What it is
Selank is a peptide made of 7 amino acids. It is made in a lab. It copies tuftsin, a 4 amino acid immune peptide the spleen makes. Three extra amino acids were added to the end so the body breaks it down slower. Scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences built it. It has been an approved anti-anxiety drug in Russia since 2009, sold as a nasal spray. Other names: TP-7, Selank acetate.
What researchers study it for
- Anxiety in people and animals
- BDNF and other brain growth proteins
- Memory recovery in animals after brain damage
- Immune gene activity in mice
- Stress hormones in animals
What the studies found
1. People with anxiety disorders improved.
A 2008 Russian study gave nasal Selank to patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Anxiety scores dropped. The effect was about as strong as benzodiazepines, the standard anxiety drugs. Patients did not get sleepy, did not lose focus, and did not become dependent. This study is what got Selank approved in Russia. It has not been repeated in a Western trial.
2. It raised BDNF in the rat hippocampus.
BDNF is a protein that keeps brain cells alive and helps them form new connections. After nasal Selank, BDNF in the hippocampus rose 30 to 45 percent within 24 hours. Two other brain growth proteins, NGF and NT-3, also rose. This is why researchers think Selank affects memory, not just anxiety.
3. It restored memory in rats that had brain damage before birth.
Rats that get too little oxygen before birth have lifelong learning problems. Selank brought their learning and memory scores back to 60 to 75 percent of normal. This shows it can improve damage that already exists, not just prevent new damage.
4. It changed more than 50 immune genes in mouse spleen.
Selank comes from an immune peptide, so researchers checked what it does to immune cells. In mouse spleen, it changed the activity of more than 50 genes tied to inflammation and immune signaling. So Selank affects the immune system, not only the brain.
5. Immune gene changes start within 30 minutes.
A 2014 follow-up tracked four immune genes over 90 minutes after a Selank injection in mice. One gene, C3, dropped 3-fold at 30 minutes. Others changed at 60 and 90 minutes. This shows the immune effects are fast, not slow.
6. The nose route puts more of it in the brain than in the blood.
Researchers compared injection routes for this family of peptides. The nasal route gave the highest brain-to-blood ratio, with the most build-up in the parts of the brain that handle fear and emotion. Half of it leaves the blood in 1 to 3 minutes, but anxiety effects in animals last 3 to 6 hours.
How much research exists
Many animal studies, most in international journals. Human trials exist but are Russian-language and small. No Western agency has reviewed Selank.
Facts
- Formula: C33H57N11O9
- Weight: 751.9 g/mol
- CAS number: 129954-34-3
- Sequence: Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro
- Time in the blood: 1 to 3 minutes. Brain effects last longer.
- Storage: freeze the dry powder. Keep mixed solution in the fridge.
Legal status
Approved as a prescription drug in Russia and Ukraine. Not approved by the FDA or any Western agency for human use.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.