Acts on the brain
Selank
A medicine for anxiety in Russia. Sold elsewhere as nose sprays or shots. Little studied.
Not an authorised medicine
Short page. This is a short page. A full page with the complete evidence review is planned for version 1.1. The grades and regulatory status below are complete and sourced.
At a glance
- Is it an approved medicine?
- No. Not approved as a medicine in the EU, the UK or the US.
- Has it been tested in people?
- Some. Small trials in patients. No large trials published yet.
- Is it allowed in sport?
- Unclear. Not named on the anti-doping list. Ask your anti-doping organisation before using it in sport. Regulatory status
- What is the biggest risk?
- Little safety data. Products may hold germs or the wrong drug. More about the risks
Status checked on . The details and sources are further down this page.
Stop and get help if you notice
- Swollen face or throat, or trouble breathing48,6
- Hot, red, swollen or painful injection site46,7
- Fever or chills after you inject it47,46
If it is severe, call your local emergency number.
All warning signs, further down this page Warning signs for any peptide
The 30-second version
About 5 minutes for the short version; 9 with every detail open.
- Selank is a lab-made chain of seven amino acids. It is a medicine in Russia.
- It is built on tuftsin, a natural peptide that stirs up immune cells.
- Small studies in Russia used it for anxiety. No one outside Russia has checked them.
- The FDA says it lacks the data to judge its safety.
- It is not approved in the EU, the UK or the US. Its status in sport is unclear.
Fact sheet
- Class
- Acts on the brain
- Made of
- Seven amino acids, built on the natural peptide tuftsin
- Registered in
- Russia, as an anxiety medicine
- Largest published study
- 70 patients, no dummy drug
- Studied outside Russia
- Only to identify it in seized products
- Status in the EU
- Not authorised
- Tested in people
- Some
Label facts, not dosing advice. Sources are in the sections below.
Each section starts with the short answer. The rest is folded under “In detail”.
Evidence profile
Four separate questions. Not a score.
- Human clinical evidence How far has it been tested in people?
- Phase II (dose and early effect) (step 4 of 6)
- Preclinical volume How much laboratory and animal research exists?
- Moderate (step 2 of 3)
- Source independence How many independent groups produced it?
- A few groups (step 2 of 3)
- Safety characterisation How well do we know the harms in humans?
- Uncharacterised (step 1 of 3)
In detail: Why these grades: the reason for each step , about 2 minutes to read
- Human clinical evidence
- Phase 2 on our rubric. Selank is listed among peptide medicines registered in Russia, which the rubric would normally grade as 'authorised'. We do not, for the same reason as Semax: the evidence behind the registration cannot be checked from outside. The published human evidence is three small Russian studies of 60 to 70 patients that compared Selank with, or added it to, a benzodiazepine, without a placebo group or a described randomisation.
- Preclinical volume
- Moderate. On 22 October 2026 PubMed held 65 records on Selank that are not reviews or comments; about 50 are cell or animal studies, at the top of the 10–50 band.
- Source independence
- Few groups. Almost all primary studies come from a few Moscow institutes linked to the developers: the Institute of Molecular Genetics, the Zakusov Institute of Pharmacology and the Mental Health Research Centre. We found no laboratory outside Russia that has tested its effects.
- Safety characterisation
- Uncharacterised. The FDA says it lacks important information on Selank's safety in people, and the published patient studies mention tolerability only in passing.
We never add these up. A compound can have a large animal literature from one laboratory and no human data at all — that is a specific situation, and a single number would hide it. How we grade evidence
In detail: The molecule: amino-acid sequence and technical details , about 1 minute to read
H–Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro–OH
Read from the N-terminus (start) to the C-terminus (end).
- Full name
- Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro (tuftsin-Pro-Gly-Pro)
- Also called
- TP-7, Selanc
- Class
- Acts on the brain
- Body systems
- Brain and nerves, Immune system
- Formula
- C33H57N11O9
- Molecular mass
- 751.9 Da
What it actually is
What is Selank?
| Selank | |
|---|---|
| Made in a lab? | Yes Seven amino acids, built on tuftsin, a natural immune peptide.1,2 |
| A registered medicine anywhere? | Yes In Russia, for anxiety.3 |
| Approved in the EU, the UK or the US? | No EMA lists no product, and the FDA has approved none.4,5 |
| Well tested for safety? | No The FDA says it lacks important safety information.6 |
Online it is sold as powder for injection or as nose sprays.7 A Russian registration says nothing about products sold elsewhere under the name.
In detail: The molecule, and what a Russian registration means , about 1 minute to read
Selank is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, formula C33H57N11O9, mass 751.9 g/mol.1 Its first four amino acids are tuftsin, a small peptide cut from antibodies that stirs up germ-eating immune cells.8 The extra Pro-Gly-Pro is the same ending as in Semax.9 It was developed in Russia and is also called TP-7.3,6
A registration in Russia lets the product be sold there. It is not an assessment by any EU, UK or US regulator. It does not make Selank legal to supply as a medicine in the Netherlands.10
Proposed mechanism
How does it work?
Each step is labelled with how well the link from the previous step is established.
-
Slows enzymes that break down enkephalins
In human blood plasma in a dish, Selank slowed the breakdown of enkephalin, a natural opioid that damps stress signals. The developers propose this as one way it could reduce anxiety.
-
Changes gene activity in rodent brain and spleen
Given into the nose of rats, Selank changed BDNF in the hippocampus; one injection in mice changed the activity of 34 of 84 inflammation genes in the spleen. Both from the originating group.
-
Less anxiety in people: not independently shown
Small Russian studies compared Selank with benzodiazepines, or added it to one, in patients with anxiety. None used a placebo. They did not describe how patients were allocated or blinded, and nobody outside Russia has repeated them.
What the evidence actually shows
Does it work?
Even the biggest study had no dummy drug
70
people with anxiety: 40 got Selank plus another drug, 30 got that drug alone
Who took part Medvedev 2015: Russian-language paper; no placebo group; allocation not described Source Medvedev et al. (2015)14 Evidence Humans, limited
Without a placebo group, a study cannot separate a drug’s effect from the natural ups and downs of anxiety. All three patient studies include a developer among the authors.15,16,14
In detail: Every study in one table , about 3 minutes to read
8 studies: 3 in humans, 2 in animals, 2 in cells, 1 reviews or other.
| Study | Species | n | Design | Funding | Research group | What it found | What it did not show |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zozulya et al. 2001 11 | Cells (lab) | not reported | Laboratory (cells) (controlled) | Not disclosed | Originating group | Patients with generalised anxiety broke down enkephalin faster in their blood. In plasma in a dish, Selank slowed that breakdown, more at higher concentrations. | A lab test on plasma; no link shown to blood levels after a real dose; originating group. |
| Inozemtseva et al. 2008 12 | Rats | not reported | Animal experiment | Not disclosed | Originating group | Selank given into the nose changed BDNF levels in the rat hippocampus. | A short report without an abstract; rats; originating group. |
| Zozulia et al. 2008 15 | Humans | 62 | Open-label study (controlled) | Not disclosed | Originating group | In 62 patients with generalised anxiety disorder or neurasthenia, Selank (30) and the benzodiazepine medazepam (32) reduced anxiety scores to a similar degree; the authors report less fatigue with Selank. | Russian-language; no placebo group; allocation and blinding not described in the abstract; developers among the authors. |
| Kolomin et al. 2011 2 | Mice | not reported | Animal experiment (controlled) | Not disclosed | Originating group | One injection of Selank into the belly cavity of mice changed the activity of 34 of 84 inflammation-related genes in the spleen. | Gene activity only, no health outcome; mice; originating group. |
| Medvedev et al. 2014 16 | Humans | 60 | Open-label study (controlled) | Not disclosed | Originating group | In 60 patients with anxiety and related disorders, the authors report a clear anti-anxiety effect of Selank, compared with the benzodiazepine phenazepam. | Russian-language; the abstract gives no numbers, allocation or blinding; a developer among the authors. |
| Medvedev et al. 2015 14 | Humans | 70 | Open-label study (controlled) | Not disclosed | Originating group | In 70 patients with anxiety and related disorders, 40 got Selank added to the benzodiazepine phenazepam and 30 got phenazepam alone; the authors report a faster effect and fewer phenazepam side effects with the combination. | Russian-language; no placebo; allocation and blinding not described in the abstract; a developer among the authors. |
| Rogozinskaya & Lyapina 2017 23 | Cells (lab) | not reported | Laboratory (cells) (controlled) | Not disclosed | Independent group | In a lab clotting test, Selank made blood clot more slowly, more strongly than two related peptides. | Blood in a test tube; the abstract does not say whose blood or which concentrations; one laboratory. |
| Vanhee et al. 2020 7 | — | not reported | Product testing | Government | Independent group | Two unknown products seized in Belgium in 2017 and 2018 turned out to contain Selank and Semax; both peptides were freely sold online as powder for injection or as nasal sprays. | Two products; shows what is on the illegal market, not what typical products contain. |
About 50 cell and animal studies exist. Nearly all come from a few Moscow institutes linked to the developers.13 The only study from outside Russia we found is a Belgian laboratory analysis of seized products.7
Regulatory status
Is it legal?
| Netherlands and the EU | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Approved as a medicine? | No No EU or Dutch authorisation.17,18 | No Not FDA-approved.5 |
| Legal to sell or supply as a medicine? | No Dutch law forbids supplying a medicine without a marketing authorisation, with narrow exceptions.10 | No It was nominated for pharmacy compounding, but the nominations were withdrawn.6 |
| Allowed in sport? | Unknown Not named on the list. It is registered in Russia, so the catch-all ban (S0) may not apply. Ask your anti-doping organisation.19,20,3 | Unknown The same worldwide rule.21 |
In detail: Status in each country, and in sport , about 2 minutes to read
| Jurisdiction | Status | Note | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Not authorised | No authorised product, and no record in EMA's medicines data (checked 22 October 2026). 4,17 | |
| Netherlands | Not authorised | Not authorised; supplying an unauthorised medicine is prohibited by the Geneesmiddelenwet. 18,10 | |
| United States | Not authorised | Not FDA-approved. Previously in FDA category 2 (possible significant safety risks); nominations withdrawn. Not part of the July 2026 advisory vote. 6,5 | |
| Sport (WADA) | Unclear (not named) | Not named on the List. Because it is registered in Russia, it is unclear whether S0 applies: ask your anti-doping organisation. 19,21,20,3 |
All statuses were checked on 22 October 2026. The CBG database lists no Selank product.18 The FDA lists Selank acetate (TP-7) among substances once in category 2, for possible significant safety risks. It names a risk of immune reactions and says it lacks important safety information.6 Selank was not among the seven peptides the FDA’s advisers discussed in July 2026.22
In sport, S0 bans substances that no government health authority has approved. Selank is registered in Russia, so S0 may not cover it. WADA warns that peptides that are not named may still be banned under another section.19,20 Only an anti-doping organisation can give a ruling.
Risk profile
What are the risks?
| Possible harm | Shown in people? |
|---|---|
| An immune reaction to the peptide or its impurities | Unknown The FDA names this risk for some routes.6 |
| Slower blood clotting, which could matter with blood thinners | Unknown Seen in a lab clotting test only.23 |
| A product that is not what the label says | Unknown Two unidentified seized products turned out to hold Selank.7 |
| Harm from long-term use | Unknown The FDA lacks the information to judge it.6 |
In detail: What is known, and what is not , about 1 minute to read
The Russian patient studies were short and compared Selank with benzodiazepines, or added it to one, so they cannot show rare or delayed harms.15,16,14 Products sold online are made outside any checked supply chain. Belgian investigators had to test two unknown products to find out that they held Selank and Semax.7 See product risk.
If someone is going to do this anyway
This section exists to reduce harm. It gives no doses, schedules or sourcing advice, and it is not a recommendation to use this compound.
How can someone lower the risk?
If your product did not come from a pharmacy: check before you use it
These checks can show that something is wrong. None of them can show that a product is good or free of germs.24,25,26
Tick each box when you have checked it.
-
A lab report proves little if:
- its batch number is not the one on your vial;
- it does not name the lab, or has no date or signature;
- it shows only purity (HPLC), with no test of what it is, such as mass spectrometry;
- it has no test for germs (sterility) or for toxins from germs (endotoxin).
Even a full report covers only one sample. A report from the seller comes from someone who gains if it looks good. It cannot show that your vial is clean.33,34,35,36,37
When to stop and get help
Stop-now warning signs
Call your local emergency number now
- Confusion or slurred speech, very fast breathing, or pale, blue or blotchy skin, often with fever or shivering These can be signs of sepsis: the body's reaction to an infection has started to damage its own organs.
- Fainting and not waking up within a minute, or fainting with chest pain, a racing heart or a fit This can be a dangerous heart rhythm or a severe allergic reaction.
- Pain at the injection spot that is much worse than it looks, or dark, purple or grey patches or blisters there This can be a rare, fast-spreading infection of the deep layers under the skin (necrotising fasciitis).
- Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or swallowing, wheezing, a hoarse voice, or feeling faint, soon after an injection This can be a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), which is life-threatening and gets worse very quickly.
Get medical help today
- Fever, shivering or feeling very ill in the days after an injection Germs from the needle, the skin or the product may have reached your blood. If you also have a fast heartbeat or fast breathing, call your local emergency number.
- Redness, heat, swelling or pain around the injection spot that keeps growing or getting worse This can be a skin infection (cellulitis), which needs antibiotics before it spreads.
- Red lines that run from the injection spot towards the armpit or groin The infection may be spreading along the lymph vessels, and from there into the blood. If you also have a fever with a fast heartbeat or fast breathing, call your local emergency number.
- A painful, warm lump that fills with pus This is probably an abscess: it often needs draining by a doctor, so do not squeeze it.
- You were pricked by a needle that someone else had used Blood on a used needle can pass on HIV and hepatitis B or C, and preventive treatment works best within hours.
Stop and contact a doctor
- You fainted, but woke up quickly and now feel well Fainting is often harmless, but a doctor should check the cause.
- A new mole, or a mole that changes size, shape or colour, itches or bleeds A changing mole can be skin cancer, and tanning peptides such as melanotan II have been linked to new and changing moles in case reports.
- A lump at an injection spot that does not go away, or keeps growing A doctor should check whether it is an abscess, a reaction to the product or something else.
- An itchy, raised rash, or puffy eyes or lips, while breathing stays normal Your body may be reacting to the product, and using it again can bring the reaction back.
In detail: Interactions, checks, and who should not use it , about 1 minute to read
A doctor can help you weigh these (see talking to your doctor):
- Blood thinners, because Selank slowed clotting in a lab test. This has not been tested in people.23
- The anxiety itself. A doctor can help find out what is behind it and talk through treatment options.
- Anti-doping rules, if you compete: ask your anti-doping organisation first.
There are no data in pregnancy or breastfeeding. See sterile technique.
Sources
Every claim on this page links to one of these sources. Scholarly sources link to their DOI; regulatory sources to the regulator's own page.
In detail: All 48 sources, numbered as in the text , about 8 minutes to read
- (2026). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 11765600, Selank. PubChem. Dataset pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (opens an external site) — accessed 22 October 2026 ↩
- (2011). Expression of inflammation-related genes in mouse spleen under tuftsin analog Selank. Regulatory Peptides 170:18-23. Research article doi:10.1016/j.regpep.2011.05.001 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2022). Development of Peptide Biopharmaceuticals in Russia. Pharmaceutics 14:716. Review doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics14040716 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2026). Medicines (search of centrally authorised medicines and EPARs). Regulator ema.europa.eu (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2026). openFDA Drugs@FDA queries, 22 October 2026: selank, semax, epitalon, MOTS-c, thymalfasin, thymosin. openFDA. Dataset api.fda.gov (opens an external site) — accessed 22 October 2026 ↩
- (2026). Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Regulator fda.gov (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2020). The occurrence of putative cognitive enhancing research peptides in seized pharmaceutical preparations: An incentive for controlling agencies to prepare for future encounters of the kind. Drug Testing and Analysis 12:371-381. Research article doi:10.1002/dta.2717 (opens an external site) ↩
- (1989). Tuftsin: its chemistry, biology, and clinical potential. Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 24:1-40. Review doi:10.3109/10409238909082550 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2026). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 9811102, Semax. PubChem. Dataset pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (opens an external site) — accessed 22 October 2026 ↩
- (2007). Geneesmiddelenwet (BWBR0021505). wetten.overheid.nl. Law wetten.overheid.nl (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2001). The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 131:315-317. Research article doi:10.1023/a:1017979514274 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2008). Intranasal administration of the peptide Selank regulates BDNF expression in the rat hippocampus in vivo. Doklady Biological Sciences 421:241-243. Research article doi:10.1134/s0012496608040066 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2026). PubMed searches for Semax and Selank, 22 October 2026 (record counts by authorship and affiliation). PubMed. Dataset pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (opens an external site) — accessed 22 October 2026 ↩
- (2015). Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 115:33-40. Research article doi:10.17116/jnevro20151156133-40 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2008). Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 108:38-48. Research article PMID 18454096 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2014). A comparison of the anxiolytic effect and tolerability of selank and phenazepam in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova 114:17-22. Research article PMID 25176261 (opens an external site) ↩
- (2026). Medicines data download (JSON report of all EPARs: authorised, refused, withdrawn and suspended medicines). Dataset ema.europa.eu (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2026). Geneesmiddeleninformatiebank (database of medicines authorised in the Netherlands). Regulator geneesmiddeleninformatiebank.nl (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2025). World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026. Regulator wada-ama.org (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2026). Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes, 2027 Prohibited List. Regulator wada-ama.org (opens an external site) — accessed 22 October 2026 ↩
- (2026). World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2027 (in effect 1 January 2027). Regulator wada-ama.org (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2026). July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. Regulator fda.gov (opens an external site) — accessed 20 October 2026 ↩
- (2017). Anticoagulant Effects of Arginine-Containing Peptides of the Glyproline Family (His-Phe-Arg-Trp-Pro-Gly-Pro and Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) Revealed by Thromboelastography. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine 164:170-172. Research article doi:10.1007/s10517-017-3950-4 (opens an external site) ↩
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