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Catalog/Selank

Selank

Synthetic heptapeptide analog of tuftsin investigated as an anxiolytic.

Overview

Selank is a synthetic analog of the immunomodulatory peptide tuftsin, developed in Russia. Reported activity includes anxiolytic effects without sedation or dependence in clinical and preclinical work.

Background

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide based on tuftsin, an immunomodulatory peptide fragment. Like Semax, it was developed in Russia, where it is used clinically as an anxiolytic.

Research interest centers on achieving anxiolytic and mild cognitive effects without the sedation, dependence, or withdrawal associated with benzodiazepines. Proposed mechanisms include modulation of GABAergic and serotonergic signaling and inhibition of enkephalin breakdown. It is not FDA-approved.

Mechanism

Modulation of GABAergic and serotonergic systems; enkephalinase inhibition.

Key research findings

  • Anxiolytic activity — clinical studies report an anxiolytic effect comparable to benzodiazepines but without sedation or dependence.
  • GABAergic modulation — alters expression of genes in GABAergic neurotransmission and modulates GABA-A complexes allosterically, without binding the benzodiazepine site directly (Front Pharmacol, 2017).
  • Serotonergic & enkephalin effects — also modulates serotonin metabolism and inhibits enkephalin breakdown — a multi-system rather than single-receptor profile.
  • Compared to Semax — the same Russian neuropeptide lineage, but Selank soothes (anxiety) where Semax sharpens (cognition).
  • Evidence quality — approved and used in Russia; not FDA-approved, and Western replication is limited.

How Selank is made

Behind every vial of Selank is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how Selank, specifically, is brought into being.

  1. On paper first

    On paper, Selank is C33H57N11O9 — about 751.9 daltons of precisely arranged atoms. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.

  2. Built residue by residue

    Assembling Selank means roughly 7 coupling cycles on the synthesizer — one protected residue added at a time, which is also 7 chances for an incomplete coupling to seed a deletion impurity. It is a short sequence, which makes the build comparatively tractable — but short does not mean trivial, and purity is still won or lost downstream.

  3. Purity is won here

    The crude mixture — Selank plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one.

  4. Proven, then protected

    A real batch of Selank proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry against its ~751.9 Da, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of Selank — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.

Walk the full synthesis pipeline

Handling, storage & why purity is hard

Producing Selank to a genuine purity spec means solid-phase synthesis, preparative HPLC purification, and batch quality control — none of it cheap, and none of it something you can verify by eye.

Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.

How peptides are made — the full pipeline

Research areas

  • Generalized anxiety
  • Cognitive performance

Research-area guides

Latest research

Recent clinical trials and publications mentioning Selank, pulled automatically from ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed and refreshed daily. Listings are unfiltered search results, not curated endorsements.

Frequently asked questions

What is Selank?+

Selank is a synthetic tuftsin analog studied as an anxiolytic, used clinically in Russia, with reported calming effects without sedation or dependence.

How does it differ from benzodiazepines?+

Research interest is in anxiolytic effects without the sedation, tolerance, and withdrawal characteristic of benzodiazepines, via different proposed mechanisms.

Is Selank approved?+

It is approved and used in Russia but is a research compound elsewhere; it is not FDA-approved. This page is a research and educational reference.

What is it studied for?+

Generalized anxiety and cognitive performance.

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Ask the Agent about Selank

Dosing protocols, mechanism, comparisons, and the latest trials — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.