Cerebrolysin is a defined preparation of low molecular weight peptides and free amino acids produced by controlled enzymatic breakdown of purified porcine brain protein. It is supplied as a ready to use aqueous solution and is one of the few multi-component preparations in the research range, used in neuronal and glial culture to study neurotrophic-factor-like signalling. NuVion supplies Cerebrolysin as a laboratory chemical for in vitro research use only.
Key facts
| Type | Peptide preparation from porcine brain protein |
| Composition | Low molecular weight peptides with free amino acids |
| Peptide size range | Below approximately 10 kDa |
| Peptide fraction | Around 25 per cent of total content by mass |
| Preparation | Standardised enzymatic breakdown of purified brain protein |
| Physical form | Clear aqueous solution |
| Synonyms | FPF-1070, brain-derived peptide preparation |
| Supplied form | Ready to use solution in a sealed vial |
Cerebrolysin
$75 AUD
View productResearch use only. Not for human or veterinary use.
Structure and chemistry
Cerebrolysin is not a single molecule and has no one sequence or molecular formula. It is produced by standardised proteolysis of purified porcine brain protein, followed by filtration that removes species above roughly 10 kDa. What remains is a mixture in which approximately a quarter of the dry mass is short biologically active peptides and the balance is free amino acids. Batch-to-batch consistency therefore depends on process control at the manufacturing step, not on the purity of a single compound, and the analytical question is different from that for a synthetic peptide.
Analytical characterisation of preparations of this kind uses size exclusion chromatography to confirm the molecular weight distribution, RP-HPLC to give a reproducible peptide fingerprint, and amino acid analysis to quantify the free amino acid fraction. Individual constituent peptides have been identified in published work by mass spectrometry, including fragments corresponding in sequence to regions of known neurotrophic proteins, and it is these fragments that the mechanistic literature attributes activity to. Because the preparation is aqueous and already at working strength, there is no reconstitution step and no lyophilised cake to inspect.
The solution is a low ionic strength aqueous preparation with a near neutral pH. It contains protein-derived material, so it supports microbial growth if handled without aseptic technique, and it is sensitive to freeze-thaw because repeated cycles can precipitate the larger peptide species and change the size distribution. Those two properties govern most of the practical handling.
Mechanism of action
Cerebrolysin has no single receptor target, and the mechanism is described as the sum of the actions of its constituent short peptides. The most examined proposal is that certain fragments mimic the signalling of endogenous neurotrophic proteins, associating with receptor tyrosine kinases of the Trk family and with the p75 neurotrophin receptor, and producing downstream phosphorylation of Akt and ERK in cultured neurons. Readouts in cell systems include neurite outgrowth and branching by morphometry, survival under serum withdrawal or excitotoxic challenge by viability assay, and phosphorylation state of the pathway components by Western blot.
A second strand of the mechanistic literature concerns calcium handling and protease activity. In neuronal culture, the preparation has been reported to reduce calpain activation following calcium loading and to shift the balance of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activity toward its regulatory partner and away from the pathological one, both measured by enzymatic assay and immunoblot. Effects on amyloid precursor protein processing have also been followed in transfected cell lines by measuring secreted fragments. Because the material is a mixture, attribution of any single readout to a defined constituent is the central methodological difficulty, and size-fractionated subfractions are often run alongside the whole preparation to address it.
Research applications
- Neurite outgrowth and branching assays in primary neuronal or neuronal cell line culture, quantified by morphometric image analysis.
- Cell survival assays under serum withdrawal, oxidative or excitotoxic challenge, read by MTT, LDH release or live-dead staining.
- Trk and p75 receptor pathway analysis by Western blot for phosphorylated Akt and ERK, with receptor-blocking controls.
- Calpain and CDK5 activity assays in neuronal lysate following calcium loading.
- Size fractionation studies that compare the whole preparation with its sub-10 kDa subfractions to attribute activity.
- Comparator preparation in assays alongside defined single peptides such as P21, which was itself identified by epitope mapping of this material.
Cerebrolysin sits in NuVion’s Neuroscience category alongside the defined neuroactive peptides.
Handling in the laboratory
Cerebrolysin is supplied as a ready to use solution, so no reconstitution is required and the reconstitution calculator does not apply to it. Working dilutions are made directly into culture medium. Because the preparation is protein-derived and carries no preservative, vials are opened under aseptic conditions and withdrawn with a sterile needle or pipette, and the same vial is not re-entered repeatedly over an extended period. A medium-only control is run in parallel, since the preparation contributes free amino acids that alter the composition of the culture medium at higher working concentrations.
Vials are kept sealed, upright, protected from light and refrigerated as stated on the product documentation. Freezing is avoided where possible, since freeze-thaw can precipitate the larger peptide species and shift the size distribution away from the specification. If the solution is not clear on inspection, or shows visible particulate, it is not used. Aliquoting into single-use volumes at first opening is the usual way to avoid both repeated entry and freeze-thaw.
Testing and supply from NuVion
NuVion’s Cerebrolysin is manufactured at a GMP-audited facility and independently tested by Janoshik Analytical, with analysis confirming identity and composition consistent with the specification for the preparation. The Certificate of Analysis for a tested batch is published on the product page and in the COA library. It is supplied as a ready to use solution in sealed vials and dispatched from within Australia.
Related compounds
Defined single peptides studied in the same neuronal culture systems include P21, a hexapeptide identified through epitope mapping of this preparation, along with Semax and Selank.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cerebrolysin used for in research?
It is used in neuronal and glial culture as a multi-component stimulus in neurite outgrowth, cell survival and neurotrophic pathway signalling assays, and as the parent material in fractionation studies that seek to attribute activity to defined constituent peptides.
Why does Cerebrolysin have no molecular weight?
It is a mixture, not a single compound. Controlled proteolysis of purified porcine brain protein followed by filtration gives a distribution of peptides below roughly 10 kDa together with free amino acids, so it is characterised by size distribution and chromatographic fingerprint instead of by a single mass.
Is Cerebrolysin a therapeutic good in Australia?
No. NuVion’s Cerebrolysin is a laboratory chemical for in vitro research. It is not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, has not been assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and is not for human or veterinary use.
How should Cerebrolysin be stored?
Vials are kept sealed, upright, protected from light and refrigerated per the product documentation. Freezing is avoided because freeze-thaw can shift the peptide size distribution, and vials are opened aseptically since the solution carries no preservative.
Research use only. This product is a laboratory chemical supplied for in vitro research. It is not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and has not been assessed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for quality, safety or efficacy. It is not for human or veterinary use, and nothing on this page is a representation about therapeutic use.
