Synthetic heptapeptide / tuftsin analog (cognitive & anxiolytic)
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. It is a structural analog of tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), a naturally occurring immunomodulatory peptide fragment of immunoglobulin G. Selank was registered as a pharmaceutical in Russia for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and is administered intranasally. It has no FDA approval and is not recognized as a medicinal product in Western jurisdictions. The evidence base is predominantly Russian-language preclinical studies with a small number of Russian clinical publications; Western replication is lacking.
Track scientific literature and regulatory status only. Do not publish dosing, sourcing, or treatment instructions. Distinguish Russian regulatory registration from Western approval. Note the absence of independent replication of Russian clinical findings.
Selank is a tuftsin analog developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics (Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) and registered in Russia as an anxiolytic; it is not FDA-approved.
PubMed-indexed studies are predominantly Russian-language preclinical research in animal models (rats), with limited Russian clinical literature; independent Western clinical trials have not been published.
A 2022 study in Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine found that Selank attenuated aversive signs of morphine withdrawal in rats (PMID 36322304) — a preclinical finding with no human replication.
A 2021 review in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology grouped Selank with other GABAergic sedative-hypnotic agents (flunitrazepam, GHB, phenibut), noting its pharmacological profile but not clinical efficacy data (PMID 34396551).
Evidence level: Community discussion
Sources: PubMed / NCBI, PubMed / NCBI
The anxiolytic claim originates from Russian preclinical and clinical literature that has not been independently replicated in Western trials. Online discussions extrapolate animal data and Russian clinical registration to general use. Do not convert these claims into treatment guidance.
Evidence level: Peer reviewed — preclinical
Sources: PubMed / NCBI, PubMed / NCBI
The tuftsin analog structure is well-established in the peer-reviewed literature. Immunomodulatory effects have been studied in animal models. The functional connectomics study (PMID 32342318) examined brain connectivity changes from Selank/Semax in rats.
Evidence level: Primary regulatory — Russia only
Sources: PubMed / NCBI
Selank's Russian regulatory registration does not constitute FDA, EMA, or other Western regulatory approval. The 2021 J Clin Pharmacol review (PMID 34396551) references Selank's pharmacological classification but does not provide clinical efficacy data.
Source records are stored in the repo and linked from each claim.
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