Explore BioBoost LabsSelank
A synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide based on the natural immunopeptide tuftsin, studied mainly for anxiety-related behaviour in Russian research.
What the name means
“Selank” is a coined product name, not a descriptive acronym.
Its meaningful ancestry is chemical: Selank is an analog of tuftsin, a naturally occurring four-amino-acid immune peptide. Tuftsin itself was named after Tufts University, where it was first described — so the family tree behind the name reaches back to that discovery.
What it actually is
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide — seven amino acids linked by six peptide bonds in a single linear chain.
The commonly reported sequence is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro (TKPRPGP): the tuftsin core Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg followed by the same Pro-Gly-Pro stabilising tail used in Semax. Reference databases give a molecular formula of C₃₃H₅₇N₁₁O₉ and a mass near 752 g/mol.
Where it came from
Selank was developed in Russia and is commonly attributed to researchers associated with the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
It comes from the same programme and design school as Semax — taking a short, naturally occurring active peptide and engineering a longer-lived analog. Like Semax, its clinical use and most of its trial history are based inside Russia.
Why it was created — the thought process
Tuftsin has reported immune-modulating and anxiety-related activity, but a very short biological half-life.
The design idea was to preserve tuftsin’s active sequence and add a Pro-Gly-Pro tail to resist enzymatic breakdown. The stated goal in the research literature was an anxiolytic-type effect without the sedation, tolerance and dependence associated with benzodiazepines.
How it is made
Selank is made by solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS).
After stepwise assembly on resin and cleavage, it is purified by HPLC and verified by mass spectrometry. In Russian research it is commonly formulated as an intranasal solution.
What the research actually shows — honestly
Reported anxiolytic and related effects come predominantly from Russian preclinical and clinical studies, with limited independent international replication.
Proposed mechanisms include effects on GABA and serotonin systems and on the breakdown of endogenous enkephalins, but these are not fully established. Selank is not approved by the FDA or EMA, and large-scale independent efficacy and safety data are lacking.
Treat it as a research compound, not a treatment. This log offers no medical advice and no administration guidance.
Selected research & sources
The items below are drawn from the peer-reviewed literature (PubMed) and describe results observed in research models or reported in the clinical literature. They are listed so the evidence can be examined at its source — not to suggest any use.
- Kolik LG, et al. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2019. “Selank, Peptide Analogue of Tuftsin, Protects Against Ethanol-Induced Memory Impairment by Regulating BDNF Content in the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex in Rats.” doi.org/10.1007/s10517-019-04588-9
- Konstantinopolsky MA, Chernyakova IV, Kolik LG. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2022. “Selank, a Peptide Analog of Tuftsin, Attenuates Aversive Signs of Morphine Withdrawal in Rats.” doi.org/10.1007/s10517-022-05624-x
- Sarkisova KIu, Kozlovsky II, Kozlovskaia MM. Zh Vyssh Nerv Deiat Im I P Pavlova. 2008. “Effects of heptapeptide selank on genetically-based and situation-provoked symptoms of depression.” PMID 18661785
- Kolomin TA, et al. Genetika. 2011. “Changes in expression of the genes for chemokines, cytokines, and their receptors in response to selank and its fragments.” PMID 21786679
- Czabak-Garbacz R, et al. Pharmacol Rep. 2006. “Influence of long-term treatment with tuftsin analogue TP-7 on the anxiety-phobic states and body weight.” PMID 16963804
Regulatory status: Not FDA-approved. Research material, RUO.
◆ A reference, not a recommendation
This page explains what Selank is and where it came from — the science and the story — not who should use anything, or how. These are research materials for laboratory research only; nothing here is medical, dosing, or treatment advice.
Research-use-only educational content. Factual overview; claims of clinical benefit are not implied.