P21

Description

P21 Peptide
The P21 (also identified as P021) is a synthetic peptide designed to mimic the activity of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) on the brain without triggering an allergic response. CNTF is a protein that promotes the survival and differentiation of various neural cells, including neurons and oligodendrocytes. CNTF has been suggested to exhibit possible neuroprotective and neurodegenerative activity in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases and injuries. Scientists identified CNTF’s most active regions based on epitope mapping of neutralizing antibodies to CNTF.(1) This led to the development of Peptide 6, made of 11 amino acids (Ac-VGDGGLFEKKL-NH(2)) and a subsequence of just 4 amino acids called Peptide 6c (Ac-DGGL-NH(2)).
These amino acids have been theorized to support hippocampus-dependent learning and memory, increase neurogenesis, and potentially boost neuronal plasticity, as posited in murine models. To improve the stability of the peptide and boost its potential to pass through the blood-brain barrier, the scientists report that they “added adamantane building blocks to the C-terminus or both C- and N-termini of Peptide 6c.” The result is P21, which appears to have the potential to mimic the action of CNTF by activating the CNTF receptor complex and downstream signaling pathways, possibly leading to enhanced cognition, increased proliferation, and neuronal differentiation of adult hippocampal progenitors in murine models.