Selank

It began with a natural tetrapeptide: tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) regulates immune cells but is broken down quickly. At the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences the sequence Pro-Gly-Pro was attached to it. The result, Selank (TP-7, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), is far more stable metabolically and keeps the activity of its parent. Since 2009 it has been approved in Russia for generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenic conditions.

What is being researched:

• Anxiety relief without dulling: the research goal is an anxiolytic that neither sedates nor impairs cognition nor creates dependence.
• GABA system: rather than binding the receptor directly, Selank alters the expression of genes for GABA receptor subunits in studies (Frontiers in Pharmacology 2016 and 2017).
• Further axes: serotonergic and dopaminergic signalling, upregulation of BDNF in hippocampus and frontal cortex, and inhibition of enzymes that degrade enkephalins; the last of these is linked to greater stress resilience.
• Immune system: the immunomodulating component of tuftsin is retained, with effects on IL-6, the Th1/Th2 balance and phagocyte activity. A 2010 transcriptome study compared the response of rat hippocampus and spleen cells.

In research Selank is given intranasally or subcutaneously. It often sits next to Semax, which comes from the same Russian programme and addresses complementary pathways; the two peptides are therefore frequently examined together.

Across the available preclinical and Russian clinical studies, Selank is regarded as very well tolerated and consistently low in side effects.

• Nasal: mild burning, dryness or irritation of the mucosa are the most common findings with this route.
• Subcutaneous: isolated redness or pressure at the injection site.
• A noticeable calming or short tiredness is occasionally described, in keeping with the anxiolytic profile; pronounced sedation is not typical in the literature.
• Outside the Russian programme and over long periods the data are thin.

This summary is no substitute for medical advice.

• Selank Administration Affects the Expression of Some Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission - gene expression in the GABA system under Selank.
• Selank Affects Expression of Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission - follow-up work on GABA receptor subunits.
• Transcriptomic response of rat hippocampus and spleen cells to selank administration - central and peripheral gene response in the rat.