affaires to Ecuador Nathanael G. Pendleton (1813), U.S. congressman from Ohio Samuel L. Gouverneur (1817), postmaster of New York City, private secretary, nephew, and son-in-law of President James Monroe James I. Roosevelt (1815), U.S. congressman from New York; brother of Cornelius Roosevelt William Beach Lawrence (1818), U.S. chargé d'affaires for Great Britain and acting governor of Rhode Island William F. Havemeyer (1823), three-time mayor of New York City William Duer (1824), U.S.congressman from New York John McKeon (1825): U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York; U.S. congressman from New York Hamilton Fish (1827), US secretary of state; governor of New York; United States senator from New York John Henry Hobart Haws (1827), U.S. congressman from New York John D.
The Orange Book, formally titled Compendium of Analytical Nomenclature, contains internationally accepted definitions for terms in analytical chemistry. It has traditionally been published in an orange cover. Although the book is described as the "Definitive Rules", there have been three editions published; the first in 1978 (ISBN 0-08022-008-8), the second in 1987 (ISBN 0-63201-907-7) and the third in 1998 (ISBN 0-86542-615-5). The third edition is also available online. A Catalan translation has also been published (1987, ISBN 84-7283-121-3).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
CTNS is the gene that encodes the protein cystinosin in humans. Cystinosin is a lysosomal seven-transmembrane protein that functions as an active transporter for the export of cystine molecules out of the lysosome. Mutations in CTNS are responsible for cystinosis, an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease.
== Academics and science == Mark C. Alexander, law professor at Seton Hall University Buzz Aldrin (born 1930), astronaut, who was the second man to walk on the Moon Virginia Lee Block (1902–1970), psychologist who contributed to studies regarding child and adolescent psychology Stella Stevens Bradford (1871–1959), doctor, specialist in tuberculosis and physical rehabilitation H. Bruce Franklin (1934–2024), author and historian who was expelled from his Stanford University professorship for involvement in a leftist group Tom Galligan (born 1955), lawyer, legal scholar, administrator, and educator who is currently the dean and professor of law of Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center Dean Hamer (born 1952), scientist, author, and filmmaker who discovered a link between sexual orientation and Xq28 Jordan Harrod (born 1996), research scientist and YouTuber who works on neuroengineering, brain-machine interfaces, and machine learning for medicine George Rice Hovey (1860–1943), university president, professor, minister, and author who served as the president of Virginia Union University from 1904 to 1918 John A. Kenney Jr. (1914–2003), pioneering African-American dermatologist who specialized in the study of skin disorders affecting racial minorities, earning him recognition as the "dean of black dermatology" Joshua Lederberg (1925–2008), geneticist who received the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work in bacterial genetics; born in Montclair Ronald T.
=== Other mammalian research === The largest mammal-like tracks from the Lower Cretaceous strata from Gondwana reported to date are described from the Botucatu Formation (Brazil) by Buck et al. (2026), expanding known size range of Early Cretaceous mammaliaforms. Redescription and a study on the affinities of Buginbaatar transaltaiensis is published by Lopatin & Averianov (2026). Lopatin & Averianov (2026) report the first discovery of fossil material of multituberculates belonging to the group Djadochtatherioidea from the Upper Cretaceous Nemegt Formation (Mongolia). New information on the endocranial anatomy of Kryptobaatar dashzevegi is provided by Macrini & Rowe (2026). Krause et al. (2026) identify fossil material of "Kimbetopsalis" simmonsae from the Paleocene strata of the Denver Formation (Colorado, United States), extending known geographical range of this species, and transfer the studied species to the genus Taeniolabis. Bishop & Pierce (2026) reconstruct the musculature of the forelimbs five non-therian synapsids, including Vincelestes neuquenianus.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is described as a synthetic analogue of the ACTH(4–10) fragment, a short segment of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Its sequence differs from that fragment and includes two proline residues, which influence stability and behaviour in solution.
It appears in Russian pharmaceutical listings as a nasal formulation, but it is not an authorised medicine in the United States or the European Union. Outside those markets it is normally encountered as a research chemical rather than a prescription product.
Laboratory and animal work points to melanocortin signalling and changes in neurotrophic factor levels, especially brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The exact receptor targets and the degree to which these findings transfer to humans are still unresolved.
电喷雾或基质辅助激光解吸电离质谱是常用手段，测得的质子化离子质荷比可换算为分子量。结果与理论值落在合理误差内，才支持结构一致的判断。