Description
What is Selank?
Selank (a.k.a. TP-7) is a synthetic neurocognitive peptide, or a pharmaceutical capable of delivering cognitive and neuroprotective benefits. Apart from its central nervous system benefits, it’s also used as a drug for managing anxiety and other mood disorders.
Selank was developed in Russia by the Institute of Molecular Genetics as an analog of tuftsin, a natural peptide from a region of the antibody immunoglobulin G. While tuftsin’s role in the body relates primarily to immune system function,1 it has also exhibited in animal models the neurocognitive peptide effects more narrowly associated with Selank: enhancements related to mood and the central nervous system.2 3
Researchers have proposed two mechanisms of Selank’s actions. Its cognition-enhancing effects may be due to an ability to influence the brain’s levels of noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine,4 three neurotransmitters with well-documented relationships to vigilance, attention, learning,5 memory,6and the motivation toward cognitive effort.7Meanwhile, its anxiolytic effects appear to be GABAergic (i.e., relating to the neurotransmitter GABA). As a mood stabilizer, Selank functions similarly to benzodiazepine tranquilizers: it modulates GABA-A receptors to increase inhibitory action on neuronal excitability, facilitating a state of calm.8 9Importantly, however, Selank doesn’t cause the same side effects as benzodiazepines — amnesia, withdrawal, dependence — so it’s theoretically a safer alternative.8
Primary therapeutic uses of Selank
In and around Russia, Selank is most commonly used as a nootropic or an anxiolytic due to its actions on neurotransmitters and the GABAergic system. Below, we discuss the scientific support for such uses.
Cognitive function and neuroprotection
Selank’s nootropic potential has been the subject of numerous rodent studies. In 2003, for example, researchers found that Selank “significantly activated the learning process in rats with initially poor learning ability,” with effects becoming apparent after just one dose on the first day of experimentation.10A later study, in 2019, saw similarly optimistic results with regard to memory in rats intoxicated with alcohol, leading the researchers to conclude that Selank has positive implications for treating “age-related memory disturbances,” especially those associated with chronic alcohol use.11
The nootropic health benefits also extend to motivational mechanisms in the brain, per a 2008 study.12 Apart from Selank’s influence on dopamine, this action appears to be related to an ability to stimulate the noradrenergic system, which plays a crucial role in motivational processes.12 13
Stabilizing mood
Selank’s mood-related effects have also been studied in rodent models. In 2006, researchers experimented on three groups of rats — two controls and one intervention — and observed that the group that received the Selank intervention exhibited significantly reduced anxiety-phobic states that persisted throughout the four-week study period. To the researchers, the results “confirmed [the] effective long-term anxiolytic properties” of Selank.14
Rat studies have likewise supported Selank’s benzodiazepine-like effects, as described in a 2017 research paper published in Behavioural Neurology. The study in question evaluated the effects of Selank-benzodiazepine coadministration as well as of individual administration of Selank in rats. By the study’s end, coadministration was found to nearly eliminate anxiety under chronic stress conditions, while individual administration “reduced elevated levels of anxiety” under normal stress conditions.15 The takeaway from this is that Selank may be an effective treatment for mild mood conditions in itself and as an adjunct therapy alongside a more traditional treatment.
Strengthening immune function
We have both animal and human studies to support Selank’s use as an immunomodulatory agent. One of the animal studies saw “significant changes in expression levels” of Bcl6, a gene described as playing a “main role in the formation and development of the immune system,” after the administration of Selank.16 A second animal study, in rats, observed “statistically significant” increases in anti-inflammatory cytokines.17 The human trial yielded similar results to the aforementioned second rat study in patients with anxiety-asthenic disorders (anxiety and physical weakness).18
Taken together, these studies suggest that Selank can support proper immune function while preventing an excessive immune response (inflammation) that might otherwise damage vital tissues.19
Who is (and is not) a candidate for Selank?
With its nootropic, anxiolytic, and specific immunomodulatory actions, Selank is best suited to people who have:
- Cognitive disorders or impairments (e.g., difficulty focusing, age-related memory lapses)
- Chronic anxiety or stress
- Chronic inflammation
But that’s not to say that Selank is a guaranteed solution for clinical diagnoses such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), general anxiety disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis. The current (English-language) scientific literature on Selank is too meager to say conclusively that the peptide can yield significant benefits in such cases, and most of the research we’ve seen has been conducted not in humans but in animals. At this time, Selank appears to be a potential remedy primarily for people whose cognitive, mood, or immune system complaints are toward the mild end of the mild-to-severe spectrum.
Additionally, as we’ve mentioned, Selank (like many other therapeutic peptides) isn’t suitable for people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, as there isn’t enough research to verify the safety of the developing fetus or child; nor should it be taken by people with active cancer diagnoses, per our known medical providers.
Dosing and administration of Selank
As an injectable, Selank has a standard dose of 0.5mg, though a user’s exact dose may depend on individual variables like age and weight. Selank may also be available as an intranasal spray, in which case doses usually start at 300mcg.
Injectable Selank, like other injectable peptides, comes as a powder in a vial alongside the accessories you need to reconstitute the powder into a solution and administer your doses — bacteriostatic water and needle syringes. Though instructions for reconstitution may vary somewhat, they typically entail adding a specific measure of bacteriostatic water to the powder to dissolve. Generally, you should avoid shaking the solution because agitation can degrade the peptide.
Intranasal Selank requires no such preliminary steps and is ready to use as is.
Injectable Selank normally has a dosing protocol of five days per week, whereas the intranasal variant may require once- or twice-daily administration. The dose can be taken at any time of day, but morning administration would allow the user to take greater advantage of Selank’s nootropic benefits.
With therapeutic peptides, providers often recommend a cycling protocol, whereby the user alternates between the time spent “on” and “off” the treatment. A common Selank cycle is one month on followed by one month off, amounting to six cycles per year.
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