Cognitive & Nootropic

Noopept

GVS-111 · omberacetam · N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester

Russian-developed dipeptide ester nootropic (omberacetam / GVS-111), usually taken oral or intranasal. Not Semax. Not Selank. Not bromantane. Not a lyophilized recovery peptide. Not FDA-approved for cognition.

Not FDA-approved - research chemical
Reviewed by CalcMyPeptide Editorial Team
Last updated: September 2026Evidence: Low5 peer-reviewed citations
Typical research dose
Oral/intranasal research ranges - not a US nootropic NDA
Frequency
1–3× daily oral or nasal (community practice)
Half-life
Minutes-class parent; metabolites persist longer
Common vials
N/A (oral)
CAS
157115-85-0
Molecular weight
~318.4 g/mol

Use-case scores

0–10 against the evidence we have, not a gym ranking. Hidden domains do not apply here.

  • Cognition3.5/10

    Small Russian clinical files (Neznamov/Teleshova comparative study; EEG and stroke MCI papers) plus a real preclinical neurotrophin/HIF literature. Ceiling after haircut for single-tradition human work and no US NDA: 3.5.

Compound card

Sequence
N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (omberacetam / GVS-111)
Class
Oral/intranasal nootropic (Russian lineage; not a US NDA)
Formula
C17H22N2O4
Status
Not FDA-approved · research use

How it works

Noopept is the trade name for N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (omberacetam; research code GVS-111). It was designed at the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology as a proline–glycine dipeptide ester inspired by piracetam’s pharmacologic profile, not as a lyophilized recovery peptide and not as Semax or Selank.

Ostrovskaya, Gudasheva, and colleagues (Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2008) reported that acute and 28-day Noopept raised hippocampal NGF and BDNF mRNA in rats, with the hippocampal neurotrophin signal strengthening under chronic dosing rather than washing out. Separate rat work from the same lineage (PubMed abstract for the 2010 stress-kinase / neurotrophin paper) frames reduced hippocampal SAPK/JNK and ERK activity plus BDNF expression after chronic intraperitoneal exposure. Those are rodent molecular readouts, not a human dementia protocol.

Vakhitova, Ostrovskaya, Seredenin and co-authors (Acta Naturae, 2016; PMC4837574) tested transcription-factor reporters in HEK293 cells. At 10 μM, Noopept selectively increased HIF-1 DNA-binding activity and did not move CREB, NFAT, NF-κB, p53, STAT1, GAS, VDR, or HSF1 in that screen. Piracetam at 1 mM did not reproduce the HIF-1 signal. Docking in that paper proposes binding at prolyl hydroxylase 2 as a candidate route to HIF-1α stabilization. That is a proposed primary mechanism from an opened cell study — not proof that every oral capsule “activates HIF-1” in people.

Older awake-rat EEG work (PubMed abstract, 2003) implicated non-NMDA / AMPA-class glutamate receptors in the EEG fingerprint of repeated GVS-111 dosing. Treat that as a glutamate-pathway hypothesis supported by that abstract, not as a labeled AMPA agonist claim.

Practical identity: oral or intranasal product forms dominate commerce. Short parent exposure is why people do not treat it like a weekly GH peptide. It is not a SubQ reconstitution job by default.

Source: Russian clinical and preclinical nootropic literature (opened Ostrovskaya/Vakhitova/Neznamov files); Western regulatory status is research/supplement-adjacent, not an NDA

Goal context

Russian nootropic identity, not a Western Phase 3

GVS-111 was built as a dipeptide ester with a piracetam-like story at much lower milligram amounts in the originating pharmacology. Russian product registration and Russian-language clinical papers are real. They are not an FDA cognition, Alzheimer’s, or anxiety NDA, and they are not a reason to invent a SubQ chart.

Stacking with other Russian-line compounds

Community logs often put Noopept next to Semax or Selank because all three show up in the same nootropic aisle. Semax and Selank are heptapeptide / tuftsin-analog sprays with their own Russian files — different molecules, different routes, no co-administration RCT on this leaf. Bromantane (ladasten) is a small-molecule actoprotector discussed in the same forums — see the bromantane leaf (/peptides/bromantane). There is no published combination trial of Noopept plus bromantane that we opened. Treat that pair as anecdote, not synergy pharmacology.

Background & History

Noopept (omberacetam / GVS-111) is N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester from the Zakusov Institute lineage. Ostrovskaya 2008 reported hippocampal NGF/BDNF mRNA rises in rats; Vakhitova 2016 (Acta Naturae) showed selective HIF-1 reporter activation in HEK293 cells. Human evidence is small Russian outpatient and EEG work, not a US NDA.

Research Use Cases

  • Identity vs Semax, Selank, and piracetam folklore
  • Russian mild-cognitive-disorder literature literacy
  • Not a SubQ reconstitution peptide and not a dementia protocol

Dosing

PhaseDoseFrequencyNotes
Opened study context (Neznamov/Teleshova 2009)20 mg/day (two doses)Daily for 56 days in that outpatient comparative studyStudy regimen, not a US label and not a DIY protocol. Piracetam arm was 1,200 mg/day.
Opened study context (Amelin et al. 2011 abstract)20 mg dailyAbout two months in that open stroke-MCI reportAbstract-level dose only. Open prospective design.
Community oral/nasal folkloreProduct-dependent (often low tens of mg/day total)1–3× daily in logsConfirm the label on the product you actually have. Powder vs tablet vs nasal are different exposures. Not a SubQ GH chart.

Administration

Route / form
Oral or intranasal product forms. Not a default lyophilized SubQ peptide.
Timing
Daytime in community practice; not a sleep peptide
Empty stomach?
No - Food timing is not critical.

Timeline

Hours (anecdote)
Some users report focus or verbal fluency. Not an RCT endpoint here.
Weeks 2–4 (opened Russian outpatient work)
Neznamov/Teleshova described cognitive-scale movement emerging across the multi-week course, not as an instant stimulant hit. That is their study narrative, not a universal schedule.

Who it is for

Nootropic identity / research literacy

Moderate

Useful leaf for separating GVS-111 from Semax, Selank, and racetam folklore.

US prescription care for diagnosed disease

Low

Not a US NDA substitute.

Safety & Considerations

In the Neznamov/Teleshova comparative course, reported undesirable effects included sleep disturbance, irritability, and blood-pressure rise in some patients; overall adverse-event burden was described as lower than the piracetam arm in that analysis. Community logs add headache and overstimulation. Research powders have unknown purity. Not for pregnancy. Not a syringe peptide by default.

Regulatory & Legal Status

FDA Status (US)
Research Only
WADA Status (2026)
Not Listed

Not currently on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Policies may change - verify before competition.

Classification

Research Chemical

US Compounding: Not eligible / not available

⚠️ This information is for educational purposes only and may not reflect the most current regulatory updates. Always verify with official FDA, WADA, and jurisdiction-specific sources before use.

Limits of current evidence

  • Not an FDA-approved cognition, stroke, or anxiety drug.
  • Not Semax. Not Selank. Not bromantane. Different molecules and evidence bodies.
  • Opened human work is small, largely single-tradition, and not a Western Phase 3 program.
  • NGF/BDNF and HIF-1 claims on this leaf are tied to papers we opened (Ostrovskaya 2008; Vakhitova 2016). Do not invent extra targets.
  • Community milligram folklore and bromantane stacks are not combination RCTs.
  • This site will not treat dementia, stroke, or anxiety from a Noopept page.

Human evidence

Limited · Russian clinical tradition (not a US cognition NDA)

  • Neznamov & Teleshova (Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, 2009; English translation of the 2008 Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii report): randomized comparative outpatient study, 53 adults with mild cognitive disorders of vascular or post-traumatic origin; Noopept 20 mg/day in two doses vs piracetam 1,200 mg/day for 56 days. Cognitive scale changes were described as comparable; overall CGI-style efficacy and tolerability favored Noopept in that analysis. Not placebo-controlled against inactive pill.
  • Bochkarev et al. (PubMed abstract, 2008): clinical pharmaco-EEG in mild cognitive impairment of posttraumatic or vascular origin — alpha/beta power up, delta down, framed as nonspecific activating / anxiolytic EEG pattern; vascular cases looked clearer than posttraumatic ones in that abstract. Not a Western multi-center RCT.
  • Amelin, Iliukhina, Shmonin (PubMed abstract, 2011): open prospective stroke-related mild cognitive impairment work reporting Noopept 20 mg daily for two months with MMSE and association-test improvements vs controls in that report. Open design. Not an FDA stroke label.
  • This site will not treat dementia, stroke, or anxiety from a Noopept page.

User reports

What community logs claim

Oral or intranasal users often talk about sharper verbal fluency or “edge” within hours, with headache, irritability, or overstimulation when they push redosing. Some describe a short window and redose; others notice nothing. None of that is a counted trial endpoint on this leaf.

Bromantane co-use — anecdote only

Forum stacks mix Noopept with bromantane (ladasten) for study or physical work. That pairing is community practice — now linkable at /peptides/bromantane. We did not open a published co-administration trial. Do not read “synergy” into two separate Russian-line marketing stories.

Verdict

Noopept is a Zakusov-line dipeptide ester nootropic with a real Russian clinical and neurotrophin/HIF preclinical file. It is not Semax, not Selank, not bromantane, and not a lyophilized recovery peptide. Russian outpatient doses in opened papers cluster around 20 mg/day — that is study context, not a protocol to copy. Russian history is not an FDA label.

Interactions & Contraindications

Stimulation, headache, irritability, and blood-pressure rise show up in opened Russian clinical notes and community logs. Not a benzo or stimulant label. Unknown purity on research powders. Not for pregnancy.

Synergies & Common Stacks

Community Russian-line pair (dipeptide ester vs ACTH-fragment spray). Complementary aisle marketing is not a co-administration RCT.

Sometimes logged for calm focus next to Noopept. Tuftsin analog vs dipeptide ester — two files, no combo trial we opened.

Forum stack for study or physical work. Anecdote only — we opened no published Noopept+bromantane trial. Bromantane leaf: /peptides/bromantane.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Noopept?
N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (omberacetam / GVS-111), a Zakusov Institute dipeptide ester nootropic usually taken oral or intranasal. Russian product history exists. It is not an FDA cognition drug.
How does it differ from racetams like piracetam?
It was designed with a piracetam-like pharmacology story but as a proline–glycine ester active at much lower milligram amounts in the originating literature. Neznamov & Teleshova compared 20 mg/day Noopept with 1,200 mg/day piracetam in one outpatient study — comparable cognitive-scale movement in that analysis, different side-effect profile. Vakhitova 2016 also saw a HIF-1 reporter effect with Noopept that piracetam did not reproduce in that cell screen.
Is Noopept the same as Semax or Selank?
No. Semax is an ACTH-fragment heptapeptide. Selank is a tuftsin analog. Noopept is a small dipeptide ester. Shared “Russian nootropic aisle” marketing is not shared identity.
What is the evidence level?
Limited for Western standards: small Russian clinical files plus stronger preclinical neurotrophin and HIF-1 work we opened. Not a US Phase 3 cognition program and not a reason to self-treat dementia or stroke.
What doses appear in studies you opened?
Neznamov/Teleshova used 20 mg/day split into two doses for 56 days. The Amelin stroke-MCI abstract reports 20 mg daily for about two months. Those are study contexts, not protocols to follow.
Can you stack it with bromantane, Semax, or Selank?
Semax and Selank co-use is common folklore; we have leaves for both. Bromantane co-use is also common in forums — see /peptides/bromantane. We opened no combination trial. Label community stacks as anecdote.
Do I reconstitute it like BPC-157?
Not by default. Most products are oral tablets/powder or nasal solutions. Follow the form you have. Do not invent a SubQ mg chart from a GH peptide habit.

References

  1. Ostrovskaya RU, Gudasheva TA, Zaplina AP, et al. Noopept stimulates the expression of NGF and BDNF in rat hippocampus.” Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine (2008). PMID: 19039938
  2. Vakhitova YV, Sadovnikov SV, Borisevich SS, Ostrovskaya RU, Seredenin SB Molecular mechanism underlying the action of substituted Pro-Gly dipeptide Noopept.” Acta Naturae (2016). PMID: 27099787
  3. Neznamov GG, Teleshova ES Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in the treatment of patients with mild cognitive disorders in organic brain diseases of vascular and traumatic origin.” Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology (2009). PMID: 19234797
  4. Bochkarev V, Teleshova ES, Syunyakov SA, et al. Clinical and electroencephalographic characteristic of noopept in patients with mild cognitive impairment of posttraumatic and vascular origin.” Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii (PubMed abstract) (2008). PMID: 19008801
  5. Amelin AV, Iliukhina AIu, Shmonin AA Noopept in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment in patients with stroke.” Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii (PubMed abstract) (2011). PMID: 22500312

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