Peptide Checkup

Compound record · Cognition, mood & sleep

Selank

Also TP-7 · Selanc · Селанк · Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro

Synthetic tuftsin-analogue heptapeptide

Cognition, mood & sleepEvidence · LimitedApproved medicine (for specific indications)

Russian intranasal anxiolytic peptide with small, unreplicated trials

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Record reviewed 1 September 2026 · 4 references

Class
Synthetic tuftsin analogue (heptapeptide)
Route
Intranasal drops (Russian product); injected vials unstudied
Human trials
Two small Russian trials, n = 62 and n = 70
Authorised
Russia only (anxiety disorders); not UK, US, EU, AU or CA
WADA
Not on the Prohibited List

01 Overview

What Selank is

Summary

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide based on the immune-derived tetrapeptide tuftsin, developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow. It is registered in Russia as 0.15% nasal drops for generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia. Outside Russia it has no marketing authorisation and is sold only as an unregulated 'research chemical'; the human evidence consists of small Russian trials with methodological limitations.

Mechanism

Proposed to modulate GABA-A receptor signalling and inhibit enkephalin-degrading enzymes, raising endogenous enkephalin levels; changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and inflammatory cytokine expression have been reported in animals. The exact receptor target in humans has not been established.

Routes studiedIntranasal, Subcutaneous injection
Anti-dopingNot prohibited

02 Evidence by goal

What has been shown, for which goal

Grades follow one scale across the site. Limited overall means: small or short human studies, mixed results, or evidence mainly for a related use.

  1. General wellbeing

    Limited

    Two small Russian trials (n = 62 and n = 70) in people with anxiety disorders reported anxiolytic effects comparable to a benzodiazepine, with additional 'anti-asthenic' effects. Neither was placebo-controlled or replicated outside Russia; no trials exist in healthy adults seeking better mood, focus or energy.

  2. Sleep

    Insufficient

    Sleep has not been a primary outcome in any human study. The Russian label describes selank as non-sedating, so any effect on sleep would be indirect via reduced anxiety.

03 Regulatory status

Where it is authorised, and for what

Status is recorded per jurisdiction from regulator sources and reviewed by hand. It is never inferred from another region's decision.

United Kingdom

Not authorised

Not authorised as a medicine; sold only as an unregulated 'research chemical'.

No MHRA marketing authorisation. Products sold online in the UK are not licensed medicines and are not subject to medicines quality controls.

StatusNot authorised
Status last reviewed1 September 2026
SourceOur maintained database — never inferred

04 Dosing research

What the evidence says about exposure

Published human studies and the doses, routes and durations they used — reported as research information, not a recommendation.

Research information — not a recommendation. These are the exposures used in published human studies, reported so you can see what has been tested. They are not dosing instructions and do not apply to any individual.

Study 01

Selank versus medazepam in generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia

Zozulia AA et al., Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2008;108(4):38–48 · Source

Phase 2/3 (Russian registration study)2008
Design
Randomised, open-label, active-comparator (medazepam); no placebo arm
Population
Adults with generalised anxiety disorder or neurasthenia (ICD-10)
Participants
n = 62
Duration
14 days
Route
Intranasal
Doses studied
Selank 0.15% intranasal drops, 2.7 mg/day in three divided doses (30 patients) versus medazepam 30 mg/day orally (32 patients)
Outcome at this exposure
Reductions in Hamilton and Zung anxiety scores were similar between groups; selank was reported to have additional 'anti-asthenic' and mild stimulant-like effects. Serum enkephalin-degrading activity changed during treatment.
Adverse events observed
No significant adverse effects reported; the report is available only in Russian and safety reporting is brief.

Study 02

Selank added to phenazepam in anxiety-spectrum disorders

Medvedev VE et al., Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2015;115(6):33–40 · Source

Phase 4 (post-registration)2015
Design
Open-label, comparative: phenazepam alone versus phenazepam plus intranasal selank
Population
Adults with anxiety-phobic, hypochondriacal and somatoform disorders
Participants
n = 70
Duration
Course of treatment and benzodiazepine withdrawal (weeks)
Route
Intranasal
Doses studied
Phenazepam alone (30 patients) or phenazepam plus selank 0.15% nasal drops at label dosing (40 patients)
Outcome at this exposure
Earlier improvement on the Hamilton depression scale and fewer benzodiazepine side effects (sedation, attention and memory impairment) reported in the combination group; quality-of-life scores were higher.
Adverse events observed
No selank-attributed adverse events reported; tolerability assessed with the UKU scale.

All human data come from small Russian trials using the registered 0.15% intranasal solution (label range 0.9–2.7 mg/day for 10–14 days). No human study has used the injectable 'research' vials sold online, and nothing published converts intranasal to subcutaneous exposure — injected 'protocols' are a different, unstudied exposure.

05 Safety

Adverse effects and contraindications

Common effects seen in trials or reports, serious effects that warrant urgent review, and conditions under which use is not appropriate or needs assessment.

Common adverse effects

  • Nasal irritation or dryness (intranasal use)
  • Transient drowsiness or, conversely, mild agitation
  • Headache
  • Unusual taste after nasal administration

Serious adverse effects

  • Allergic or hypersensitivity reactions (the only adverse effect listed on the Russian label)
  • Unknown long-term effects — no safety data beyond a few weeks of use
  • Injection-related infection or immune reactions with unregulated injectable products

Contraindications

  • Mental health conditionCaution

    Studied only in anxiety and neurasthenia under psychiatric supervision; not studied in depression, bipolar disorder or psychosis. Any mental-health condition warrants professional review before adding a centrally acting compound.

  • Epilepsy or seizuresCaution

    Effects on seizure threshold have not been studied in humans; a theoretical consideration for any centrally acting peptide.

Do not use = should not be used · Caution = needs assessment

06 Interactions

Medicine classes that need review

Grouped by how seriously the combination should be taken. Class labels match the medicines questionnaire in the assessment.

  • Major
  • Moderate
  • Minor

Moderate

Monitoring or dose review is usually advised.

  • Sedative / sleep medicine

    Diazepam, zopiclone

    Co-administered with phenazepam in one Russian trial without reported harm, but additive central effects cannot be excluded; unstudied with zopiclone or other sedatives.

  • Antidepressant

    Sertraline, fluoxetine, venlafaxine, mirtazapine

    No interaction studies. Because selank is proposed to alter enkephalin and GABA signalling, combination with SSRIs, SNRIs or other antidepressants is unstudied and should be discussed with the prescriber.

07 Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Status in pregnancy

Contraindicated

The Russian label lists pregnancy and breastfeeding as contraindications. There are no human safety data.

08 Monitoring

What is usually monitored

Parameters that trials and product information track. A clinician decides what applies to an individual.

  1. 01Anxiety and mood symptoms using a validated scale, ideally with a clinician
  2. 02Sleep pattern and daytime alertness
  3. 03Nasal symptoms with repeated intranasal use
  4. 04Any change in seizure control or psychiatric symptoms

09 Combinations

What is known about combining it

Notes on pairing with other compounds in the directory: whether the combination has been studied in people, and where mechanisms overlap.

  • Semax

    Limited human data

    Overlap · Both are centrally acting Russian regulatory peptides administered intranasally.

    Commonly co-used in Russia and in online 'nootropic stacks', but no trial has tested the combination. Effects on alertness may be additive or opposing (selank calming, semax activating).

  • DSIP

    No human studies

    Overlap · Both have been associated with sedation or calming.

    No human data on the combination; overlapping sedative-type effects are a theoretical concern.

  • Epitalon

    No human studies

    Marketed together as 'bioregulator' stacks; no combination data and neither compound has robust human evidence.

  • BPC-157

    No human studies

    No human data on this combination; BPC-157 itself lacks human efficacy data.

Discuss any proposed combination with a qualified healthcare professional.

10 Source considerations

Supply, quality and legitimacy

How the compound reaches people in practice, and what that means for product quality.

  1. 01Outside Russia every product is an unregulated 'research chemical' with no medicines-grade quality control; identity, purity and sterility are unverified.
  2. 02Vials marketed for injection have never been studied in humans — the only human data use a nasal solution.
  3. 03Imported Russian nasal drops may be counterfeit; the registered product has no licence in the UK, US, EU, AU or CA.

11 Questions for your clinician

Take these to your appointment

Specific to this compound. The personal assessment adds questions drawn from your own history and medicines.

  1. 01What authorised options exist for the anxiety or low-mood symptoms I am trying to address?
  2. 02Is there any evidence that selank helps people without a diagnosed anxiety disorder?
  3. 03How would this interact with my current medicines, particularly sedatives or antidepressants?
  4. 04Given that the only human studies used a nasal solution for two weeks, what is known about longer or injected use?
  5. 05How would we monitor whether it is doing anything, and when would we stop?

The personal assessment tailors this list to your responses.

12 References

Sources behind this record

Regulator documents and peer-reviewed publications used to derive every grade and statement above.

  1. 01Zozulia AA et al. Selank in generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2008
  2. 02Medvedev VE et al. Optimisation of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2015
  3. 03FDA — Bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks (503A Category 2)
  4. 04WADA 2026 Prohibited List

The Peptide Checkup provides educational information and a structured summary of published research and regulatory status. It is not medical advice, does not diagnose or treat any condition, and does not replace a consultation with a qualified healthcare professional.

Personal assessment

Check Selank against your history

Seven minutes of structured questions about your goal, history and medicines, mapped against this record by a deterministic, clinician-reviewable rules engine. The report tells you when not to buy.

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