Physicochemical and structural analysis of N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (Noopept) – An active pharmaceutical ingredient with nootropic activity

N-Phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester (Noopept, GVS-111, omberacetam) is an orally available active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), with neuroprotective properties and ability to enhance cognitive function. It belongs to nootropic family of drugs and is included in the group of racetams, although its chemical structure is quite different than the other compounds from this group, including the most popular one - piracetam. The mechanism of action of this API is multifaced and is considered to be involving modulation of various neurotransmitter systems within the brain. Despite the significant amount of works devoted to the pharmacodynamics of Noopept, very little is known about its structural and physicochemical properties. Therefore, the aim of current study was to investigate this API in a very thorough way. In this work, the detailed physicochemical analysis of Noopept has been done using TGA/DSC, ¹H and ¹³C liquid state NMR, ¹³C CP/MAS NMR, SEM, SCXRD, and PXRD. Additionally, quantum chemical DFT computations under periodic boundary conditions, using CASTEP, were conducted to facilitate the analysis of experimental results. Besides, we've performed a polymorphism screening of this molecule.