Class of Compound:

Peptide

Mechanism of Action:

Selank acts on the central nervous system by influencing the levels and activity of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which can result in anxiolytic effects, mood improvement, and cognitive enhancement. The peptide also interacts with the immune system by influencing gene expression and modulating cytokine balance.

Notable Studies:

· Semax and Selank inhibit the enkephalin-degrading enzymes from human serum

· Selank administration affects the expression of some genes involved in GABAergic neurotransmission

· Immunomodulatory effects of Selank in patients with anxiety-asthenic disorders

What is Selank?

Selank is a synthetic analog of tuftsin, an endogenous tetrapeptide that plays a role in regulating the immune system. Some researchers informally classify Selank as a nootropic—a compound that can enhance cognitive function, improve memory, and increase mental clarity.

Selank was developed in the early 1990s at the Russian Academy of Sciences and has primarily been studied for its anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects. It is believed to work by modulating neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. With these mechanisms, Selank can help reduce anxiety and promote a sense of calmness without causing sedation or impairing cognitive function.

In addition to its anxiolytic properties, Selank has also been studied for its potential benefits in reducing pain and inflammation, while enhancing the immune system. It has shown promise in preclinical and clinical studies for the treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, and cognitive impairments.

While Russia and a few CIS states have approved Selank for treating generalized anxiety disorder, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not reviewed Selank for any clinical use. Researchers in the U.S. should be aware that any Selank they purchase is for laboratory experimentation only.

In this guide, our team has compiled critical information about Selank peptide, including its clinically validated benefits, safety profile, dosage recommendations, and information on where qualified professionals can buy Selank online.

What Does Selank Do?

Selank has profound effects on cognition and is believed to act through the GABAergic system. In rat studies, Selank administration has been shown to alter the gene expression of GABA receptors, causing them to have a greater affinity for GABA. This enhances GABA’s ability to inhibit excitability in the CNS similar to the administration of benzodiazepines—although, crucially, without their associated side effects and addictive potential.

Selank also appears to provide protection against alcohol-induced memory loss that occurs when brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increases in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. In an experiment where rats were given only alcohol to drink for 30 weeks, rats who were also given Selank performed better on object recognition tasks, did not exhibit the same memory and attention deficits, and did not have increased BDNF compared to the untreated rats.

Selank may also protect enkephalins, which are endogenous peptides that help reduce pain and anxiety, by inhibiting the enzyme that degrades enkephalins. In a study on human serum levels of enkephalinase and other enzymes, Selank inhibited the degradation caused by the enzymes.

This was also demonstrated in a study on two types of mice: C57Bl/6 mice, who had low levels of enkephalinase, and BALB/c mice, who had high levels of enkephalinase. Selank administration had no effect on the behavior of the C57Bl/6 mice while producing a significant anxiolytic impact on the BALB/c mice due to Selank’s protective action on enkephalins.

As a tuftsin analog, Selank also acts on the immune system in a number of ways. For example, Selank has been found more effective at suppressing the reproduction of the H3N2 influenza strain in vitro and in vivo than recombinant IFN-α, a traditional antiviral drug.

The antiviral mechanism of action of Selank appears to be related to its effect on the expression of cytokine genes, which could also explain its potential to treat depression and other neurological conditions.

In a 14-day human trial, researchers administered Selank daily to one group of patients suffering from depressive disorder (and thus elevated IL-6) and one group of healthy volunteers. Selank suppressed the expression of IL-6 in the depressed group but did not affect the healthy group, pointing to its activity as both an immunomodulator and adaptogen.

Selank Benefits | Clinical Trials

Selank is a dynamic peptide with an array of potential applications. Fortunately, Selank has been applied in multiple human studies along with in vitro and in vivo experiments, giving researchers some idea of how subjects may respond to Selank administration.

Below are several of the most-studied benefits of Selank and summaries of scientific findings thus far:

 Selank for Anxiety Reduction:

 Selank is reported to have anxiolytic effects, which may help reduce anxiety and promote a sense of calmness.

In a 2008 study, patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and neurasthenia were divided into two groups. One group of 30 patients was treated with Selank, while another group of 32 patients was treated with Medazepam, a long-acting benzodiazepine. While both drugs decreased the patients’ anxiety (as measured by a standardized psychometric assessment), Selank also increased levels of enkephalins that were low in the GAD patients.

Selank may also have a synergistic effect when co-administered with certain other medications that treat anxiety. Filatova et al. (2017) performed an experiment on human neuroblastoma IMR-32 cells to assess if the interaction of Selank on the gene expression in the GABAergic system would increase the effectiveness of either exogenous GABA and/or olanzapine treatment.

Selank alone did not significantly alter gene expression in IMR-32 cells. However, when Selank and GABA were administered together, Selank did improve the ability of GABA to bind with its receptors. Selank also improved the weak affinity of olanzapine for the GABA receptor, possibly due to how Selank modulates the GABA receptors.

 Selank for Stress Relief:

 Selank may help alleviate stress and improve stress resilience. It is believed to affect the release of stress-related hormones, such as cortisol, and may help regulate the body's response to stressors.

In one study, researchers exposed rats to stressors to induce corticosterone-related stress responses. The rats who received Selank injections showed less elevation of corticosterone and its negative biological impact along with quicker adaptation to the stressors.

A study from 2022 explored the effectiveness of both Selank and Semax (another neuropeptide) in correcting stress-induced immunoreactivity in rats. Stress is known to cause immune system dysfunction as it hyperactivates some aspects of immunity while suppressing others, resulting in immune disorders and allergies, which further increase stress on the organism. Semax and Selank both restored healthy immune function when individually applied to the stressed animals.

 Selank for Cognitive Enhancement:

 Some studies suggest that Selank may have cognitive-enhancing effects such as improving learning, memory, and attention.

An experiment on learning-disabled rats showed that the administration of Selank significantly and progressively improved their learning, memory, and problem-solving. A later study on rats showed that Selank increased memory trace stability when administered during the consolidation stage of learning, possibly due to how it affects serotonin metabolism in the brain.

Brain damage resulting from oxygen deprivation during gestation can severely impair the development and cognitive abilities of the fetus . Selank has been shown in some rat studies to partially attenuate the effects of antenatal hypoxia and other early-life neurological damage, allowing for marked increases in learning ability, improved sensory attention, and balanced monoamines in the brain.