What Is Adamax? The Semax Analogue Explained
Adamax is a synthetic derivative of Semax, the seven-amino-acid ACTH(4-10) analogue (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) developed in Russia, sold by research-chemical suppliers with an adamantane group added to the Semax chain, which is where the name comes from. Adamax has no papers indexed on PubMed and no compound record in PubChem, so the published research on this peptide family is the research on Semax itself. Semax has more than 230 PubMed records, including human studies of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) after stroke and brain imaging in healthy volunteers. This guide explains what Adamax is chemically, what has and has not been published, and what the Semax research shows.
Vistara Labs does not currently stock Adamax, but you can request it: contact us and we will source it for you. The closest product we sell is the parent compound: the ready-mixed Semax Nasal Spray (10 mg in 5 mL, about 28 sprays, or 20 mg in 10 mL, about 57 sprays, both at 350 mcg per spray) and the lyophilised Semax 10 mg vial.
Findings
- Semax is a heptapeptide that joins the 4 to 7 sequence of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to a Pro-Gly-Pro tail (Magrì, J Inorg Biochem, 2016).
- Adamax is Semax with added end groups: supplier listings describe an acetyl group on the front of the chain and an adamantane cage at the back.
- A PubMed search for Adamax returns no peptide papers; every record uses the word for the Adam-family optimisation algorithm in machine learning (PubMed search, October 2026).
- In 110 patients after ischaemic stroke, Semax raised plasma BDNF and sped functional recovery on the Barthel Index (Gusev, Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2018).
- In 24 healthy volunteers, intranasal Semax enlarged the frontal part of the brain’s default mode network on resting-state fMRI compared with placebo (Lebedeva, Bull Exp Biol Med, 2018).
What is Adamax?
Adamax is a modified Semax. Its backbone is the Semax sequence, Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. Supplier listings describe two additions: an acetyl group on the N-terminal methionine and an adamantane group at the C-terminal end.
Adamantane is a rigid, cage-shaped hydrocarbon of ten carbon atoms. It is the scaffold of established compounds such as amantadine and memantine. Suppliers describe the adamantane cap on Adamax as a way to make the peptide more fat-soluble and more resistant to the enzymes that break Semax down.
There is no single registered structure for Adamax. PubChem holds no compound record under the name. The one supplier deposit that uses the name, PubChem SID 513899171, lists it as Ac-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-Ala-Gly-OH, an acetylated Semax extended by two amino acids, with no adamantane.
What has been published about Adamax?
Nothing on PubMed. In October 2026 a PubMed search for “Adamax” returned 39 records, all of them machine-learning papers that use Adamax as the name of an optimisation algorithm. Searches for Adamax with Semax, and for Semax with adamantane or adamantyl, returned none.
That makes Adamax a supplier-developed analogue rather than a compound from the academic literature. Everything known about how this peptide family behaves in the body comes from work on Semax, which is set out below.
What does the Semax research show?
Human studies
- Stroke recovery, 2018. In 110 patients after ischaemic stroke (43 men and 67 women), Semax raised plasma BDNF, which stayed high for the whole study period. Semax and higher BDNF levels sped improvement and improved final Barthel Index scores, a standard measure of independence in daily activities (Gusev, 2018).
- Brain networks, 2018. Healthy volunteers had resting-state fMRI before, and 5 and 20 minutes after, intranasal Semax (14 people) or placebo (10 people). The Semax group showed a greater volume of the medial frontal part of the default mode network (Lebedeva, 2018).
- Brain connectivity, 2020. In 52 healthy participants, Semax and Selank each changed functional connectivity between the right amygdala and the right temporal cortex, with both shared and compound-specific effects (Panikratova, Dokl Biol Sci, 2020).
Mechanism
In an animal model, intranasal Semax raised BDNF protein in the basal forebrain within 3 hours, but not in the cerebellum. The same study found specific, calcium-dependent binding sites for Semax in basal forebrain membranes, with a dissociation constant of 2.4 nM (Dolotov, J Neurochem, 2006).
Why chemists modify Semax
Semax reaches the brain fast: in an animal model, labelled Semax was detected in brain tissue 2 minutes after intranasal administration, and 80% of that signal was intact Semax (Shevchenko, Bioorg Khim, 2006). It is also broken down fast. In animal serum, aminopeptidases, the enzymes that trim a peptide from its front end, accounted for the largest share of Semax breakdown; the aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin blocked up to 66% of it (Potaman, Peptides, 1993). Capping the ends of a peptide is the standard chemical answer: in human plasma, N-terminal acetylation and C-terminal amidation markedly prolonged the stability of a short test peptide whose uncapped half-life was 22 seconds (Brinckerhoff, Int J Cancer, 1999). End-capping is the idea behind Adamax and other Semax derivatives such as N-acetyl Semax amidate.
How does Adamax compare with Semax?
| Semax | Adamax | |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence | Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro | Semax sequence with added end groups |
| Ends | Free amino end, free acid end | Acetyl front, adamantane back (supplier description) |
| PubChem record | CID 9811102, C37H51N9O10S, 813.9 g/mol | No compound record |
| PubMed papers | More than 230 | None |
| Human studies | Stroke, brain imaging | None |
| At Vistara Labs | Nasal spray (10 mg, 20 mg) and 10 mg vial | Sourced on request |
Semax is the compound to use when a protocol needs published reference points. Adamax suits structure-activity work on how an adamantane cap changes a Semax-type peptide. For how Semax sits next to its calming counterpart, see Semax vs Selank.
Semax for research in Canada
Vistara Labs supplies the Semax Nasal Spray ready-mixed in sterile saline in a sealed metered pump that delivers 0.175 mL per press: 10 mg in 5 mL (about 28 sprays) or 20 mg in 10 mL (about 57 sprays), at 350 mcg per spray. The Selank + Semax Nasal Spray holds 10 mg of each in 10 mL. The lyophilised Semax 10 mg vial is the powder format. Every order ships from within Canada by Canada Post Xpresspost, and certificates are on the lab reports page. Our Semax nasal spray buying guide covers the sprays in detail, and How to Store a Peptide Nasal Spray covers storage.
Semax and its derivatives are supplied for laboratory research use only. The human studies above were clinical research using pharmaceutical preparations under medical supervision.
Frequently asked questions
What is Adamax?
Adamax is a synthetic derivative of Semax, the ACTH(4-10) analogue Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro. Suppliers describe it as Semax with an acetyl group on the front of the chain and an adamantane group at the back.
Is Adamax the same as Semax?
No. Adamax is built on the Semax sequence but carries added end groups. Semax has more than 230 PubMed records, including human studies; Adamax has none.
Has Adamax been studied?
No Adamax peptide papers are indexed on PubMed, and PubChem has no compound record for it. The published research on this peptide family is the research on Semax.
What has Semax research shown?
In 110 patients after ischaemic stroke, Semax raised plasma BDNF and improved Barthel Index recovery scores (2018). In healthy volunteers, intranasal Semax changed the default mode network on fMRI compared with placebo (2018).
Does Vistara Labs sell Adamax?
Vistara Labs does not currently stock Adamax, but you can request it: contact us and we will source it for you. Vistara Labs sells Semax as a ready-mixed nasal spray (10 mg or 20 mg, 350 mcg per spray) and as a 10 mg vial.
Product details from vistaralabs.ca, October 2026. Sources: Magrì A et al. Influence of the N-terminus acetylation of Semax, a synthetic analog of ACTH(4-10), on copper(II) and zinc(II) coordination and biological properties. J Inorg Biochem. 2016. PMID 27586814. Gusev EI et al. The efficacy of semax in the tretament of patients at different stages of ischemic stroke. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2018. PMID 29798983. Lebedeva IS et al. Effects of Semax on the Default Mode Network of the Brain. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2018. PMID 30225715. Panikratova YR et al. Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects. Dokl Biol Sci. 2020. PMID 32342318. Dolotov OV et al. J Neurochem. 2006. PMID 16635254. Shevchenko KV et al. Bioorg Khim. 2006. PMID 16523722. Brinckerhoff LH et al. Terminal modifications inhibit proteolytic degradation of an immunogenic MART-1(27-35) peptide: implications for peptide vaccines. Int J Cancer. 1999. PMID 10495424. Potaman VN et al. Degradation of ACTH/MSH(4-10) and its synthetic analog semax by rat serum enzymes: an inhibitor study. Peptides. 1993. PMID 8392718. PubChem. Semax, CID 9811102; Adamax supplier deposit, SID 513899171.
More on this: Semax Benefits: What the Research Shows, Semax and Stroke Recovery and Buy Semax in Canada.
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.
