Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) developed in Russia as an analogue of the natural immunomodulatory tetrapeptide tuftsin with an added C-terminal stabilising tail. Studied in anxiolytic, cognitive, and GABAergic-neurotransmission preclinical contexts.
Definition
Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide (sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) developed at the Russian Academy of Sciences as a peptide-based anxiolytic candidate. The molecule was designed as a metabolically-stabilised analogue of tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), the natural immunomodulatory tetrapeptide cleaved from the heavy-chain of immunoglobulin G. The tripeptide tail (-Pro-Gly-Pro) added to the C-terminus of the tuftsin sequence confers resistance to proteolytic degradation and extends the in-vivo half-life sufficiently to support intranasal administration with measurable central-nervous-system effects.
The compound is not approved for therapeutic use by Health Canada, the FDA, the EMA, the TGA, or other major Western regulators. Selank is approved for clinical use in the Russian Federation under the regulatory framework for that jurisdiction. Research-grade Selank is supplied as a lyophilised peptide for laboratory research applications only.
How Selank is studied in peptide research
The published mechanistic research centres on GABAergic and BDNF signalling. The Volkova characterisation documented effects on the expression of genes involved in GABAergic neurotransmission (PMID 26924987). The Filatova follow-up in IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells examined GABA, Selank, and olanzapine interactions in the same gene-expression framework (PMID 28293190). The Kolik work documented protection against ethanol-induced memory impairment with regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PMID 31625062). Stress-response and cytokine-modulation work has examined the peptide in social-stress (PMID 32621722) and chronic-foot-shock (PMID 31243679) models, with morphine-withdrawal attenuation reported in the Konstantinopolsky study (PMID 36322304).
The published research base is centred predominantly in Russian research groups with comparatively limited cross-laboratory replication outside that scientific community. Translation of the preclinical findings into Western-regulator clinical contexts has not occurred.
Related terms
- Tuftsin (parent tetrapeptide)
- Heptapeptide
- GABAergic neurotransmission
- BDNF / brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- Anxiolytic
- Intranasal administration
Where Selank appears in the Ronin catalog
- Selank 10mg — single-compound vial, lyophilized white powder under inert gas
References
- Volkova A et al. Selank Administration Affects the Expression of Some Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission. Front Pharmacol 2016;7:31. [PMID 26924987]
- Filatova E et al. GABA, Selank, and Olanzapine Affect the Expression of Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission in IMR-32 Cells. Front Pharmacol 2017;8:89. [PMID 28293190]
- Fomenko EV et al. Effect of Selank on Morphological Parameters of Rat Liver in Chronic Foot-Shock Stress. Bull Exp Biol Med 2019;167(1):29-31. [PMID 31243679]
- Kolik LG 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. Bull Exp Biol Med 2019;167(5):641-644. [PMID 31625062]
- Leonidovna YA et al. The Influence of Selank on the Level of Cytokines Under the Conditions of “Social” Stress. Curr Rev Clin Exp Pharmacol 2021;16(1):95-102. [PMID 32621722]
- Konstantinopolsky MA et al. Selank, a Peptide Analog of Tuftsin, Attenuates Aversive Signs of Morphine Withdrawal in Rats. Bull Exp Biol Med 2022;173(6):741-744. [PMID 36322304]
Glossary entries describe research-context use of peptide-research terminology. They do not constitute medical, veterinary, or clinical advice. Selank is sold strictly as a research-grade reagent for laboratory and bench research applications.