Selank
Brand: SelankAlso known as: Selanc, TP-7, Tuftsin analog, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro
An anxiolytic heptapeptide analog of the immune peptide tuftsin, registered as a medicine in Russia but not FDA-approved. Human anxiety data exists but sits mostly in Russian-language literature that is hard to independently verify.
Registered and prescribed as an anxiolytic in Russia (marketed as Selank/Selanc) since around 2009. It is NOT FDA-approved and not approved in the US, EU, or most other countries, where it is sold only as a research chemical.
What it is
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), an analog of the natural immune peptide tuftsin extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail to make it more metabolically stable. It is used as an intranasal anxiolytic with reported nootropic effects. Like Semax, its regulatory status is split: a registered medicine in Russia, a research chemical almost everywhere else.
What it’s approved or studied for
Selank is registered and prescribed as an anxiolytic in Russia (marketed as Selank/Selanc), used mainly for anxiety and adjustment/neurasthenic disorders. It is not FDA-approved and not approved in the US, EU, or most other jurisdictions, where it is sold only for research use. That distinction is the most important fact about its status.
What human evidence exists
Human data exists — including a randomized Russian trial comparing Selank against a benzodiazepine in generalized anxiety and neurasthenia — but it sits almost entirely in Russian-language literature that is difficult to independently verify and has not been replicated in Western-standard randomized trials. The anxiety findings are therefore graded Preliminary (Grade C) with an explicit sourcing caveat: the studies exist and are broadly encouraging, but they can’t be independently checked and the methodology differs from modern regulatory expectations. Cognitive claims and the neurochemical mechanism are weaker (Grade D), resting on smaller studies and rodent work.
The major unknowns
Whether the Russian anxiolytic results would survive independent, blinded, Western-standard trials is unknown. Long-term safety outside supervised Russian clinical use is poorly characterized (Grade U), independent human pharmacokinetic data are lacking, and research-chemical product sold outside Russia has uncontrolled quality and identity.
Most important safety considerations
Selank is generally described as well tolerated and non-sedating in Russian clinical use, with no reported dependence — but independent long-term safety data are lacking, and product bought as a research chemical is unregulated. Approval in one country is not approval, or verification, where you are. This page summarizes the research record; it is not medical advice or an endorsement of use.
Evidence by outcome
Each outcome is graded on its own evidence — a compound can be strong for one use and unproven for another. See how we grade.
Russian trials report benefit comparable to benzodiazepines; not independently verified. — Russian clinical studies, including a randomized comparison against a benzodiazepine in generalized anxiety and neurasthenia, report anxiolytic effects with good tolerability and no dependence. These are largely Russian-language trials without independent Western replication, so the grade stays Preliminary (Grade C) with a strong sourcing caveat.
Early and mostly preclinical or small-study data. — Some Russian reports describe attention and mental-performance effects, but the human data here are thinner than for anxiety and lean on animal work; treat as preclinical-to-preliminary.
Preclinical mechanism, mainly in cells and rodents. — Cell and rodent studies show Selank affects GABAergic gene expression, serotonin turnover, enkephalin metabolism, and BDNF — a plausible mechanism, but not proof of human clinical benefit.
Poorly characterized outside Russian clinical use; no independent long-term data.
Safety
Common adverse effects
- Generally reported as well tolerated in Russian clinical use
- without sedation or dependence; independent tolerability data limited
Serious risks
- Not well characterized by independent research; unregulated research-chemical product quality outside Russia
Contraindications
- No independently established contraindication set; not approved for human use outside Russia
References
- Kolomin T et al. Selank administration affects the expression of some genes involved in GABAergic neurotransmission. Frontiers in Pharmacology (2016)
- Peptide Selank Enhances the Effect of Diazepam in Reducing Anxiety in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Conditions in Rats. BioMed Research International (2017)
- Selank — overview and regulatory status (Wikipedia)