PhenotropilФенотропил
What is it?
Phenotropil is a name used for phenylpiracetam (fonturacetam), historically called Carphedon. It is a synthetic phenyl-substituted analogue of piracetam in the racetam family, not a peptide.
Identity / background source ↗
Research context
A phenyl-substituted piracetam analogue connecting early Soviet experimental pharmacology, IMBP development and later clinical studies. Temperature-dependent animal findings, patient trials and healthy-volunteer PK studies address different questions.
- Working classification
- Racetam-derived nootropic
- Research collection
- Related nootropics & combinations · editorial grouping
- Institutional provenance
- Not established for this compound record
- Last evidence review
- Full evidence review pending; source-check scope appears with each publication below.
What do we know?
- Human research
- —Adjunctive epilepsy RCT; observational patient reports
- Study methods
- —Study-specific review scopes; many original methods pending
- Independent replication
- —Independent confirmation not established in this collection
- Source access
- —Tartu proceedings, abstracts, reprints and patent text
- Safety evidence
- —Mixed temperature findings; occupational and long-term safety not established
These are independent review fields, not a rating. Missing evidence in this starter does not mean no research exists.
From Carphedon to Phenotropil.
The early record extends beyond the familiar space-medicine account. A 1987 Tartu report credits synthesis to Perecalin’s group at the Herzen Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. A later IMBP patent proposes uses under extreme environmental conditions. Neither historical purpose nor a patent establishes successful human performance protection.
Chemistry and animal studies
The 1983 Bobkov paper and 1987 Tartu report document behavioral and other preclinical investigations. Earlier chemistry, Ryago’s dissertation and the 1986 proceedings remain acquisition targets.
Tartu primary source ↗The IMBP patent
RU2050851C1 discusses memory and maintaining performance under hypoxia or anoxia. These are the inventors’ proposals, supported by experimental work rather than a verified healthy-operator clinical trial.
Patent record ↗Patient studies and formulation development
Clinical reports address epilepsy, post-stroke recovery, chronic brain ischemia and multiple sclerosis. Healthy-volunteer PK programmes concern exposure and tolerability, not demonstrated performance enhancement.
Randomized trial record ↗Cold and heat gave different results.
| Water temperature | Reported swimming duration | Interpretation boundary |
|---|---|---|
| 2°C | Increased | Animal experiment, not human cold protection. |
| 25°C | Increased | No human occupational outcome established. |
| 45°C | Decreased | Benefit did not generalize to extreme heat in this model. |
The report also discusses motor stimulation, repeated exposure, emotional reactivity, anticonvulsant and hypoxia findings. Its short format and incomplete methods limit interpretation. An unchanged animal motor response over three weeks does not establish absence of tolerance or dependence in humans.
How to read the human evidence.
The 90-patient epilepsy paper describes a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled adjunctive trial. The 1,170-patient TRIUMPH programme is observational. The post-stroke and multiple-sclerosis reports have different populations and comparison limitations. Their sample sizes should not be combined into a healthy-person efficacy claim.
Clinical findings do not establish that Phenotropil preserves watchkeeping accuracy, replaces sleep, or protects against occupational heat and toxic exposure. The Noopept chamber findings and Carphedon animal swimming findings are also not a head-to-head comparison.
Related Noopept environmental-stress collection ↗Mechanisms and historical claims.
The 2023 review places the compound in the IMBP/cosmonaut development tradition. Receptor and enantiomer research offer mechanistic leads; chemical resemblance to piracetam does not establish identical effects. Results for isolated R/S forms should not automatically be assigned to the racemate.
The precise early synthesis date, 2003 registration history and reported ISS-kit inclusion still need original institutional or regulatory records. They are historical leads, not efficacy evidence.
Bibliography, PDFs and next archival targets.
Search for New Drugs — Tartu conference proceedings ↗
Same report as the linked animal record; not independent replication.
Patent text · not a clinical trialSubstance exhibiting nootropic activity — RU2050851C1 ↗
Patent text explicitly proposes maintaining healthy-person performance under extreme factors. Its animal hypoxia results and proposed uses are not clinical validation.
Archival lead · original not recoveredComparative pharmacological characterization of gamma-aminobutyric acid derivatives ↗
The linked proceedings cite the dissertation. The 19-page autoreferat mentioned in chat is not the complete thesis. Original catalogue and full thesis retrieval pending.
Archival lead · original not recoveredCarphedon contribution to Chemistry, Pharmacology and Clinical Use of Neuroleptics ↗
Citation checked in the 1987 report; this link is the citing proceedings, not the 1986 original.
Archival lead · original not recoveredEarly Carphedon pharmacology — exact title pending ↗
Citation checked in the 1987 report. Original title, transliteration and methods require retrieval.
Archival lead · original not recoveredSynthesis and anticonvulsant activity of 4-phenylpyrrolidone acetic-acid amides ↗
Early chemical-family report from the chat/patent trail. Exact compound identities and original paper remain unverified.
Dissertation transcription · original pendingToxicological characteristics of new psychotropic drugs of the actoprotector and nootropic classes ↗
Transcribed dissertation lead includes Carphedon, piracetam and Picamilon. Full thesis and experimental toxicology methods remain unreviewed.
Publisher full text · reviewCognitive disorders and nootropic drugs: mechanism of action and spectrum of effects ↗
Review describes the IMBP/cosmonaut development context and mechanistic literature. Historical account, not a controlled spaceflight trial or independently verified ISS-kit record.
Archival lead · original not recoveredAcute and long-term traumatic brain injury cohorts ↗
Original reports, comparator allocation and numerical findings require recovery. Kept separate from verified study records.
Archival lead · original not recoveredDementia study protocol 39/07 ↗
Chat and historical authorization trail describe a placebo-controlled trial. Official record and published results remain to be recovered; authorization is not completion or positive efficacy.
Archival lead · original not recoveredInjectable versus tablet Phenotropil: PK/safety protocol ↗
Healthy-volunteer crossover registration lead. Original registry and results pending; a PK study does not demonstrate work-capacity benefit.
Archival lead · original not recoveredFonturacetam versus Phenotropil bioequivalence programme ↗
Original registry record and study results pending. Bioequivalence is not evidence of cognitive enhancement in healthy people.
Archival lead · original not recoveredPhenotropil Prolong safety, pharmacokinetics and food-effect protocol ↗
Mirrors describe an open nonrandomized phase I programme. Official status and results are unverified; a listed end date does not establish completed enrollment or published safety findings.
Russian study reprintPhenotropil in early post-stroke outpatient recovery — reprint ↗
Same 120-patient report as the study record. Manufacturer-hosted copy, not an independent publication.
Linked sources
Explore the research map and unresolved leads ↗
Pharmacological characteristics of a new phenyl analog of piracetam—4-phenylpiracetam
Yu. G. Bobkov, I. S. Morozov, O. M. Glozman, L. N. Nerobkova, L. A. Zhmurenko · Biull Eksp Biol Med. 95(4):50–53
The abstract describes operant-behavior, amnesia and other neuropharmacological findings for 4-phenylpiracetam compared with related compounds.
- Population / setting
- Experimental comparative pharmacology
- What was checked
- Primary bibliographic record and abstract checked; complete methods appraisal pending.
Limitations & review scope
- Preclinical findings do not establish effects in cosmonauts or healthy workers.
- Original full text and compound-specific methods remain to be recovered.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.
Pharmacological characterization of Carphedon
L. K. Ryago, A. M. Zharkovsky, M. O. Maimets, V. V. Perecalin, L. G. Polevoy, M. Ya. Otter · Search for New Drugs, Tartu, 29 October 1987, pp. 101–103
This conference report attributes synthesis to Perecalin’s group at the Herzen Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. It reports longer swimming at 2°C and 25°C, but shorter swimming at 45°C.
- Population / setting
- Rat/mouse experiments; animal swimming at 2°C, 25°C and 45°C
- What was checked
- University-hosted proceedings and OCR of pp. 101–103 checked, including the synthesis attribution, temperature comparison and references. Local PDF download timed out.
Limitations & review scope
- A short conference report, not a human occupational trial.
- OCR checked; original experimental datasets, group sizes and bias assessment remain incomplete.
- Unchanged motor stimulation during three weeks of administration is not proof of absent human tolerance or dependence.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.
Experience using Phenotropil in outpatients during early recovery after ischemic stroke
L. V. Bagir, T. T. Batysheva, A. N. Boyko, E. V. Kostenko, T. M. Manevich, O. V. Matvievskaya · Consilium Medicum. No. 8, 2006; eight-page reprint
The report describes before/after changes in cognitive and functional measures. It also reports worse subjective tolerability in the higher-exposure group.
- Population / setting
- 120 post-stroke outpatients; two active-treatment groups
- What was checked
- Original article reprint, title page and indexed methods/results checked; numerical outcomes not independently reanalyzed.
Limitations & review scope
- No untreated/placebo group in the described comparison.
- Recovery over time and other care limit causal attribution.
- Patient outcomes do not establish healthy-person performance enhancement.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.
The efficacy of add-on treatment with phenotropil in adult patients with locally-induced epilepsy
O. V. Grebeniuk, N. G. Zhukova, V. M. Alifirova · Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 114(11 Pt 2):27–31
The abstract describes a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial and reports seizure/cognitive findings, with qualifications concerning EEG status. It also reports that negative effects of baseline therapy persisted in some patients.
- Population / setting
- 90 adults; adjunct to standard antiepileptic therapy
- What was checked
- Primary bibliographic record and abstract checked; complete methods appraisal pending.
Limitations & review scope
- Full allocation, attrition, endpoint reporting and safety appraisal are pending.
- Completer response percentages from the chat are not reproduced without checking denominators.
- This is disease-specific adjunctive care, not an indication to self-treat seizures.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.
Treatment of asthenic syndrome in chronic brain ischemia: TRIUMPH observational programme
A. I. Fedin, E. Yu. Solovyeva, O. P. Mironova, A. V. Fedotova · Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 114(12):104–111
Asthenia ratings decreased over follow-up in this non-interventional programme. The publication is indexed as 2014.
- Population / setting
- 1,170 patients aged 45–65 with chronic brain ischemia
- What was checked
- Primary bibliographic record and abstract checked; complete methods appraisal pending.
Limitations & review scope
- No randomized untreated comparator; improvement cannot be assigned entirely to the drug.
- A large cohort does not remove confounding or establish healthy-worker efficacy.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.
Experience using Phenotropil in combined treatment of multiple sclerosis
D. V. Sazonov, O. V. Ryabukhina, E. V. Bulatova, N. A. Malkova, A. V. Babenko · Atmosfera. Nervnye bolezni. No. 4, 2010, as labeled by host
The report examines asthenia, mood and quality-of-life measures during adjunctive treatment. Most participants also received disease-modifying therapy.
- Population / setting
- 39 patients with relapsing or secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis
- What was checked
- Original study text in a medical-portal reprint checked; publication edition not independently matched.
Limitations & review scope
- Uncontrolled adjunctive design; treatment contributions cannot be separated.
- The host labels the reprint as Atmosfera, No. 4, 2010; earlier reprints circulate and edition matching remains open.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.
Investigation into Stereoselective Pharmacological Activity of Phenotropil
L. Zvejniece et al. · Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 109:407–412
The study compares the pharmacological activity of different stereochemical forms, emphasizing why results for an isolated enantiomer should not automatically be assigned to the racemate.
- Population / setting
- Preclinical comparison of racemate and R/S enantiomers
- What was checked
- Primary bibliographic record and abstract checked; complete methods appraisal pending.
Limitations & review scope
- Animal findings are not a human efficacy comparison.
- Do not equate all phenylpiracetam derivatives or enantiomer products.
Source checked 2026-09-29. This is a source-linked record, not a completed evidence review.