Selank
Selank (Tuftsin Analog with Pro-Gly-Pro)
Also called Selank, TP-7, tuftsin analogue
A Russian-approved peptide studied for anxiety
Selank is a Russian peptide built from a fragment of an immune protein with a short tail added so it survives longer. In Russian clinical studies it reduced anxiety scores without the sedation reported with a benzodiazepine comparator. It is approved in Russia as a nasal drug and is not approved in the US.
A Russian-developed anxiety peptide built from a fragment of a natural immune molecule, with a short tail added so it survives longer than a few minutes. It is one of very few compounds here with human trials, including a head-to-head against a benzodiazepine, though nearly all of that work was done in Russia and published in Russian.
- Route studied
- Intranasal (Russian label and studies)
- Status
- Approved in Russia; not approved in the US
Human trials published, with more underway
135 papers · 6 clinical trials
What Selank has been studied for
The reasons people look it up, roughly in order of how often, and what research exists for each. Interest in a use is not evidence that it works; the evidence is stated under each one.
- Anxiety
- The main reason people look it up. Russian trials in anxiety disorders, including one against phenazepam, reported less anxiety without obvious sedation. Those studies have not been replicated outside Russia.
- Focus under stress
- Anecdotally described as clearing the mental noise anxiety creates rather than sharpening thinking directly. Not tested as a cognitive treatment.
- Its relationship to Semax
- The two are often mentioned together because both come from the same Russian research institute. No trial has tested them together.
Mechanism of Action
How Selank works
Selank starts from an odd place: a fragment of tuftsin, a small piece of an antibody that normally tells immune cells to get moving. Somebody noticed it also had effects on behaviour, and Selank is that fragment with a short tail bolted on so it does not vanish immediately.
Why it does not feel like a benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepines work by turning up the volume on the brain's main calming signal. That works, and the cost is well known: sedation, dependence, and a rebound when stopped.
Selank appears to act more indirectly, influencing that same calming system and the balance of serotonin and related messengers, without forcing the switch. The practical difference reported in the trials is that people were less anxious but not obviously sedated, and there is no withdrawal picture of the kind benzodiazepines produce.
In preclinical work it also raises BDNF, a growth factor that helps neurons form new connections.
How seriously to take the evidence
Better than most things here, with a real caveat. There are published human trials, including a comparison against phenazepam, a benzodiazepine used in Russia, in patients with anxiety disorders.
The caveat is that this research was almost all conducted in Russia and published in Russian journals, and it has not been replicated by independent groups in the West. That does not make it wrong. It does mean the evidence has not been through the adversarial checking that Western drug approval involves.
Selank side effects: what studies reported
Mild in the Russian studies. Most reported effects come from the nasal spray itself rather than the peptide.
Most commonly reported
- Nasal irritation or a runny nose from the spray
- Mild drowsiness
- Occasional headache
Worth keeping an eye on
- Long-term safety has not been studied outside Russia
Source: Russian clinical use and reports outside trials; little Western trial data. This is a summary of published findings, not a complete safety profile and not medical advice. Questions about Selank belong with a licensed clinician who knows your history.
Your Genetics & Selank
The genes involved in how Selank works
Selank works through the receptors these genes build, and the genes vary from person to person. Researchers have linked some of that variation to differences in how people respond. A DNA report tells you which versions you carry.
COMT · ••
The Val158Met variant changes how quickly dopamine is cleared in the prefrontal cortex and is widely studied for associations with anxiety and stress traits. No study has tested whether it changes response to Selank.
SLC6A4 · ••
Part of the 5-HTTLPR region of the serotonin transporter gene, studied for decades for association with anxiety and stress sensitivity, with inconsistent replication. Any link to Selank is untested.
GABRA2 · ••
GABRA2 builds part of the GABA-A receptor, the brain's main calming receptor, and variants have been studied for association with anxiety and alcohol-use traits. Pathway context only.
FKBP5 · ••
FKBP5 regulates the cortisol receptor's sensitivity, and the T allele has been associated with prolonged cortisol responses to stress in human studies. Any link to Selank is untested.
The dots after each gene are where your own result goes. Your report fills them in with the two letters you carry at that position.
Which of these variants do you carry?
Your report reads the DNA file you already have against this research.
Often discussed alongside
Compounds that come up next to Selank in research and discussion. Each has its own page. None of this is a suggestion to combine them.
Semax
developed at the same instituteEmerging EvidenceSemax (ACTH 4-10 Analog with Pro-Gly-Pro)
A synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide derived from ACTH (4-10), with a Pro-Gly-Pro extension for stability. Developed in Russia and approved there, mainly in stroke care. In laboratory and preclinical work it raises BDNF and acts on the melanocortin system. It is not approved in the US or the EU, and most of its clinical literature is Russian.
4
Gene variants
40+
Studies
Access
Access and legal status
Selank: Approved in Russia; not approved in the US. Decisions about any prescription medicine belong to a prescriber. We don't link to any seller, and nothing on this page is a recommendation to obtain or use it.
Your DNA and Selank: see which of the variants studied alongside it you carry, and what that research does and does not show. Read my DNA, $99 →
Educational information only, not medical advice. Most peptides are not FDA-approved. Do not start, stop or change any medication or peptide because of this page; talk to a licensed clinician.
Worth knowing about Selank
Interactions and situations where there is a specific reason to be careful. Where the honest answer is that nobody has studied something, it says so and says what that leaves open.
- Almost all the research is Russian and hard to check
- It has been used clinically there for years, but much of the literature is not in English and has not been replicated in Western trials. That is not the same as it being untested; it is harder to verify.
- Not approved in the US
- It is approved in Russia only. In the US it is not an approved drug, and products sold under the name are unregulated. Anxiety that affects daily life needs a medical assessment.
The evidence behind Selank
Better evidenced than most things here, with one large caveat: nearly all of it was conducted in Russia and published in Russian-language journals, and it has not been replicated by independent groups elsewhere. That does not make it wrong. It does mean it has not been through the adversarial checking that Western approval involves, so it is unsettled.
The literature, counted
Counted in PubMed on 3 August 2026 for selank. Every figure links to the search that produced it, so you can re-run it. “Tagged human” is not the same as a human trial: that tag also covers work on human cells and reviews discussing people, which is why the trial count is given separately.
Studied in people
2 of 3The only kind that directly answers whether it works in humans.Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · 2014
HumanA comparison of the anxiolytic effect and tolerability of selank and phenazepam in the treatment of anxiety disorders
Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Kost NV, et al.
A head-to-head against phenazepam, a benzodiazepine, in patients with anxiety disorders. Comparing against an active drug is a much harder test than comparing against placebo.
A comparison of the anxiolytic effect and tolerability of selank and phenazepam in the treatment of anxiety disorders: source for Selank (opens in a new tab)Read the paperZhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · 2008
HumanEfficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia
Zozulia AA, Neznamov GG, Siuniakov TS, et al.
The main clinical trial in generalised anxiety disorder, and the source of most claims made for the compound.
Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia: source for Selank (opens in a new tab)Read the paper
Every source behind this page42 more
- Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax EffectsVolgin AD, Yakovlev OA, Demin KA, et al. · Doklady Biological Sciences · 2020Human
- Peptide-based Anxiolytics: The Molecular Aspects of Heptapeptide Selank Biological ActivityKolomin T, Shadrina M, Slominsky P, et al. · Protein and Peptide Letters · 2018Review
Everything we cite for Selank, including preclinical work and early research. Each link goes to the source itself, so you can judge it rather than take our word for it.
Last updated · literature counts verified against PubMed on
Frequently Asked Questions
What has Selank been studied for?
Mainly anxiety disorders, in Russian clinical studies, where it reduced anxiety scores; one study compared it with the benzodiazepine phenazepam. It is approved in Russia and not approved in the US or the EU, and the studies have not been replicated outside Russia.
How does Selank compare to benzodiazepines?
In the Russian comparison with phenazepam, Selank reduced anxiety with less sedation. It is described as influencing the GABA system indirectly rather than forcing the receptor open the way benzodiazepines do. Whether it avoids dependence long term has not been studied in Western trials.
Do genes affect Selank response?
No study has tested whether any genotype changes response to Selank. COMT, SLC6A4, GABRA2 and FKBP5 variants have been associated with anxiety or stress traits in human studies, often with inconsistent replication. A DNA report can show which versions you carry and what that research does and does not show.
Watch
What clinicians and researchers say about Selank
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11 guides mention Selank→how it works
In depthDoes Selank increase BDNF? What the studies measured, and what they did not
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In depthSelank and anxiety: what the Russian trials measured and found
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comparisons
In depthSemax vs Selank: two Russian peptides, two different mechanisms, and what the research shows
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In depthPeptides studied for brain fog and focus: Semax, Selank, BPC-157, and why Dihexa's science was retracted
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Peptides studied for anxiety: what the trials actually measured
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genetics
APOE4 and peptides: what research on 7 compounds has and has not shown
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Your DNA and Selank
What the research says about your variants.
The report
Which Selank variants do you carry?
Your report reads the DNA file you already have against the published research on 31 peptides, marker by marker, and says what that research does and does not show.
Read my DNA, $99