Preclinical

Noopept

N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester

Overview

Noopept is a synthetic dipeptide-derived nootropic developed in Russia that is a proline-containing dipeptide structurally related to piracetam but reportedly 1000 times more potent by weight. It is approved as a nootropic supplement in Russia and has been studied in clinical trials for cognitive disorders including traumatic brain injury and age-related cognitive decline. Noopept is one of the most popular nootropic compounds globally with a large community user base and a reasonable clinical evidence base from Russian trials.

Mechanism of Action

Noopept is hydrolyzed in the body to release cycloprolylglycine — an endogenous neuropeptide that potentiates AMPA receptor activity enhancing glutamatergic neurotransmission critical for learning and memory. Noopept also increases expression of BDNF and NGF in the hippocampus and cortex supporting neuroplasticity and neuronal survival. It has demonstrated neuroprotective effects by reducing oxidative stress in neural tissue and modulating calcium channel activity to protect against excitotoxicity. Noopept additionally modulates acetylcholine neurotransmission and has shown improvements in theta and alpha brain wave activity associated with relaxed focused cognition. Its mechanism involves multiple complementary pathways rather than a single target making it distinct from single-mechanism cognitive enhancers.

Dosage Information

Typical Dose

10-30 mg daily

Frequency

Once or twice daily, taken in the morning

Administration

Oral or sublingual

Notes

Sublingual administration may provide faster onset. Start at 10mg to assess tolerance. Cycles of 1-2 months with breaks recommended. Choline supplementation alongside Noopept may reduce headache side effects.

Where does Noopept sit?

See how this peptide compares across all 111 peptides in our database.

Evidence Score

0.27

Clinical trials
0.0035%
Literature
0.5330%
Community
0.0020%
Completeness
0.7515%
2 clinical trials

Compound Data

Noopept structure

Molecular Formula

C17H22N2O4

Molecular Weight

318.40 g/mol

IUPAC Name

ethyl 2-[[(2S)-1-(2-phenylacetyl)pyrrolidine-2-carbonyl]amino]acetate

PubChem CID

180496

Potential Side Effects

Headache — especially without adequate choline (common)Irritability at high doses (uncommon)Brain fog in some users paradoxically (uncommon)Increased dream vividness (uncommon)

Community Experiences

Share Your Experience

Sign in to track your experience history and vote on others.
Verifying...

No experiences shared yet. Be the first!

Quick Facts

Administration
Oral or sublingual
Typical Dose
10-30 mg daily
Frequency
Once or twice daily, taken in the morning
References
0 curated + 49 from PubMed
Evidence Score
0.3 / 100