Peptides Academy
Selank
Research-Grade
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) designed as an analog of the endogenous peptide tuftsin. In early mouse studies it reduced anxiety-like behaviour in a genetically anxious strain across a wide dose range, without the inhibitory behavioural side effects typical of benzodiazepine tranquillizers, and its developers described it as a candidate anxioselective drug. Human evidence comes from small studies published in Russian. In 62 patients with generalized anxiety disorder or neurasthenia, Selank's anxiolytic effect was similar to that of the benzodiazepine medazepam, and the authors also reported anti-asthenic and psychostimulant effects. A 60-patient comparison with phenazepam in anxiety and somatoform disorders reported a pronounced anxiolytic and mild nootropic effect that lasted about a week after the last dose, and a 70-patient study found that adding Selank to phenazepam reduced several of phenazepam's side effects. None of these trials has been replicated by independent groups outside Russia, and US clinical pharmacologists have described Selank as a poorly studied drug with a GABAergic mechanism whose abuse potential has not been evaluated. Proposed mechanisms come mostly from laboratory work: inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes in human plasma, changes in the expression of GABA-related genes in rat brain consistent with allosteric modulation of the GABAergic system, effects on BDNF in rat hippocampus and frontal cortex, and shifts in cytokine balance in patient blood. Selank is not an FDA-approved drug, and in the US it is a research-only compound.
Specifications
| Origin / Manufacturer | Synthetic |
| Form Factor | Intranasal spray / lyophilized powder |
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & References
Every clinical claim on this page traces to a primary peer-reviewed source.
- 1Seredenin SB, Kozlovskaia MM, Blednov IuA, et al.. [The anxiolytic action of an analog of the endogenous peptide tuftsin on inbred mice with different phenotypes of the emotional stress reaction]. Zhurnal vysshei nervnoi deiatelnosti imeni I P Pavlova. 1998;48(1):153-60. PMID:9583175
- 2Zozulya AA, Kost NV, Yu Sokolov O, et al.. The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2001;131(4):315-7. doi:10.1023/a:1017979514274 PMID:11550013
- 3Kost NV, Sokolov OIu, Gabaeva MV, et al.. [Semax and selank inhibit the enkephalin-degrading enzymes from human serum]]. Bioorganicheskaia khimiia. 2001;27(3):180-3. doi:10.1023/a:1011373002885 PMID:11443939
- 4Zozulia AA, Neznamov GG, Siuniakov TS, et al.. [Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. 2008;108(4):38-48. PMID:18454096
- 5Uchakina ON, Uchakin PN, Miasoedov NF, et al.. [Immunomodulatory effects of selank in patients with anxiety-asthenic disorders]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. 2008;108(5):71-5. PMID:18577961
- 6Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Israelian AIu, et al.. [A comparison of the anxiolytic effect and tolerability of selank and phenazepam in the treatment of anxiety disorders]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. 2014;114(7):17-22. PMID:25176261
- 7Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Kost NV, et al.. [Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank]. Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. 2015;115(6):33-40. doi:10.17116/jnevro20151156133-40 PMID:26356395
- 8Volkova A, Shadrina M, Kolomin T, et al.. Selank Administration Affects the Expression of Some Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission. Frontiers in pharmacology. 2016;7:31. doi:10.3389/fphar.2016.00031 PMID:26924987
- 9Kolik LG, Nadorova AV, Antipova TA, et al.. Selank, Peptide Analogue of Tuftsin, Protects Against Ethanol-Induced Memory Impairment by Regulating of BDNF Content in the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex in Rats. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine. 2019;167(5):641-644. doi:10.1007/s10517-019-04588-9 PMID:31625062
- 10Doyno CR, White CM. Sedative-Hypnotic Agents That Impact Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptors: Focus on Flunitrazepam, Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid, Phenibut, and Selank. Journal of clinical pharmacology. 2021;61 Suppl 2:S114-S128. doi:10.1002/jcph.1922 PMID:34396551
- 11U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. FDA Human Drug Compounding. 2026.
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