Cortexin

B+

Pharmacology

Cortexin is a potent neurogenesis enhancer, similar to Cerebrolysin, that while relatively unselective has efficacy in treating neurological disorders.

Cortexin is a complex mixture of peptides and amino acids. The constituents of Cortexin are derived from the cerebral cortex of cattle or pigs, which means it is a polypeptide of tissue-specific animal origin.

The complex is used in russia over the counter as a treatment. It is most bioavailable via injection or via intranasal route. Cortexin degrades fast, and lasts a short amount of time. Its efficacy is not proven in healthy people bare in mind, but it has been shown effective for treating neurological deficits in multiple studies.

For storage, cooling is encouraged. Typical dosage (for intranasal ROA) is in the milligram range, normally from 0.5-3mg. Cortexin is usually cycled for a few weeks rather than used continuously.

The in vitro results show that Cortexin® could affect the glutamate and GABAergic cascades with higher affinity to AMPA-receptors, kainate receptors, mGluR1, GABAA1 and mGluR5. Thus, the effects observed in vivo could be related on the glutamatergic and GABAergic actions of Cortexin®. In comparison to Cerebrolysin®, Cortexin® could contain more neuron-specific proteins and fewer amino acids. [1]

Cortexin has also been found to effectively inhibit brain caspase-8, while its effects on caspase-1, -3, -9, cathepsin B and calpain are less pronounced/absent.

Constituents

The exact constituents of Cortexin are not all identified, and may possibly vary by batch due to its source being of animal origin.

According to the results of a study of the composition and basic physicochemical properties of the Cortexin® preparation, it was found that the preparation contains predominantly (from 70 to 95%) acidic and neutral polypeptides with a molecular weight of 1000 to 10,000 Da and an isoelectric point pI of 3.5–9.5. [2]

With that said, some peptides/amino acids within Cortexin have been identified, including Pinealon.