Semax Compared: Adamax, Cerebrolysin and NAD+

Cover illustration: AI-generated editorial artwork. Conceptual only; not an exact molecular structure, actual laboratory result or evidence of clinical effects.

Semax gets compared with three very different things: Adamax, a marketed variant; Cerebrolysin, a brain-derived peptide mixture; and NAD+, a coenzyme. None of these is a like-for-like comparison. Working out what kind of substance each one is explains more than any attempt to rank them.

For laboratory research use only. The research materials supplied by HealthyWelness are not approved medicines, foods or cosmetics and are not for human or veterinary use. This article summarises published research and is not medical advice.

Summary card of the comparison table from the adamax vs semax research article — Summary of the table in this article; the cited sources are listed under References.

Key points

Semax: one defined heptapeptide, MEHFPGP, 813.9 g/mol.
Adamax: a product name; no peer-reviewed literature found under it.
Cerebrolysin: a porcine brain-derived peptide preparation, i.e. a mixture.
NAD+: a nucleotide coenzyme, not a peptide at all.
Comparing a pure compound with a mixture or a coenzyme requires stating what is being compared.

Four different kinds of substance

	Semax	Adamax	Cerebrolysin	NAD+
Type	Synthetic heptapeptide	Marketed peptide variant	Peptide preparation (mixture)	Nucleotide coenzyme
Defined composition	Yes	Per supplier	No single structure	Yes
Mass	813.9 g/mol	Verify by MS	Not applicable	663.4 g/mol
Peer-reviewed literature	Rodent mechanistic work	None found under this name	Clinical trials in stroke	Extensive biochemistry

Products: Semax, Adamax and NAD+.

Semax: the reference point

Semax combines the ACTH(4-7) fragment with a C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro. Its best-documented mechanistic work concerns neurotrophins: in rats with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion, Semax increased cortical transcription of Bdnf, TrkC and TrkA at 3 hours and Nt-3 and Ngf at 24 hours, with PGP alone showing a partly overlapping profile (Dmitrieva et al., 2010). Its histidine also lets it bind copper and zinc, and N-terminal acetylation changes which complexes form (Magrì et al., 2016). Full profile: what is Semax?

Adamax: what can and cannot be said

Adamax is sold as a Semax-related peptide. Searching the peer-reviewed literature under that name returns nothing, which means any structural or potency claim comes from the supplier rather than from published work. That is not an accusation, simply a description of the evidence available. Two practical implications:

Verify the structure. Mass spectrometry tells you what is in the vial regardless of the name on it. Semax is 813.9 g/mol; acetylation adds about 42 Da and amidation subtracts about 1 Da.
Do not assume Semax data apply. If the molecule differs, the published Semax results describe a different compound. The same reasoning applies to acetylated variants; see N-acetyl Semax amidate.

Analytical identification of research peptides in this family is routine: a Belgian control laboratory developed an LC-MS/MS method after finding Semax and Selank in seized preparations (Vanhee et al., 2020).

Cerebrolysin: a mixture, not a molecule

Cerebrolysin is described in the literature as a neuropeptide preparation with neurotrophic effects, derived from brain tissue. A 2018 review covers its use in cerebral ischemia and neurodegeneration and discusses the clinical trial picture, noting that earlier stroke trials enrolled mostly mildly affected populations where ceiling effects may have obscured differences, while subgroup analyses of more severely affected patients showed larger effects, with effect size increasing with stroke severity (Brainin, 2018).

For a laboratory comparison, the key point is that Cerebrolysin has no molecular weight, no sequence and no certificate of analysis in the sense a synthetic peptide does. Batch-to-batch composition is a variable in a way it is not for Semax. Any experiment comparing them is comparing a defined compound with a preparation.

NAD+: a different molecular class entirely

NAD+ is a dinucleotide coenzyme built from nicotinamide, adenine, two riboses and two phosphates. It serves as an electron carrier in redox reactions and as a cosubstrate for sirtuins, CD38 and PARPs, linking it to DNA repair, chromatin remodelling and cellular senescence (Covarrubias et al., 2021; Verdin, 2015). It contains no amino acids and no peptide bonds. The comparison with Semax exists only because both appear in catalogues under headings like “cognitive” or “longevity”. See what is NAD+?

How to frame a valid comparison

Question	Valid comparison
Does acetylation change Semax’s properties?	Semax vs N-acetyl Semax, same assay
Which peptide affects neurotrophin transcription more?	Semax vs Selank vs PGP, same model
Does a defined peptide match a mixture’s effect?	Semax vs Cerebrolysin, stated as compound vs preparation
Do peptide and coenzyme approaches converge?	Only with a shared, explicitly stated endpoint

Handling

Semax and its variants: powder at −20 °C, solutions at 2–8 °C, protected from light because of the methionine. NAD+ is a nucleotide and is governed by buffer and pH rather than by oxidation of residues; see reconstituting NAD+. Concentrations for all: peptide reconstitution calculator.

Open questions

What is Adamax’s actual structure, and is any of it published?
Would a defined peptide reproduce any part of Cerebrolysin’s reported effects?
Is there a mechanistic link between neurotrophin signalling and NAD+ availability worth testing directly?

Frequently asked questions

What is Adamax compared with Semax?

Adamax is sold as a modified Semax-type peptide. We found no peer-reviewed literature under that name, so any comparison with Semax rests on supplier descriptions rather than published studies. Verify what is in a vial by mass spectrometry before assuming a structure.

How does Cerebrolysin differ from Semax?

Cerebrolysin is a neuropeptide preparation derived from porcine brain, a mixture rather than a single compound. Semax is one defined heptapeptide. A mixture and a pure peptide cannot be compared on equal terms.

Is NAD+ comparable to Semax?

No. NAD+ is a nucleotide coenzyme with no amino acids, central to redox metabolism. Semax is a peptide studied for neurotrophin expression. They share only the loose category of ‘things studied in brain research’.

Which of these has the most evidence?

Cerebrolysin has the largest clinical trial literature, including stroke trials. Semax has rodent mechanistic work and Russian clinical use. NAD+ has extensive biochemistry. Adamax has, as far as we found, none under that name.

Can these be used as alternatives to each other?

They are not alternatives. Different molecular classes, different mechanisms and different evidence bases mean each answers a different research question.