preclinical-level evidence

Selank

What the research and the regulators actually say, sourced to primary documents.

Studies indexed
0
Clinical trials
0
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Updated · sourced to primary documents

Research information only, not medical advice. Selank (TP-7) is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), an analogue of the immune tetrapeptide tuftsin extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro sequence for metabolic stability, developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is not approved by the FDA and has no approved indication in the United States. Since the 1990s it has been used as a prescription nootropic/anxiolytic in Russia and former-Soviet states; elsewhere it is available only as a research chemical or supplement. It has not completed clinical trials to Western standards.

Selank at a glance

The evidence base is largely preclinical (rodent models) and Russian-language clinical reports of limited methodological quality. In rodent models, Selank shows anxiolytic activity comparable to benzodiazepines without amnesia, withdrawal, or dependence, and potentiates the anxiolytic effect of diazepam under chronic mild stress (Kozlovskaya/Klusa et al., 2017). Proposed mechanisms are indirect and preclinical: inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes (Zozulia et al., 2001), in-vitro modulation of GABA-A receptor binding and GABAergic gene expression (Kolomin et al., 2017), and altered brain serotonin metabolism in rats. A resting-state fMRI study in 52 healthy volunteers reported changes in amygdala/prefrontal functional connectivity after intranasal Selank but did not establish a clinical anxiolytic outcome (Volel et al., 2020). Most efficacy data are Russian-language animal studies or small clinical reports of limited methodological quality; no well-characterized serious adverse-effect profile exists from controlled human trials, and the safety database is not derived from peer-reviewed Western RCTs.

See how we grade evidence for the methodology behind this page.

Evidence profile

46 studies
  • Human RCT 1 · 2%
  • Human trial 3 · 7%
  • Review 12 · 26%
  • Animal 22 · 48%
  • In-vitro 5 · 11%
  • Unknown 3 · 7%

The longer the green, the stronger the human evidence. For most research peptides the bar is dominated by animal and in-vitro work, which is a signal to read every claim carefully.

Regulatory status

Clinical trials

  • NCT01747200 NA COMPLETED

    Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Object Recognition

  • NCT05832060 NA UNKNOWN

    Comparing the Efficacy of tDCS and tRNS to Improve Reading Skills in Children and Adolescents With Dyslexia

Indexed research

Sorted by evidence level, strongest first.

+ 36 more studies indexed for Selank.

Frequently asked questions

Is Selank approved for human use?
Selank (TP-7) is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), an analogue of the immune tetrapeptide tuftsin extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro sequence for metabolic stability, developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is not approved by the FDA and has no approved indication in the United States. Since the 1990s it has been used as a prescription nootropic/anxiolytic in Russia and former-Soviet states; elsewhere it is available only as a research chemical or supplement. It has not completed clinical trials to Western standards.
What does the research on Selank show?
The evidence base is largely preclinical (rodent models) and Russian-language clinical reports of limited methodological quality. In rodent models, Selank shows anxiolytic activity comparable to benzodiazepines without amnesia, withdrawal, or dependence, and potentiates the anxiolytic effect of diazepam under chronic mild stress (Kozlovskaya/Klusa et al., 2017). Proposed mechanisms are indirect and preclinical: inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes (Zozulia et al., 2001), in-vitro modulation of GABA-A receptor binding and GABAergic gene expression (Kolomin et al., 2017), and altered brain serotonin metabolism in rats. A resting-state fMRI study in 52 healthy volunteers reported changes in amygdala/prefrontal functional connectivity after intranasal Selank but did not establish a clinical anxiolytic outcome (Volel et al., 2020). Most efficacy data are Russian-language animal studies or small clinical reports of limited methodological quality; no well-characterized serious adverse-effect profile exists from controlled human trials, and the safety database is not derived from peer-reviewed Western RCTs.