Noopept (Omberacetam)
Noopept — evidence, why it's not a peptide & status

Class: small_molecule
Synonyms: Noopept
GVS-111
omberacetam
N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester. INCI: none
Function tags: nootropic / cognitive
neuroprotection
BDNF/NGF (approved in Russia: cognitive disorders)
Overall evidence grade: B
WADA prohibited: no
Last updated: 2026-07-11

In brief: Noopept is a dipeptide-derived small molecule (not a classical peptide, despite the ubiquitous label) developed in Russia and approved there as an oral nootropic. It's a prodrug of the endogenous dipeptide cycloprolylglycine, raises BDNF/NGF, and is ~1000× more potent by weight than piracetam. Its strongest evidence is in people with existing cognitive deficits (vascular/traumatic) via Russian trials; the popular healthy-enhancement use and any Western evidence are thin, and it is not FDA-approved. Its practical edge over Semax/Selank is simply that it's oral.

## Identity a synthetic **dipeptide-derived small molecule** built on a **Pro-Gly** core, designed as a dipeptide analog of the racetam nootropic **piracetam**. It is a **prodrug** of **cycloprolylglycine (cPG)** — an *endogenous* cyclic dipeptide naturally present in the mammalian brain — which is its main active metabolite. Crucially, it is **orally bioavailable and crosses the blood-brain barrier after being swallowed.** ## Development & history - Designed in **1996 at the V.V. Zakusov Research Institute of Pharmacology** (Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow) by **Tatiana Gudasheva, Sergei Seredenin and colleagues** — as a dipeptide analog of piracetam (the hypothesis: piracetam's pyrrolidine ring mimics a **proline** residue and its N-acetamide mimics **glycine**).
- The result was active at **~1000× lower doses than piracetam by weight** (~ vs ~) with a broader cognitive + anxiolytic + neuroprotective profile. *(Note: the "1000×" reflects **potency and mechanism, not 1000× the benefit** — a common misreading.)*
- **Approved and prescribed in Russia** (and neighbouring countries) as a nootropic/neuroprotective medicine. ## Mechanism (as proposed) Noopept is hydrolysed and cyclised to **cycloprolylglycine (cPG)**, an endogenous neuropeptide that **modulates AMPA glutamate receptors** (key to synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation). It also **upregulates BDNF and NGF** in the hippocampus (the same neurotrophic theme as Semax/Selank), with cholinergic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and HIF-1-mediated (hypoxia-neuroprotective) effects reported. The mechanism is complex, not fully elucidated, and distinct from the classical racetams.

Evidence grades by outcome:
outcome: Cognitive impairment / MCI (vascular, traumatic — approved Russian use)
grade: C
base: Russian RCTs (Neznamov & Teleshova 2009, vs piracetam) + EEG studies
effect: Improved memory / cognition
caveat: Strongest use, but Russian-only, no Western replication; methodology varies from FDA/EMA standards
outcome: BDNF/NGF & neuroprotection mechanism
grade: B
base: Substantial preclinical (Ostrovskaya, Gudasheva)
effect: Neurotrophic; multi-target
caveat: Animal/mechanistic; human translation is Russian-only
outcome: Cognitive enhancement in healthy adults (the popular use)
grade: D
base: Extrapolated + anecdotal
effect: Suggestive
caveat: Weaker than the cognitive-deficit use — the inverse of how it's marketed
outcome: Anti-amyloid / Alzheimer's
grade: D
base: Cellular/animal models (Jia 2011; Ostrovskaya 2014)
effect: Suggestive
caveat: Preclinical
outcome: Anxiolytic
grade: D
base: Preclinical (cPG) + some Russian data
effect: Suggestive
caveat: Early
outcome: Safety
base: Approved drug (Russia), oral, broad use
effect: Generally well tolerated
caveat: Mild (irritability, sleep changes, headache in some); long-term / Western data limited

Legal status:
region: US
status: Not FDA-approved (gray-market)
note: Not FDA-approved. Sold as an unregulated "supplement" or research chemical (a legal gray area — the FDA does not recognise it as a lawful dietary ingredient, yet it's widely sold).
region: EU
status: Not approved
note: not approved.
region: INT
status: approval limited to Russia/CIS
note: approval limited to Russia/CIS.

Cosmetic claims:

Note: Reference entry — not sold here. Like Semax (#41) and Selank (#42), an approved nootropic in Russia — and the oral one. No dosing published here.

Sources:
Gudasheva TA, et al. (Major brain metabolite of GVS-111 = cyclo-L-prolylglycine; similarity to an endogenous neuropeptide.) Eur J Drug Metab Pharmacokinet. 1997.
Ostrovskaya RU, et al. Noopept stimulates NGF and BDNF expression in rat hippocampus. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2008; (neuroprotection in an AD cellular model — apoptosis/tau). J Biomed Sci. 2014.
Neznamov GG, Teleshova ES. Comparative studies of Noopept and piracetam in mild cognitive disorders of vascular and traumatic origin. Neurosci Behav Physiol. 2009.
Vakhitova YV, et al. (HIF-1 as a primary molecular mechanism of the Pro-Gly dipeptide Noopept.) 2016; Jia X, et al. (Noopept rescues α-synuclein amyloid cytotoxicity.) J Mol Biol. 2011.