What is Sunifiram?
Sunifiram (DM-235) is 1-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)propan-1-one, a synthetic piperazine compound studied as a cognition enhancer in rodents. A University of Florence group (Manetti, Ghelardini and colleagues) reported it in 2000 by simplifying the bicyclic series that produced unifiram (Manetti et al., 2000).
The developers describe it as structurally related to piracetam (Ghelardini et al., 2002) and to ampakines, a class of AMPA receptor modulators (Galeotti et al., 2003). PubMed indexes no study of it in people. Disguised Alpha supplies it in 10MG capsules for laboratory research use only. Nothing on this page is guidance for use in people.
Sunifiram reference data
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Sunifiram |
| Also called | DM-235 (also written DM235 or DM 235), 1-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)propan-1-one, 1-benzoyl-4-(1-oxopropyl)piperazine (PubChem CID 4223812) |
| Structure | A piperazine ring carrying a benzoyl group on one nitrogen and a propanoyl (propionyl) group on the other; no stereocenter |
| Compound class | Piperazine-derived cognition-enhancer candidate, described as structurally related to piracetam and to ampakines |
| Molecular formula | C₁₄H₁₈N₂O₂ |
| Molecular weight | 246.30 g/mol |
| PubChem CID | 4223812 |
| Form | Capsules, 10MG per capsule, 60 capsules per bottle (600MG per bottle) |
| Testing | Third-party tested, with the certificate for each lot published on the product page and in the COA portal |
Capsule format, strength and storage are from the Sunifiram product page, which lists no formula or weight. Those figures, the aliases and the structure come from PubChem CID 4223812. For quantitative work, use the measured content per capsule on your lot's certificate.
See it beside the other compounds on this site in the peptide molecular weight reference table.
What the research covers
Published work on Sunifiram falls into six areas. Each summary below states the model used. Most of it comes from the Florence group that made the compound, and all of it is animal, tissue or cell data.
Design and first reports
The group first described 1,4-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-9-ones with a piracetam-like profile in the mouse passive avoidance test; the most potent, DM232 (unifiram), was active at 0.001 mg/kg subcutaneously (Manetti et al., 2000). Simplifying that bicyclic core gave 1-acylpiperazines that kept high activity. The most potent, DM235 (later named Sunifiram), was also active at 0.001 mg/kg, both leads raised acetylcholine release in rat brain, and the molecular mechanism was left open (Manetti et al., 2000). Models: mice and rat brain.
Memory models in mice and rats
In the mouse passive avoidance test, Sunifiram prevented scopolamine-induced amnesia at 0.001 to 0.1 mg/kg intraperitoneally or 0.01 to 0.1 mg/kg by mouth, comparable to piracetam at 30 to 100 mg/kg, and prevented amnesia induced by mecamylamine, baclofen and clonidine without impairing rota-rod coordination. In rats, 0.1 mg/kg before each Morris water maze session prevented the scopolamine deficit (Ghelardini et al., 2002).
In olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) mice, which show hippocampus-dependent memory impairment, daily oral Sunifiram (tested at 0.01 to 1.0 mg/kg for 7 to 12 days) reversed Y-maze and novel object recognition deficits and restored hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), but did not change depression-like behavior (Moriguchi et al., 2013). Models: mice and rats.
AMPA receptor evidence
At 0.1 mg/kg intraperitoneally, Sunifiram and unifiram both reversed amnesia induced by the AMPA receptor antagonist NBQX in mice. In rat hippocampal slices, both reversed kynurenic acid's antagonism of NMDA-mediated noradrenaline release, an effect NBQX abolished (Galeotti et al., 2003). The group's 2006 review adds that neither compound showed affinity in binding studies for the main central receptors or channels (Romanelli et al., 2006). The AMPA link therefore rests on antagonist and brain-slice experiments, not on receptor binding data. Models: mice and rat hippocampal slices.
The NMDA receptor glycine site in hippocampal slices
In mouse hippocampal slices, a Tohoku University group found that 10 to 100 nM Sunifiram enhanced CA1 LTP, with a bell-shaped concentration curve peaking at 10 nM. The glycine-site antagonist 7-chlorokynurenic acid blocked this, the polyamine-site inhibitor ifenprodil did not, and slices first exposed to 300 µM glycine showed no enhancement.
Src, protein kinase Cα and CaMKII activity rose, with more AMPA and NMDA receptor phosphorylation, and the authors proposed that Sunifiram stimulates the NMDA receptor's glycine-binding site (Moriguchi et al., 2013). In OBX mice, the glycine-site inhibitor gavestinel inhibited its stimulation of CaMKII and PKC (Moriguchi et al., 2013). Models: mouse hippocampal slices and mice.
Unifiram and the analog program
Unifiram (DM232) is the bicyclic parent, a 2-pyrrolidinone ring fused to a piperazine with one stereocenter (PubChem CID 9861054). Its (R)-enantiomer matched the (S)-form's effects at 3- to 10-fold lower amounts in memory tests and in acetylcholine release from rat cortex (Martini et al., 2005). Structure-activity work produced no analog as potent as either parent, and two analogs instead induced amnesia nearly as potently as scopolamine (Scapecchi et al., 2004).
Some later analogs of Sunifiram and sapunifiram (MN19) matched the parents' potency in mice (Martini et al., 2009). In 2017 the group added hydrophilic groups to the piperazine ring so that a biotin tag could later be anchored to capture the compound's biological target (Martino et al., 2017). Models: rodents and rat brain tissue.
Status of the literature
PubMed indexes no clinical trial, case report or other study of Sunifiram in people, and ClinicalTrials.gov lists no trial (both searched October 2026). A 2025 review notes that neither Sunifiram nor unifiram was developed further in clinical trials (Vialko et al., 2025). Gualtieri, a co-author of the original papers, later wrote that neither compound was patented and that he found dozens of websites selling them, although only a few preclinical studies existed and their long-term toxicity was unknown (Gualtieri, 2016).
A 2022 paper on a new Sunifiram synthesis and carbamate hybrids, screened in A549 cells, was retracted in 2026 over incorrect or unverifiable references; the authors disagree with the retraction. It is not evidence (Agha et al., 2022). Models: reviews and cell culture.
Key studies
- Manetti D, et al. "Molecular simplification of 1,4-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]nonan-9-ones gives piperazine derivatives that maintain high nootropic activity." J Med Chem. 2000. PMID 11087574. DOI 10.1021/jm000972h. Mice and rat brain: DM235 active at 0.001 mg/kg in passive avoidance.
- Ghelardini C, et al. "DM235 (sunifiram): a novel nootropic with potential as a cognitive enhancer." Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2002. PMID 12070754. DOI 10.1007/s00210-002-0577-3. Mice and rats: prevented drug-induced amnesia.
- Galeotti N, et al. "AMPA-receptor activation is involved in the antiamnesic effect of DM 232 (unifiram) and DM 235 (sunifiram)." Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2003. PMID 14600801. DOI 10.1007/s00210-003-0812-6. Mice and rat hippocampal slices: reversed NBQX-induced amnesia.
- Moriguchi S, et al. "Novel nootropic drug sunifiram enhances hippocampal synaptic efficacy via glycine-binding site of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor." Hippocampus. 2013. PMID 23733502. DOI 10.1002/hipo.22150. Mouse hippocampal slices: a glycine-site antagonist blocked its LTP enhancement.
- Gualtieri F. "Unifi nootropics from the lab to the web: a story of academic (and industrial) shortcomings." J Enzyme Inhib Med Chem. 2016. PMID 25831025. DOI 10.3109/14756366.2015.1021252. Review: few preclinical studies, unknown long-term toxicity, online sales.
Handling and storage of Sunifiram capsules
General laboratory practice for this material:
- Store the sealed capsules at 15 to 25°C in the original container, away from moisture and direct light (storage guidance on the product page).
- Capsules ship in a sealed bottle or a resealable pouch, depending on the batch; close it fully after each opening.
- Record the lot number and keep its certificate. The lot SN01 certificate (ILS Laboratories, August 6, 2026) confirms identity by HPLC and reports 10.12 mg measured against the 10MG label.
- For identity checks, compare analytical data with C₁₄H₁₈N₂O₂ and 246.30 g/mol.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sunifiram?
Sunifiram is 1-(4-benzoylpiperazin-1-yl)propan-1-one (PubChem CID 4223812), a piperazine compound from the University of Florence (Manetti et al., 2000) studied in rodent memory models (Ghelardini et al., 2002).
Is DM-235 the same as Sunifiram?
Yes. DM-235 (also DM235) was the Florence group's code for the compound before it was named Sunifiram; PubChem lists it as a synonym. Its sister compound, DM232, is unifiram (Romanelli et al., 2006).
Does Sunifiram act on AMPA receptors?
The evidence is indirect. It reversed amnesia caused by the AMPA antagonist NBQX in mice, and NBQX abolished its effect in rat hippocampal slices (Galeotti et al., 2003), yet binding studies found no affinity for the main central receptors (Romanelli et al., 2006). Mouse slice work points instead to the NMDA receptor's glycine site, with AMPA receptor phosphorylation downstream (Moriguchi et al., 2013). All of it is rodent data.
Is Sunifiram a racetam?
Not strictly. Racetams such as piracetam (PubChem CID 4843) share a 2-pyrrolidinone ring; Sunifiram is a piperazine without one. Its designers reported that its N-acylpiperazine can mimic the 2-pyrrolidinone ring of their earlier bicyclic compounds (Manetti et al., 2000) and called it structurally related to piracetam but about 1,000 times more potent than the most active piracetam-like compounds in mice (Ghelardini et al., 2002).
How is Sunifiram related to unifiram?
Unifiram (DM232) came first, a bicyclic compound with a 2-pyrrolidinone ring fused to a piperazine; Sunifiram is its simplified, single-ring relative (Manetti et al., 2000). Both reversed NBQX-induced amnesia in the same mouse test (Galeotti et al., 2003). Unlike Sunifiram, unifiram has a stereocenter, and its (R)-enantiomer is the more potent form (Martini et al., 2005).
Has Sunifiram been tested in people?
No. PubMed indexes no study in people, and Sunifiram is not an approved drug: FDA's Drugs@FDA data, searched through openFDA in October 2026, list no product containing it. A 2025 review notes it was not developed in clinical trials (Vialko et al., 2025), and one of its developers wrote that its long-term toxicity was unknown (Gualtieri, 2016).
Where can researchers buy Sunifiram?
Disguised Alpha sells Sunifiram for laboratory research as 10MG capsules, 60 per bottle, third-party tested with the certificate for each lot published on the product page: Sunifiram.
Related compounds and guides
- Piracetam research guide
- Aniracetam research guide
- Oxiracetam research guide
- Noopept research guide
- Dihexa research guide
- Semax research guide
- COA portal: every published certificate, by lot
This product is for research use only. It has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness in humans. Not for human consumption. All products are intended for laboratory research purposes only.