Semax Reconstitution Guide
Part of the full Semax guide - a synthetic melanocortin reference compound, identity-verified with a COA on every vial.
In brief
This section describes laboratory reconstitution of Semax reference material for in-vitro and ex-vivo research handling only; it is not a dosing protocol and contains no human-use guidance. Semax is supplied as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) heptapeptide solid that must be brought into solution before it can be used in binding assays, cell-model work, or analytical characterization. The reconstitution principle is straightforward: a measured volume of a suitable diluent, commonly bacteriostatic water for laboratory peptide handling, is added to a known mass of peptide to yield a stock solution of defined concentration. With a molecular weight of 813.92 g/mol and molecular formula C37H51N9O10S, the peptide's mass-to-mole relationship is fixed, so concentration math follows directly from the vial's labeled peptide content. The steps below cover the reconstitution principle, the concentration calculation, and storage and stability handling appropriate to a research setting, keeping all framing at the bench rather than implying any administration.
The detail
A closer look
01
Reconstitution principle and concentration math
Reconstitution converts a known mass of lyophilized peptide into a stock of known concentration by adding a measured diluent volume. Concentration equals peptide mass divided by diluent volume; for example, dissolving a labeled 5 mg of Semax in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water yields a 2.5 mg/mL stock. Because Semax has a defined molecular weight of 813.92 g/mol, mass-based concentrations can be converted to molar units when an assay requires them, dividing the mass concentration by the molecular weight gives molarity. Diluent should be added slowly against the vial wall rather than directly onto the peptide cake, and the vial swirled gently rather than shaken, since vigorous agitation and foaming can stress peptide bonds. The exact diluent volume is chosen so the resulting stock concentration suits the downstream in-vitro working dilutions while remaining within the peptide's solubility in aqueous buffer.
02
Storage and stability handling
Handling should respect the general stability profile of small peptides. The lyophilized solid is the most stable form and is kept cold and dry until reconstitution. Once in aqueous solution, peptides are more susceptible to degradation, so reconstituted stock is best aliquoted to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles, each thaw is a stress event. Bacteriostatic water is preferred over plain sterile water for multi-withdrawal research vials because its preservative limits microbial growth across repeated bench access. Aliquots are stored cold, protected from light, and labeled with concentration and date. Notably, Semax's C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro tail is reported to shield it from aminopeptidase cleavage, conferring greater metabolic stability than native ACTH(4-10); this enzymatic resistance is relevant to its in-vitro behavior but does not replace good cold-chain and aliquoting discipline for the reconstituted stock.
Step by step
How Semax is reconstituted
A bench reference for handling and preparation in an in-vitro research setting. Not a personal dosing protocol.
- 1
Equilibrate the sealed lyophilized Semax vial and the bacteriostatic-water diluent to room temperature before opening, to limit condensation on the cold peptide cake.
- 2
Determine the labeled peptide mass in the vial and select a target stock concentration appropriate for downstream in-vitro work.
- 3
Calculate the required diluent volume: diluent volume (mL) = peptide mass (mg) / target concentration (mg/mL).
- 4
Draw the calculated volume of bacteriostatic water and add it slowly down the inner vial wall, not directly onto the peptide solid.
- 5
Swirl or roll the vial gently until fully dissolved; do not shake or vortex vigorously, and avoid foaming.
- 6
Optionally convert to molar concentration for assays by dividing the mass concentration (g/L) by the molecular weight, 813.92 g/mol.
- 7
Aliquot the reconstituted stock into single-use research portions to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
- 8
Label each aliquot with concentration, diluent, and date; store cold and protected from light per general peptide-stability practice.
The fine print: products are sold for laboratory research use only and are not for human or animal consumption. Bodily introduction into humans or animals is strictly prohibited by law. Semax is not a drug and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.