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Evidence: LowBlend or mixtureNot FDA ApprovedBrain polypeptide extractRussian prescription drugStroke and cognition trials

Cortexin

A mixture of small peptides extracted from calf or pig brain cortex, sold in Russia for stroke, chronic brain ischaemia and children's cognitive problems

Cortexin is not one molecule but a freeze-dried mix of small polypeptides from calf or pig cerebral cortex, injected into muscle or a vein. It is widely used in Russia, where its trials were run; it is not approved in the US or EU.

At a Glance Read Research →
Overview

What is it?

Cortexin belongs to the same family as Cerebrolysin: extracts of animal brain tissue sold as neuroprotective drugs, mainly in Russia and neighbouring countries. Because it is a mixture, there is no sequence, formula or half-life to give.

Its literature is large and almost entirely Russian: PubMed lists 69 records with Cortexin in the title. Several trials are randomised, few are blinded, and the largest compared two of its own dosage forms rather than testing it against placebo. Searches for the name also return an unrelated neuron membrane protein and a proposed kidney hormone called cortexin.

Structured data

At a Glance

Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.

ClassA mixture of low-molecular-weight polypeptides (<10 kDa) extracted from the cerebral cortex of young calves or pigs, marketed primarily in Russia and the CIS as a nootropic and neuroprotective agent.
SequencePolypeptide mixture — not a single-sequence molecule
Half-lifenot reported in the sources read
Studied dose10 mg (once or twice daily in 10-day courses (trials), intramuscular or intravenous)
US statusNot FDA Approved
Approved elsewhereRussia (per the cited trials)
Evidence levelLow
Last reviewed2026-10-04

Educational information, not medical advice. The doses on this page come from approved labels, published studies and, where no study exists, amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.

Evidence

Published Research

Human trials and one animal study, read from their PubMed abstracts on October 4, 2026; most were run and published in Russia.

Human2025

Intravenous against intramuscular, 490 stroke patients

490 patients with acute ischaemic stroke were randomised, double-blind, to 10 mg twice daily intravenously or intramuscularly for 10 days, then a second intramuscular course. At 90 days 93.6% and 86.5% were independent (modified Rankin 0-2), with similar NIHSS and MMSE changes. There was no placebo arm.

PMID: 41524350
Human2018

10 or 20 mg in chronic brain ischaemia

189 patients with chronic cerebral ischaemia received 20 mg or 10 mg daily intramuscular courses, repeated after six months, or basic therapy alone. Neurological symptoms, fatigue and sleep improved more at the higher dose; cognitive gains were similar at both doses.

PMID: 30335070
Human2026

Neurological complications of type 2 diabetes

110 patients with type 2 diabetes and cognitive, mood or nerve complications got ten 10 mg intramuscular doses on top of glycine and B vitamins, or the background treatment alone. At three months MoCA scores were about 1.2 times higher with Cortexin. Open, not placebo-controlled.

PMID: 42133422
Human2026

Added to antidepressants

98 adults with depression took antidepressants alone or with 10 mg intramuscular Cortexin daily for 10 days. By day 14 the add-on group had lower depression scores and better social functioning. No placebo injection.

PMID: 41782536
Human2020

Against Cellex after stroke

In 40 patients recovering from ischaemic stroke, 10 days of Cellex, a different Russian product, improved NIHSS (3 against 5 points) and MMSE (24 against 22) more than 10 mg intramuscular Cortexin. Here Cortexin was the weaker arm.

PMID: 33449527
Human2018

Children aged 3 to 7

635 children with ADHD, speech delay, perinatal brain injury or asthenia received 10 intramuscular injections. The authors report better attention, memory and thinking, most in 3- to 4-year-olds with ADHD; with no control group, the change cannot be separated from normal development.

PMID: 29652302
Animal2021

Compared with Cerebrolysin and Actovegin in rats

In rat models of acute and chronic brain ischaemia, Cortexin and Cerebrolysin, and Actovegin less so, improved recovery; Cortexin shrank dead tissue after acute ischaemia, crossed the mouse blood-brain barrier at 6-8% of blood levels and bound AMPA and kainate receptors.

PMID: 34260655
Safety

Side Effects & Contraindications

Reported Side Effects

From the trials above.

● Described as well tolerated in the chronic-ischaemia and paediatric studies
● Stroke trial: 74 adverse events in 60 patients on the intravenous form, 51 in 41 on the intramuscular form, judged comparable

Contraindications & Cautions

No Western regulator has reviewed it, and the abstracts list none.

● No pregnancy, breastfeeding or drug-interaction data in the sources read; anyone allergic to animal-derived proteins should be cautious
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

?What is Cortexin?

A mixture of small polypeptides extracted from the cerebral cortex of young cattle or pigs, injected as a neuroprotective drug, mainly in Russia.

?Is Cortexin the same as Cerebrolysin?

No. Both are brain-tissue extracts used for similar conditions, and a 2021 rat study compared them, but they are different products.

?Has Cortexin been tested against placebo?

Not in the trials summarised here. The largest compared intravenous and intramuscular forms; others compared it with background treatment alone or with another drug.

Bibliography

References

  1. [pubmed] Fedin AI, et al. "[Therapeutic equivalence of intravenous and intramuscular dosage forms of Cortexin in ischemic strokes]." Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2025;125(12):60-67. PMID: 41524350.
  2. [pubmed] Fedin AI, et al. "[Dose-dependent effects of cortexin in chronic cerebral ischemia (results of a multicenter randomized controlled study)]." Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2018;118(9):35-42. PMID: 30335070.
  3. [pubmed] "[Cortexin in the comprehensive treatment of neurological complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus. (Results of the DIACORT multicenter randomized clinical trial)]." Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2026;126(4):101-112. PMID: 42133422.
  4. [pubmed] Schastnyy ED. "[Efficacy and safety of Cortexin as additional therapy in patients with depressive disorder]." Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2026;126(2):92-96. PMID: 41782536.
  5. [pubmed] Khabirov FA, et al. "[Comparison of the efficacy of Cellex and Cortexin in patients in the early recovery period of ischemic stroke]." Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2020;120(12. Vyp. 2):11-15. PMID: 33449527.
  6. [pubmed] Zykov VP, et al. "[Results of a multicenter study on the efficacy of cortexin in treatment of cognitive dysfunction in children]." Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2018;118(3):27-31. PMID: 29652302.
  7. [pubmed] Kurkin DV, et al. "Neuroprotective action of Cortexin, Cerebrolysin and Actovegin in acute or chronic brain ischemia in rats." PLoS One, 2021;16(7):e0254493. PMID: 34260655.

Sources & Citations

Trials and the rat study from their PubMed abstracts (several read in the Russian original), October 4, 2026; US and EU status from Drugs@FDA and the EMA list that day.

Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making health decisions.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-04