Selank

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide: the tetrapeptide tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg) extended with the same Pro-Gly-Pro tail used in Semax. Tuftsin itself is a fragment of the immunoglobulin G heavy chain, so the sequence arrives with an immunological history attached. The added tripeptide is there to resist peptidase cleavage, not to alter the recognition sequence.

Like Semax it emerged from Russian peptide-design work in the late twentieth century, and the two are frequently studied alongside each other. The material ships lyophilised — dry powder in a sealed vial, reconstituted in the laboratory with bacteriostatic water.

Selank appears in preclinical literature spanning neurochemistry and immunology, which reflects the dual origin of its sequence.

Areas of study:

• GABAergic signalling, including reported changes in GABA-A receptor subunit gene expression in rodent brain
• Monoamine turnover, particularly serotonin metabolism in animal models
• Inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes in plasma
• Interleukin expression, following from the immunological background of tuftsin
• Behavioural models in rodents, including elevated plus maze paradigms

These are research questions examined in animals and cell systems. As with Semax, independent replication outside the originating groups is limited. Selank is supplied as a laboratory research material.