Cerebrolysin
Porcine-brain-derived peptide mixture
Identifier graph
Cross-references to canonical chemistry knowledge graphs. Each binding is the same identity used in PubMed-indexed literature.
What is Cerebrolysin?
Cerebrolysin is a porcine-brain-derived peptide preparation consisting of low-molecular-weight neuropeptides (≤10 kDa) produced by controlled enzymatic hydrolysis of purified pig brain proteins. It is licensed in many European, Asian and Latin American jurisdictions as a neurotrophic preparation for stroke recovery, traumatic brain injury and dementia indications.
Cerebrolysin is not MHRA-licensed in the United Kingdom.
Mechanism of action
Cerebrolysin's mechanism is multimodal — it contains fragments of native neurotrophic factors (BDNF, GDNF, IGF-related peptides) and exhibits BDNF-like activity in cell-culture assays. Reported effects include neurotrophic support, neuroplasticity modulation and reduction of apoptotic signalling in neuronal stress models.
Research context
The most clinically-developed Cerebrolysin indication is ischaemic stroke (CARS-1 and other phase III programmes). Investigated also in dementia, traumatic brain injury and peripheral nerve injury research. The substantial clinical-trial literature provides one of the strongest evidence bases of any neurotrophic peptide preparation.
Analytical specifications
Every batch of Cerebrolysin supplied by NMChem is characterised by reversed-phase HPLC for purity determination and by mass spectrometry for identity confirmation. Certificate of Analysis (COA) documents are issued per batch and made available on request.
Identity is confirmed by electrospray-ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS); the observed mass falls within ±2 Da of the theoretical monoisotopic mass calculated from the residue sequence. Purity is determined by reversed-phase HPLC on a C18 column with a trifluoroacetic-acid-modified water/acetonitrile gradient and reported as the area-under-curve percentage of the main peak at 214 nm. NMChem specification is ≥99% main peak. Material ships as lyophilised powder and must be reconstituted in sterile water or bacteriostatic water immediately before use.
Cerebrolysin is a mixture rather than a single defined molecule; specifications are reported as protein-fragment-size distribution by SDS-PAGE or size-exclusion chromatography, and by biological activity assays.
UK regulatory status
Supplied as a research-grade reference standard for laboratory use only. Not a licensed medicinal product in the United Kingdom and not approved by the MHRA for human or veterinary administration. Sale is restricted to researchers, institutions and laboratory professionals; the compound must be retained within research premises. End-user compliance with the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (where applicable) and local institutional biosafety policy is the responsibility of the buyer.
Research literature
Selected peer-reviewed publications from PubMed referencing this compound.
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Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke.
Ziganshina LE et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023
PubMed PMID 37818733 -
Cerebrolysin for vascular dementia.
Cui S et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019
PubMed PMID 31710397 -
Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke.
Ziganshina LE et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
PubMed PMID 32662068
Related compounds
Other research compounds in adjacent mechanism classes or commonly used alongside Cerebrolysin.
Frequently asked questions about Cerebrolysin
What is Cerebrolysin made from?
Get research-grade Cerebrolysin from NMChem
UK supplier · HPLC and MS verified · Per-batch Certificate of Analysis · Tracked Royal Mail dispatch.