Selank: Identity, Origin and Research Status

What Selank is

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, about 751.9 Da. It is built on tuftsin, a four-residue fragment of immunoglobulin G (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), extended at the C-terminus with Pro-Gly-Pro. Most of the published work comes from Russian research institutes. It is not a licensed medicine in the UK.

Names and spellings

"Selank" is the usual name. Older papers also call it TP-7 and describe it as a tuftsin analogue. It is a different molecule from tuftsin itself and from Semax.

Supplied form

Lyophilised powder in a 10mg single-compound vial, listed on the Selank 10mg product page. The Selank buying guide covers the catalogue side.

Development and regulatory status

Selank has no UK marketing authorisation, and we have found no approval from the FDA or the EMA. The clinical literature is small and largely in Russian. Nothing on this page implies that Selank is licensed, prescribable or available for human use in the UK.

What the evidence establishes

Animal findings

Published studies are in rats and mice. Examples:

•A rat model of morphine withdrawal (2022).
•A rat model of ethanol-induced memory impairment, with brain-derived neurotrophic factor measured in brain tissue (2019).
•Rat studies of anxiety-related behaviour using TP-7, the older name (2006).

Gene-expression findings

Studies in mouse spleen and rat hippocampus report changes in the expression of immune-related and membrane-protein genes after Selank. These are mRNA measurements in animal tissue. On their own they say nothing about function in people.

Human data

One randomised comparison in 62 patients with generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia, comparing Selank with medazepam, was published in Russian in 2008. It is small, used an active comparator rather than placebo, and we found no independent replication. It concerns a clinical product in diagnosed patients and cannot be transferred to a research reagent.

What Selank is often confused with

Compound	Parent	Sequence
Selank	Tuftsin	Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro
Tuftsin	Immunoglobulin G heavy chain	Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg
Semax	ACTH(4-10)	Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro

Selank and Semax share a Pro-Gly-Pro extension at the C-terminus, which is why they are listed together. They come from different parent peptides and are not interchangeable. Semax and Selank are compared on their own page, and the Semax research overview covers the other compound. The rest of this group is in the nootropic category.

Analytical documentation

The product record lists batch 100243 with an HPLC purity of 99.620%. The report is in the COA library.

A certificate reports identity and measured purity for the batch tested. It says nothing about biological effect and does not extend to other batches. The guides to reading a peptide COA and understanding HPLC purity explain the limits.

Key references

•Zozulya AA, Neznamov GG, Siuniakov TS, et al. Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2008;108(4):38-48. PMID 18454096 (Russian-language).
•Kolik LG, Nadorova AV, Antipova TA, 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. doi:10.1007/s10517-019-04588-9
•Konstantinopolsky MA, Chernyakova IV, Kolik LG. Selank, a peptide analog of tuftsin, attenuates aversive signs of morphine withdrawal in rats. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2022;173(6):730-733. doi:10.1007/s10517-022-05624-x
•Kolomin T, Shadrina M, Andreeva L, et al. Expression of inflammation-related genes in mouse spleen under tuftsin analog Selank. Regul Pept. 2011;170(1-3):18-23. doi:10.1016/j.regpep.2011.05.001
•Czabak-Garbacz R, Cygan B, Wolański L, Kozlovsky I. Influence of long-term treatment with tuftsin analogue TP-7 on the anxiety-phobic states and body weight. Pharmacol Rep. 2006;58(4):562-567.

Scope and laboratory-use boundary

Materials sold on this site are supplied solely for non-clinical in-vitro laboratory research. They must not be ingested, injected, inhaled, applied or otherwise administered to a human or animal.

We do not provide dosing, routes of administration, treatment guidance, cosmetic-use guidance or in-vivo protocols. Preparation, storage and handling must follow a validated institutional SOP, the material documentation and an appropriate risk assessment.