Cerebrolysin is not a single molecule. It is a peptide preparation made by controlled enzymatic digestion of pig brain proteins, a mixture of free amino acids and hundreds of short peptides, and in laboratory research it is studied in cultured neurons and animal models for neurotrophic-like activity. Because it is a mixture, it has no single sequence, formula or molecular weight.
This reference collects what a laboratory needs to know about Cerebrolysin as a material: how a peptide mixture behaves in the vial, what it dissolves in, how it is handled at the bench and what to do when an order arrives. Each section below has its own page.
Material reference
| Name | Cerebrolysin |
|---|---|
| Also known as | FPF 1070 |
| Type | Peptide preparation: a mixture, not a single compound |
| Source | Controlled enzymatic digestion of porcine brain proteins |
| Composition | Free amino acids and low-molecular-weight peptides (under 10 kDa); 638 distinct peptides were identified in one analysed sample, mainly fragments of tubulin, actin and myelin basic protein |
| Format we supply | Lyophilised powder, 60 mg vial, for reconstitution with bacteriostatic water |
| Appearance | White to yellow powder |
The source and the peptide count are from a mass spectrometry study of a Cerebrolysin sample (Gevaert et al., Drug Testing and Analysis, 2015). The split between free amino acids and peptides under 10 kDa is described by Hartbauer et al. (Journal of Neural Transmission, 2001), who give it as 75% free amino acids and 25% peptides for the preparation they studied. The appearance is from a US Biological data sheet (item 269076, via BIOZOL). There is no sequence, formula or molecular weight row because a mixture has none.
Three features of that composition explain most of its behaviour. It contains hundreds of different peptides drawn from structural brain proteins, so between them they carry every residue that oxidises, deamidates or isomerises, and no single weak bond sets the pace (Manning et al., Pharmaceutical Research, 2010). Most of its mass is free amino acids and short fragments, so once dissolved it is a nutrient-rich solution that supports microbial growth if contaminated. And because the starting powder can be white to yellow, colour alone is a weaker guide to its condition than it is for a single clear peptide.
What it is studied for
Most of the laboratory literature uses cultured neurons. In chick cortical neuron cultures exposed to glutamate, iodoacetate or ionomycin, three in vitro models of ischemic injury, Cerebrolysin gave dose-dependent protection, almost doubling neuronal viability in the glutamate model compared with lesioned controls (Gutmann et al., Neurotoxicity Research, 2002). In a chronic low-serum culture model, it preserved the neuronal network after 8 days where an artificial amino acid solution did not, which the authors attribute to the peptide fraction rather than the free amino acids (Hartbauer et al., 2001).
Animal work continues. In rats with a chemical lesion of the motor cortex, Cerebrolysin improved motor scores and increased dendritic branching, dendritic spine density and the growth-associated protein GAP43 in spinal motoneurons (Martínez-Torres et al., Neurochemical Research, 2024).
What in the mixture is active is still open. The mass spectrometry study found no fragments of the known neurotrophic factors GDNF, NGF, BDNF or CNTF in its sample, and suggested that the reported activity comes from previously unknown peptides (Gevaert et al., 2015).
Stability
A mixture has no single degradation route. Oxidation, deamidation, aggregation and adsorption all have somewhere to happen, and a dissolved vial can also support microbial growth. The Cerebrolysin stability page covers what that means for the powder and the mixed vial, freeze-thaw, light and what visible changes mean.
Solubility
Free amino acids and short peptides from digested protein are mostly hydrophilic, so the lyophilised powder dissolves in bacteriostatic water with gentle swirling. The Cerebrolysin solubility guide explains why, which concentrations dissolve cleanly and what causes haze.
Handling
Bench practice for Cerebrolysin is mostly about sterile technique, cold storage and a clear label. The Cerebrolysin handling page lists the steps and the common mistakes.
On arrival
What a sealed vial should look like, why it travels without an ice pack and where it goes first are on the Cerebrolysin on-arrival page.
Storage and reconstitution
Fridge and freezer guidance, before and after mixing, is on how long Cerebrolysin lasts. Water volumes and the concentration table for a 60 mg vial are on Cerebrolysin reconstitution: how much bacteriostatic water.
FAQ
Short answers to the questions researchers ask most about storing, mixing and handling Cerebrolysin are on the Cerebrolysin FAQ.
Where to get it
Vistara Labs supplies Cerebrolysin 60 mg as a lyophilised vial for laboratory research, shipped within Canada by Canada Post Xpresspost. Certificates are on our lab reports page. For a single-sequence peptide studied in related neuronal research, see the Semax research reference.
All products supplied by Vistara Labs are intended for laboratory research use only. They are not drugs, are not approved for human or veterinary use, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice or guidance for use in humans.
