Selank
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide analog of the immunomodulator tuftsin, developed in Russia and studied there as an anxiolytic/nootropic, with clinical evidence largely limited to Russian-language trials alongside a substantial preclinical rodent literature.
This page is a research-orientation summary, not a dosing guide. For anything beyond general background, read the primary literature or talk to a qualified clinician — specifics like amount, frequency, or administration aren't something we publish here.
What it does & how it works
Selank is structurally related to tuftsin with an added C-terminal tripeptide, and is proposed to act by inhibiting enzymes that degrade endogenous enkephalins, thereby prolonging opioid-peptide signaling, while also modulating GABAergic and monoaminergic neurotransmission. Preclinical work additionally reports effects on hippocampal and prefrontal-cortex BDNF expression and on hippocampal synaptic activity, suggesting effects beyond simple enkephalin protection.
Typical results seen in research
A Russian randomized comparator trial in patients with generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia found anxiolytic efficacy comparable to the benzodiazepine medazepam, with additional antiasthenic and mild psychostimulant effects and changes in serum enkephalin activity. Rodent studies report anxiolytic effects in stress models (including potentiating diazepam), protection against ethanol-induced memory impairment, and attenuation of opioid-withdrawal signs; overall the evidence base is real but geographically narrow, and independent replication outside Russia-affiliated research groups is limited.
How it’s commonly used
Selank is administered intranasally as a nasal-drop solution, the route used in both its Russian clinical studies and its regulatory approval there; it is not administered orally or by injection in standard use.
- Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · 2008 [Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia]
- Behavioural Neurology · 2017 Peptide Selank Enhances the Effect of Diazepam in Reducing Anxiety in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Conditions in Rats
- Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine · 2019 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 · 2017 Effect of Selank on Spontaneous Synaptic Activity of Rat Hippocampal CA1 Neurons
Curated from published literature for research orientation. Not an exhaustive review, and not a substitute for reading primary sources.