Selank
Published research and evidence base
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) derived from the immunomodulatory tetrapeptide tuftsin, developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow. Proposed mechanisms include inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, allosteric modulation of GABA-A receptor signalling, and regulation of BDNF and inflammation-related gene expression. Human data consist of a small number of Russian comparative trials in generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia, plus one placebo-controlled resting-state fMRI study in healthy volunteers. Almost the entire literature originates from a small group of Russian laboratories, and independent Western replication is absent.
- Studies cited
- 15
- Published 2023+
- 0
- Newest paper
- 2022
- Last reviewed
- Aug 2026
Recurring themes in the literature
- anxiolytic
- tuftsin analogue
- enkephalin-degrading enzyme inhibition
- GABAergic gene expression
- BDNF
- intranasal peptide
- neuroinflammation
- benzodiazepine-sparing
Compound identifiers
- CAS
- 129954-34-3
- PubChem
- 11765600
What Selank is, chemically.
- Molecular formula
- C33H57N11O9
- Molecular weight
- 751.9 g/mol
- CAS number
- 129954-34-3
- PubChem CID
- 11765600
Selanc
These figures come from the PubChem record for this compound and describe the free base. Lyophilised peptide is normally supplied as an acetate or trifluoroacetate salt and carries residual water, so the mass of powder in a vial is not the same quantity as the molecular weight above would suggest. Chromatographic purity on a certificate of analysis does not resolve that difference either — how to read a certificate of analysis explains why.
15 published studies.
Ordered by strength of study design, then by recency. Every entry links to its source record so the finding can be checked against the paper rather than taken on our word.
- 01Human clinical2020
Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects
Panikratova YR, et al. · Doklady Biological Sciences · placebo-controlled resting-state fMRI, 52 healthy participants; Semax, Selank or placebo, scanned before and 5 and 20 min after administration
Group and condition differences were detected in functional connectivity between the right amygdala and right temporal/parahippocampal cortex. The authors described both shared and compound-specific connectivity effects for Selank and Semax.
- 02Human clinical2015· Russian (English abstract)
[Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank]
Medvedev VE, et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · randomised controlled trial, n=70; phenazepam monotherapy (n=30) vs phenazepam plus selank (n=40) in anxiety-phobic, hypochondriac and somatoform disorders
Combined treatment reached the therapeutic HDRS effect earlier than phenazepam alone and was associated with fewer benzodiazepine-related adverse effects, including attention and memory impairment, sedation and asthenia. SF-36 quality-of-life scores favoured the combination arm.
- 03Human clinical2014· Russian (English abstract)
[A comparison of the anxiolytic effect and tolerability of selank and phenazepam in the treatment of anxiety disorders]
Medvedev VE, et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · comparative clinical trial, n=60 patients with phobic-anxiety and somatoform disorders (ICD-10 F40.2-9, F41.1-9, F45.0-1)
The authors reported an anxiolytic effect with a mild nootropic component, persisting for approximately one week after the last dose. Quality-of-life ratings improved during treatment.
- 04Human clinical2008· Russian (English abstract)
[Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia]
Zozulia AA, et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · randomised comparative trial, n=62 patients with generalised anxiety disorder or neurasthenia; selank (n=30) vs medazepam (n=32)
Anxiolytic effects of selank and medazepam were reported as similar on Hamilton, Zung and CGI scales, with additional antiasthenic and psychostimulant effects attributed to selank. Treatment was associated with an increase in leucine-enkephalin half-life in serum, which the authors linked to symptom change.
- 05Human clinical2008· Russian (English abstract)
[Immunomodulatory effects of selank in patients with anxiety-asthenic disorders]
Uchakina ON, et al. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · clinical study with in vitro component; patients with generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia treated for 14 days
Selank altered the serum Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in treated patients and suppressed IL-6 gene expression in peripheral blood cells from patients but not healthy controls in vitro.
- 06Animal in vivo2022
Selank, a Peptide Analog of Tuftsin, Attenuates Aversive Signs of Morphine Withdrawal in Rats
Konstantinopolsky MA, Chernyakova IV, Kolik LG · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · rat morphine withdrawal model
Selank reduced aversive behavioural signs of morphine withdrawal in rats. This is the most recent primary Selank research article indexed in PubMed.
- 07Animal in vivo2019
Selank, Peptide Analogue of Tuftsin, Protects Against Ethanol-Induced Memory Impairment by Regulating of BDNF Content in the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex in Rats
Kolik LG, et al. · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · rats, ethanol-induced memory impairment; hippocampal and prefrontal cortex BDNF measurement
Selank attenuated ethanol-induced memory impairment in rats, an effect the authors associated with changes in BDNF content in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.
- 08Animal in vivo2017
Peptide Selank Enhances the Effect of Diazepam in Reducing Anxiety in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Conditions in Rats
Kasian A, et al. · Behavioural Neurology · rats, unpredictable chronic mild stress paradigm, Selank with and without diazepam
Co-administration of Selank modified the anxiolytic effect of diazepam under chronic mild stress, consistent with the hypothesis of shared benzodiazepine-like mechanisms.
- 09Animal in vivo2016
Selank Administration Affects the Expression of Some Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission
Volkova A, et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology · rat frontal cortex, 84-gene neurotransmission qPCR panel at 1 h and 3 h after Selank or GABA (300 microg/kg)
Forty-five of 84 neurotransmission-related genes changed expression 1 h after administration and 22 at 3 h, with correlated changes between Selank and GABA. The authors proposed allosteric modulation of the GABAergic system as one possible mechanism.
- 10Animal in vivo2008
Intranasal administration of the peptide Selank regulates BDNF expression in the rat hippocampus in vivo
Inozemtseva LS, et al. · Doklady Biological Sciences · intranasal administration in rats, hippocampal BDNF expression
Intranasally administered Selank altered BDNF expression in the rat hippocampus, providing an early link between the peptide and neurotrophin signalling.
- 11In vitro2017
GABA, Selank, and Olanzapine Affect the Expression of Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission in IMR-32 Cells
Filatova E, et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology · IMR-32 human neuroblastoma cell line
Selank changed expression of GABAergic neurotransmission genes in a neuronal cell line, with partial overlap to the profiles produced by GABA and olanzapine.
- 12In vitro2017
Effect of Selank on Spontaneous Synaptic Activity of Rat Hippocampal CA1 Neurons
Povarov IS, et al. · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · rat hippocampal slice electrophysiology, CA1 pyramidal neurons
Selank altered spontaneous synaptic activity in hippocampal CA1 neurons, providing direct electrophysiological evidence of an effect on hippocampal network signalling.
- 13In vitro2001
The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity
Zozulya AA, et al. · Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · human plasma enzymology plus patient sampling in anxiety and phobic disorders (DSM-IV)
Selank dose-dependently inhibited enzymatic hydrolysis of plasma enkephalin with an IC50 of approximately 15 microM, more potently than bacitracin or puromycin. Patients with generalised anxiety showed shortened enkephalin half-life at baseline.
- 14Review2020
The occurrence of putative cognitive enhancing research peptides in seized pharmaceutical preparations: An incentive for controlling agencies to prepare for future encounters of the kind
Vanhee C, et al. · Drug Testing and Analysis · analytical study of seized illicit pharmaceutical preparations
Selank and Semax were identified among cognitive-enhancing research peptides present in seized preparations, documenting non-prescription circulation of these compounds outside Russia.
- 15Review2018
Peptide-based Anxiolytics: The Molecular Aspects of Heptapeptide Selank Biological Activity
Vyunova TV, et al. · Protein and Peptide Letters · narrative review of molecular mechanisms
The review summarised proposed molecular targets of Selank, including enkephalinase inhibition, GABA-receptor system interaction and gene-expression effects, and noted that a specific receptor has not been identified.
What this evidence does not establish.
No randomised, placebo-controlled Selank trial has been conducted or published outside Russia, no Phase III programme exists, and there are no primary Selank research articles indexed in PubMed after 2022. Pharmacokinetics, a defined molecular receptor, long-term safety and any effect on cognition in healthy adults remain unestablished.
Common questions about the research.
- What is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide analogue of tuftsin, an immune-derived tetrapeptide, extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro sequence that slows enzymatic breakdown. It was developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow and is studied chiefly in anxiety and stress models.
- What does the research literature actually describe?
Preclinical work reports effects on GABAergic gene expression, on monoamine and enkephalin metabolism, and on behaviour in rodent stress models. A small Russian clinical literature examines intranasal courses against benzodiazepine comparators. None of this establishes an outcome in humans outside those study settings, and nothing here should be read as a claim about what the compound does for a person.
- How does Selank differ from Semax?
Both are Pro-Gly-Pro-stabilised Russian research heptapeptides, but their parent sequences differ. Selank derives from tuftsin and is studied in anxiety and stress models; Semax derives from ACTH(4-7) and is studied in neurotrophic and ischaemia models. The two are frequently co-studied, which is why they appear together in the literature.
Available from our catalog
For research purposes only. Not for human consumption, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of any condition. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and no study summarised here should be read as a recommendation.