Selank

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

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Selank is not FDA-approved as a drug and does not appear on the 503A Bulks List permitting licensed pharmacy compounding for human dispensing. It carries fda19=true, meaning it was subject to the FDA's 2019 category policy on bulk compounding substances. Based on available sources, selank does not appear among the seven peptides scheduled for PCAC review in July 2026 (BPC-157, TB-500, Semax, Epitalon, Emideltide, KPV, MOTS-C), and is not among the approximately 12–14 peptides removed from Category 2 effective April 2026. Its current 503A status — whether it remains Category 2 restricted, was removed from Category 2 by nominator withdrawal, or was never formally categorised — requires direct verification against docket FDA-2025-N-6895 and the current FDA bulks lists. Selank may be sourced and used only for legitimate laboratory and research purposes.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Selank

Origin

Selank (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro; CAS 129954-34-3) is a seven-amino-acid synthetic peptide developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Its core tetrapeptide sequence (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) matches tuftsin, an endogenous immunomodulatory peptide derived from IgG, extended by the Pro-Gly-Pro tripeptide to enhance metabolic stability. It is registered and used clinically in Russia and Ukraine as an intranasal anxiolytic nasal spray (approved circa 2009 for generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia). Outside Russia and the former Soviet states, it has no regulatory approval and is available only for research use.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

11765600

CAS

129954-34-3

InChIKey

JTDTXGMXNXBGBZ-YVHUGQOKSA-N

Molecular formula

C33H57N11O9

Molar mass

751.9 g/mol

Monoisotopic

751.43407244 Da

InChIKey

JTDTXGMXNXBGBZ-YVHUGQOKSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilized powder

Solubility

Freely soluble in water; soluble in aqueous buffers and physiological saline; li…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Moderate stability as a lyophilized heptapeptide. The Pro-Gly-Pro C-terminal extension confers greater resistance to proteolytic degradation than the parent tuf

Vial sizes

5 mg · 10 mg

Purity grades

≥98% HPLC

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• Selank exerts its effects through at least three converging pathways
• First, it inhibits plasma enkephalin-degrading enzymes (including enkephalinase and related peptidases), raising circulating and central leucine- and methionine-enkephalin levels and thereby augmenting endogenous opioid-peptidergic tone
• Second, it elevates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, a mechanism linked to its protective effects on cognition under alcohol and stress challenge in rodent models (PMID 31625062)
• Third, it modulates serotonin metabolism and monoamine turnover, and influences the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance — immunomodulatory effects documented in patients treated for GAD

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

Parent peptide plasma half-life estimated at approximately 2–3 minutes based on ex vivo degradation kinetics; behavioural effects persist substantially longer than this, suggesting active metabolite contribution or sustained CNS retention after intranasal delivery

Clearance

Rapid proteolytic clearance; enkephalin-degrading enzyme inhibition by selank may paradoxically extend its own metabolic fragments' activity. No formal PK study with validated analytical method identified in the literature

PK–PD note: Intranasal bioavailability is substantially superior to oral (complete GI degradation expected for a heptapeptide). Radiolabeled studies in rodents demonstrated brain penetration following intranasal …

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• Vyunova TV, Andreeva L, Shevchenko K, Myasoedov N. Peptide-based Anxiolytics: The Molecular Aspects of Heptapeptide Selank Biological Activity. Protein Pept Lett. 2018;25(10):914-923. — Primary narrative review of Selank molecular mechanisms; PubMed-indexed, MEDLINE.
• Rahman OF, Lee SJ, Seeds WA. Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. 2026;10(1):e25.00236. — Tangential review mentioning Selank among neuroactive peptides; not Selank-specific.
• Kasian A, Kolomin T, Andreeva L, et al. Peptide Selank Enhances the Effect of Diazepam in Reducing Anxiety in Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Conditions in Rats. Behav Neurol. 2017;2017:5091027. — Primary animal study; cited as mechanistic anchor for GABAergic modulation hypothesis.

2 registered trials — 0 currently recruiting.

NA
NCT01747200
Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Object Recognition

COMPLETED

NA
NCT05832060
Comparing the Efficacy of tDCS and tRNS to Improve Reading Skills in Children and Adolescents With Dyslexia

UNKNOWN

Summary (literature)

Published literature — predominantly from Russian research groups — reports a favourable tolerability profile in both animal toxicology and the small human clinical program. Clinical comparisons with medazepam found selank did not produce sedation, cognitive blunting, or the depe…

WADA status

Not specifically listed by name on the WADA Prohibited List (2025–2026). As an unapproved synthetic peptide without established pharmacological classification i…

Dominant research route: Intranasal

Primary route in Russian clinical use (0.15% nasal solution registered 2009 for GAD/neurasthenia); also studied in rats and BALB/c & C57BL/6 mice (e.g., 300 mcg/kg i.n.)

Bioavailability: Designed for nasal mucosal absorption; exploits olfactory/trigeminal pathways to reach CNS, bypassing first-pass metabolism. Plasma half-life ~2-3 minutes with downstream effects persisting longer.

Intranasal is the best-studied and the registered Russian pharmaceutical route (Selank 0.15% nasal drops). Vasil'eva et al. (2016) directly compared intranasal vs intraperitoneal in mice, finding intranasal favored anxiolytic effects.

Studied in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice (e.g., 300 mcg/kg) and rats as a comparator route in pharmacology studies

Bioavailability: Used as a parenteral comparator in rodent pharmacology; Vasil'eva et al. (2016) reported intraperitoneal administration favored cognitive-enhancing effects while intranasal favored anxiolytic effects in mice.

Animal-only route used in preclinical pharmacology comparisons; not a human route of administration in the registered product.

Listed as a route of administration on the Wikipedia drugbox for Selank; no retrieved primary PK study details

Bioavailability: No retrieved primary pharmacokinetic data for IV in humans or animals; 100% bioavailability by definition but no sourced values available.

Wikipedia drugbox lists 'Nasal mucosa, IV' as routes of administration; no supporting primary study was retrieved, so IV evidence is thin and should be treated as unverified.

Community/research-use route referenced in aggregator dosing guides; no retrieved primary human or animal PK study

Bioavailability: No sourced bioavailability data; aggregator references describe research-use SC protocols but cite no primary PK study.

Subcutaneous use appears in community/aggregator protocol guides rather than in the registered Russian product literature or retrieved primary studies; treat as de-identified community route preference, not established PK.

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $3.79 · median $4.40 · p75 $4.83 · 8 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $1.83–$5.00/mg.

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$18

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Purity on the current market (researched)

99.39% HPLC purity (single batch; identity confirmed by mass spectrometry; 5.31 mg detected amount). Source: Janoshik Analytical report via Chameleon Peptides BatchTrace ledger.

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA recalls or market withdrawals specific to Selank were found in the retrieved sources. The Tailor Made Compounding warning letter references a voluntary recall of tesamorelin products (not Selank) from the same facility.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Not FDA-approved for any indication in the United States; approved only in the Russian Federation for generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia.
• Previously classified as FDA Category 2 bulk drug substance (significant safety risks identified pending evaluation) before nominator withdrawal in September 2024; compounding restricted.
• No USP/NF monograph exists; not a component of any FDA-approved drug; not on the 503A bulks list as of the 2020 warning letter.
• No completed Western randomized controlled trials; Russian clinical data not replicated in independent Western populations.
• Products sold through online vendors without prescription receive no FDA quality oversight; risks include incorrect concentration, contamination, and misidentified compound identity (per Superpower guide citing FDA warning letters to online peptide sellers).
• Most US-market Selank is reportedly Chinese-manufactured and re-labeled by domestic vendors; no domestically manufactured Selank identified in community sourcing discussions.
• Sold under 'research use only' disclaimers while marketed with human-use claims, mirroring patterns cited in FDA warning letters to peptide vendors (e.g., Summit Research Peptides, Dec 2024).

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

Underdosing / mislabeling: Insufficient independent lab data to estimate underdosing prevalence. The single retrieved Janoshik report (Chameleon/Panda Peptides) detected 5.31 mg Selank with 99.39% purity, but the labeled/vial amount was not disclosed in the public ledger, precluding a fill-amount comparison. No Janoshik, MZ Biolabs, or Finnrick aggregate underdosing analysis specific to Selank was located.

• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

Not explicitly named on the WADA Prohibited List. Selank is not listed by name; however, as an unapproved/research peptide it could potentially fall under the S0 (non-approved substances) catch-all category if identified on a drug test.

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• Positive-experience selection bias (enthusiastic self-experimenters overrepresented)
• Self-experimentation / non-clinical dosing context
• Vendor-affiliated content present in aggregator guides
• Clinical evidence base is Russian-only; no Western RCT replication

Manually researched from reddit, youtube, x, bluesky— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

Toggle plain-language ↔ scientific in the header.

• How to read a COA
• Free base vs acetate
• Understanding evidence grades

Synthetic anxiolytic heptapeptide derived from immunomodulatory tuftsin; approved in Russia for generalized anxiety and studied for nootropic and neuroprotective effects. Approximately 68 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research Use Only; not on FDA 503A Bulks List; 503A compounding not permitted. Research use only.

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