Focus & calm
Selank: published research
Also known as A synthetic analogue of tuftsin
A synthetic version of tuftsin, a short peptide from the immune system, with three extra amino acids for stability. Like Semax it was developed in Russia and is studied as a nasal spray, mainly for anxiety, mood and the brain's GABA and serotonin systems.
Evidence at a glance
5 studies 2008–2020
- 3 Human trial
- 2 Animal study
What researchers look at
- Anxiety
- GABA system
- Serotonin
- Immune signalling
What is still unknown
Human trials are small and mostly from Russia; large independent trials have not been published.
Studies in people
3- Human trial
In 52 healthy volunteers, resting-state brain scans showed that Selank (given to its own group, not with Semax) altered connectivity between the right amygdala and temporal cortex compared with placebo.
Panikratova YR, et al. Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects. Doklady Biological Sciences. 2020. PMID 32342318
- Human trial
In a clinical study of people with anxiety disorders, selank added to phenazepam (40 patients) brought an earlier response on the HDRS scale and fewer phenazepam side effects, such as sedation and memory impairment, than phenazepam alone (30 patients).
Medvedev VE, et al. [Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank]. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. 2015. PMID 26356395
- Human trial
In 62 patients with generalised anxiety disorder or neurasthenia, Selank showed anti-anxiety effects similar to medazepam, with additional anti-fatigue effects.
Zozulia AA, et al. [Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia]. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova. 2008. PMID 18454096
Animal studies
2- Animal study
In rats, selank alone was most effective against anxiety raised by the repeated dosing itself, while selank given together with diazepam was most effective at reducing anxiety under unpredictable chronic mild stress.
Kasian A, et al. Peptide Selank Enhances the Effect of Diazepam in Reducing Anxiety in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Conditions in Rats. Behavioural Neurology. 2017. PMID 28280289
- Animal study
In rats, Selank altered frontal-cortex expression of genes linked to nerve signalling, in a pattern resembling GABA, suggesting it acts on the GABA system.
Volkova A, et al. Selank Administration Affects the Expression of Some Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2016. PMID 26924987
Short summaries of published studies, with links to the original papers. Results in animals or cells may not apply to people. This is not medical advice and not a guide to use.