What is the difference between CMS121 and Fasoracetam?

CMS121: CMS121 is a non-peptide small-molecule quinoline, a synthetic analog of the natural flavonoid fisetin, developed to inhibit fatty acid synthase (FASN) and reduce lipid peroxidation in neuronal cells. ... Fasoracetam: Fasoracetam (NS-105, NFC-1) is a non-peptide racetam-class small molecule characterized as a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activator that also modulates acetylcholine release and GABA-B sign...

What does the research say about CMS121 vs Fasoracetam?

CMS121: In APPswe/PS1dE9 double-transgenic mice (a model of Alzheimer's disease), dietary CMS121 (~34 mg/kg/day for 3 months starting at 9 months of age) normalized elevated hippocampal 4-HNE lipid-peroxidation adducts to wild-type levels, reduced 15-LOX2 and GFAP expression, and reversed cognitive deficits in Morris water maze testing to performance indis… Fasoracetam: Human data exist but the compound is not approved anywhere. The best-sourced human study is a completed Phase 1 open-label single-dose PK/single-blind placebo-controlled dose-escalation trial of NFC-1 (fasoracetam) in 30 adolescents (age 12–17) with ADHD carrying mGluR-network gene variants (NCT02286817; Elia et al. 2018, Nature Communications). CG…

CMS121 vs Fasoracetam

Q: Can you stack CMS121 and Fasoracetam?

CMS121 (cognitive) and Fasoracetam (cognitive) are in the same category and may have overlapping mechanisms — researchers should review both profiles carefully before combining. Consult a licensed provider before combining any compounds.

Head-to-head comparison of CMS121 and Fasoracetam — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.

CMS121

CMS121 is a non-peptide small-molecule quinoline, a synthetic analog of the natural flavonoid fisetin, developed to inhibit fatty acid synthase (FASN) and reduce lipid peroxidation in neuronal cells. It has completed a Phase 1 safety and pharmacokinetics trial in healthy volunteers (NCT05318040) but has no approved medical use and no published human efficacy data in Alzheimer's disease or any other condition. The compound is sold by research-chemical suppliers for laboratory use only; some direct-to-consumer vendors incorrectly market it as a "peptide" supplement despite its small-molecule structure.

Profile Prices Testing

Fasoracetam

Fasoracetam (NS-105, NFC-1) is a non-peptide racetam-class small molecule characterized as a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activator that also modulates acetylcholine release and GABA-B signaling. A single Phase 1 trial in 30 adolescents with ADHD and mGluR-network gene variants showed clinical improvement on CGI scales, but broader development was discontinued and fasoracetam has never been approved in any jurisdiction. It is sold only as an unregulated research chemical/nootropic.

Profile Prices Testing

CMS121

Fasoracetam

Category

Cognitive

Legal Status

Research Only

Mechanism

CMS121 was identified via drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) proteomics in HT22 neuronal and HeLa cells as a selective inhibitor of fatty acid synthase (FASN), the only protein in the top three targets for both cell lines. FASN inhibition reduces substrate availability for lipid peroxidation, lowering the peroxidation marker 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and downstream inflammatory mediators including 15-LOX2, GFAP, iNOS, COX2, and TNF-α in mouse hippocampus and cultured neuronal/microglial cells. Note: some commercial reagent suppliers label CMS121 as an acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1) inhibitor in catalog copy, but this designation does not appear in the peer-reviewed mechanistic literature, which identifies FASN as the validated target.

Fasoracetam is characterized in the human trial literature and rodent pharmacology as a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) activator/modulator rather than a classical ionotropic glutamate agent. Rodent studies (Shirayama et al., 1999) demonstrated that it increases acetylcholine release in the cerebral cortex, enhances high-affinity choline uptake in cortex and hippocampus without changing choline acetyltransferase activity, and reverses memory disruption induced by the GABA-B agonist baclofen—suggesting a dual mechanism of facilitating cholinergic neurotransmission and suppressing GABA-B-receptor-mediated responses. No receptor-binding affinity (Ki/EC50) data for specific mGluR subtypes have been located in primary sources.

Side Effects

Phase 1: majority of adverse events mild (93% of 149 total events)

Where Researchers Are Buying

Live · updated daily

COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower

CMS121

Best $/mg

$0.026/mg

Kimera ChemsC

1 trusted vendor listing

Compare all 1 vendor

Fasoracetam

Best $/mg

$0.021/mg

Kimera ChemsC

1 trusted vendor listing

Compare all 1 vendor

Lab Verification

COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.

CMS121

COAs

99.1%

Avg purity

Labs

Full testing data

Fasoracetam

COAs

99.7%

Avg purity

Labs

Full testing data

CMS121 Research Summary

In APPswe/PS1dE9 double-transgenic mice (a model of Alzheimer's disease), dietary CMS121 (~34 mg/kg/day for 3 months starting at 9 months of age) normalized elevated hippocampal 4-HNE lipid-peroxidation adducts to wild-type levels, reduced 15-LOX2 and GFAP expression, and reversed cognitive deficits in Morris water maze testing to performance indistinguishable from wild-type mice. In vitro, CMS121 reduced iNOS, COX2, and TNF-α induction and blunted lipid-peroxidation increases in LPS-activated microglial cell cultures. A completed Phase 1 trial in approximately 100 healthy volunteers (NCT05318040) tested single oral doses up to 1800 mg and repeat doses up to 900 mg/day in young adults (600 mg/day in elderly subjects) for 7 days, reporting generally well-tolerated safety profiles with the majority of adverse events classified as mild; no serious adverse events were reported. Elderly subjects showed higher systemic exposure and longer terminal half-life than young adults, and fed-state exposure was approximately 50% higher than fasted with delayed absorption. No human efficacy data exist in Alzheimer's disease patients or any patient population.

Key references

Fasoracetam Research Summary

Human data exist but the compound is not approved anywhere. The best-sourced human study is a completed Phase 1 open-label single-dose PK/single-blind placebo-controlled dose-escalation trial of NFC-1 (fasoracetam) in 30 adolescents (age 12–17) with ADHD carrying mGluR-network gene variants (NCT02286817; Elia et al. 2018, Nature Communications). CGI-I improved from 3.79 to 2.33 and CGI-S from 4.83 to 3.86 from baseline to week 5 (both P<0.001) in this small, largely uncontrolled sample. In rats (Wistar), fasoracetam reversed memory disruption across scopolamine-, NBM-lesion-, AF64A-, cerebral-ischemia-, baclofen-, and ECS-induced amnesia models, increased cortical acetylcholine release, and enhanced high-affinity choline uptake in cortex and hippocampus (Shirayama et al., 1999).

Can you stack CMS121 and Fasoracetam?

CMS121 and Fasoracetam are both in the Cognitive category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.

Other comparisons

Fasoracetam vs Piracetam CMS121 vs Piracetam Aniracetam vs Fasoracetam Aniracetam vs CMS121 Fasoracetam vs Oxiracetam CMS121 vs Oxiracetam Fasoracetam vs Pramiracetam CMS121 vs Pramiracetam

This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.