What is Cortexin?
Cortexin is a Russian polypeptide preparation extracted from the cerebral cortex of cattle or pigs under 12 months of age, made up mostly of acidic and neutral polypeptides of 1,000 to 10,000 Da (Kurkin et al., 2021). A 1999 report by V. Kh. Khavinson, V. G. Morozov and colleagues called it a new peptide bioregulator of brain function (Khavinson et al., 1999). A 2021 systematic review describes it as prescribed mainly in Russia for neurological disorders, including stroke and cognitive impairment (Alsulaimani and Quinn, 2021).
In a PubMed search of 12 October 2026, 70 records had Cortexin or the transliteration Korteksin in the title. Twelve concern unrelated molecules with the same name or use the word another way. Of the other 58, 47 are in Russian, 33 of them in one journal, Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova, and most of those are clinical reports; 9 of the 11 English-language papers are animal or cell studies.
Only two of the 58 list Khavinson as an author. Cortexin is not an approved drug in the United States (no Drugs@FDA record, October 2026). Disguised Alpha does not currently list Cortexin; this page is a literature reference for laboratory researchers. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
Cortexin reference data
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Cortexin |
| Also called | Korteksin (transliteration of the Russian name) |
| Composition | A mixture, not a single peptide: 70 to 95 percent acidic and neutral polypeptides of 1,000 to 10,000 Da, with isoelectric points of 3.5 to 9.5 |
| Source tissue | Cerebral cortex of cattle or pigs under 12 months of age |
| Compound class | Brain-derived polypeptide preparation; a peptide bioregulator in its developers' terms |
| Molecular formula and weight | None: a mixture has no single formula or molecular weight |
| PubChem | No compound record (CID); three substance records carry the name without a structure |
Composition and source are from the full text of a 2021 rat study funded by Pharm-Holding, whose employees co-authored it (Kurkin et al., 2021); other papers name calves, cattle or pigs as the source. The National Library of Medicine's MeSH vocabulary files it as a polypeptide complex from cattle (supplementary concept C056590). It is unrelated to cortexin 1, a neuronal membrane protein encoded by the CTXN1 gene, and to renal cortexin, a kidney protein.
What the research covers
Five research areas follow, each with its model.
Origin and the short peptides linked to it
Khavinson's group described Cortexin in 1999 as a new peptide bioregulator of cerebral functions (Khavinson et al., 1999). The Saint Petersburg institute designed cortagen, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, from an amino acid analysis of Cortexin (Anisimov et al., 2004). A 2019 paper with Khavinson as an author calls the short peptides EDR and DS Cortexin derivatives and, from molecular modeling, proposed that they bind histone H1.3 (Kuznik et al., 2019). EDR, Glu-Asp-Arg, is the peptide known as pinealon. Models: synthesis and modeling.
Stroke models in rats and comparisons with Cerebrolysin
In a study funded by Pharm-Holding, whose employees co-authored it, male rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion or carotid artery stenosis received Cortexin at 1 or 3 mg/kg/day, Cerebrolysin or Actovegin for 10 days. Cortexin or Cerebrolysin, and Actovegin to a lesser extent, reduced sensorimotor and cognitive impairments, and Cortexin reduced necrosis size. The authors write that the two preparations are made in similar ways but differ significantly in composition (Kurkin et al., 2021).
In a randomized, blinded embolic stroke study in rats funded by EVER Pharma, maker of Cerebrolysin, a Detroit laboratory found that Cortexin at 1.7 mg/kg for 10 days gave functional outcomes similar to saline, as did two other brain peptide products; only Cerebrolysin did better, and no product changed lesion volume significantly (Zhang et al., 2019). Given into the brain ventricles of Wistar rats, both preparations had a moderate psychoactivating effect, larger with Cortexin in all tests (Shabanov et al., 2007). Model: rats.
Receptor binding, brain uptake and proteases
At 10 µg/mL, Cortexin inhibited radioligand binding at AMPA (80.1 percent) and kainate (73.5 percent) receptors, and less at mGluR1, GABA-A and mGluR5 receptors, in a binding panel, and radiolabeled Cortexin reached mouse brain at 6 to 8 percent of whole-blood levels (Kurkin et al., 2021). In vitro it inhibited brain caspase-8, with weaker or no effects on caspases 1, 3 and 9, cathepsin B and calpain; a simpler peptide fraction kept the inhibition, and both protected cultured neurons from glutamate-induced death (Yakovlev et al., 2017). Models: binding assays, mice and neuronal cultures.
Nerve and inner-ear models from Turkish groups
In cultured adult rat dorsal root ganglion neurons exposed to high glucose, Cortexin at 2 to 40 µg/mL lessened the fall in a cell index of viability and neurite outgrowth, in a concentration-dependent way (Yazar and Ayar, 2023). In a 30-rat cisplatin study, adding Cortexin reduced the loss of otoacoustic emissions, while auditory brainstem thresholds rose in both cisplatin groups (Eroğlu et al., 2018). Models: rat neuron cultures and rats.
Studies in people
These are research history. In a two-group clinical trial in 76 people with stage I to II dyscirculatory encephalopathy, 45 received Cortexin by nasal electrophoresis with standard therapy and 31 standard therapy alone, and the developers reported a positive effect on psychoemotional state, neurological status and intellectual-mnestic functions (Khavinson et al., 1999). A multicenter trial randomized 189 people with chronic cerebral ischemia to one of two intramuscular amounts of Cortexin or basic therapy alone, and reported amount-dependent changes in neurological, asthenia and sleep scores (Fedin et al., 2018).
A 2023 Cochrane review added one Cortexin trial in acute ischemic stroke, with 272 participants, as a Cerebrolysin-like agent. Across six trials, all-cause death probably differed little or not at all, and the Cortexin trial was at unclear risk of bias in most domains (Ziganshina et al., 2023). A review of animal-derived nootropics found one eligible Cortexin trial in cognitive disorders, 80 participants, too few for meta-analysis (Alsulaimani and Quinn, 2021).
Key studies
- Khavinson VKh, et al. "Cortexin effectiveness in circulatory encephalopathy." Klin Med (Mosk). 1999. PMID 10356917. Two-group clinical trial in 76 people; in Russian.
- Yakovlev AA, et al. "Peptide drug cortexin inhibits brain caspase-8." Biomed Khim. 2017. PMID 28251948. DOI 10.18097/PBMC2017630127. In Russian.
- Zhang L, et al. "Prospective, double blinded, comparative assessment of the pharmacological activity of Cerebrolysin and distinct peptide preparations for the treatment of embolic stroke." J Neurol Sci. 2019. PMID 30665068. DOI 10.1016/j.jns.2019.01.017.
- Kurkin DV, et al. "Neuroprotective action of Cortexin, Cerebrolysin and Actovegin in acute or chronic brain ischemia in rats." PLoS One. 2021. PMID 34260655. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0254493.
- Ziganshina LE, et al. "Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke." Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023. PMID 37818733. DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD007026.pub7.
Handling and storage of lyophilized Cortexin
General laboratory practice for a lyophilized polypeptide mixture, in line with the site's peptide storage guide and reconstitution guide:
- Keep the sealed powder dry, at -20°C and protected from light, and let a cold vial reach room temperature before opening.
- With no single molecular weight, express concentrations by mass, as the papers do (µg/mL), not molarity.
- Test a small portion first and dissolve it before adding salt or buffer. Keep solutions as single-use aliquots at 2 to 8°C, protected from light, without freeze-thaw cycles.
- The published composition is a range, so record each lot and compare lots by a profile, such as an HPLC trace, rather than one mass.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cortexin?
A polypeptide preparation from the cerebral cortex of young cattle or pigs, made in Russia (Kurkin et al., 2021) and described by Khavinson's group as a peptide bioregulator (Khavinson et al., 1999). It is a mixture, not one peptide.
Is Cortexin the same as Cerebrolysin?
No. Both are brain-derived peptide mixtures, and a Cochrane review grouped Cortexin with Cerebrolysin as a Cerebrolysin-like agent (Ziganshina et al., 2023). Head-to-head rat studies disagree: one funded by Pharm-Holding found both effective after brain ischemia (Kurkin et al., 2021), and another funded by EVER Pharma, maker of Cerebrolysin, found only Cerebrolysin better than saline (Zhang et al., 2019). See our cerebrolysin research guide.
How are cortagen and pinealon related to Cortexin?
Cortagen, Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro, was designed from Cortexin's amino acid analysis (Anisimov et al., 2004), and the developers call EDR, the pinealon sequence, a Cortexin derivative (Kuznik et al., 2019). Each is one synthetic peptide; see our cortagen and pinealon research guides.
Has Cortexin been tested in people?
Yes, as research history, mostly in Russian clinical studies (Fedin et al., 2018). A 2023 Cochrane review that pooled it with Cerebrolysin found, with moderate certainty, little or no difference in death after stroke (Ziganshina et al., 2023).
Does Disguised Alpha sell Cortexin?
Not currently. Related materials in the catalog include Cerebrolysin (Cerebroprotein Hydrolysate), a research hydrolysate and not the product used in the studies above, and the short peptide Pinealon.
Related compounds and guides
- Cortagen research guide
- Cerebrolysin research guide
- Pinealon research guide
- Peptide bioregulators explained
- Peptide bioregulators A to Z
Literature reference for laboratory research only. Not for human consumption.