Peptide Graded

All peptides / Nervous system

Selank

Anxiolytic peptide (Russian)

Also Selank peptide, TP-7, TP7, Selanc, Selank nasal spray, Tuftsin analog

Evidence
BSome human evidence
FDA status
Not approvedas of 2026-10-26
Route
Nasal
Studies cited
2 human2 animal or cell

It is sold as a nose spray to calm anxiety and sharpen focus. The only trial, in Russia, had 62 patients and no placebo group, so it proves little.

Sold for

Selank is sold as a nasal spray that calms anxiety without the sedation or dependence of benzodiazepines and sharpens focus at the same time.

Studies say

A single 62-patient Russian trial found anxiety relief comparable to a benzodiazepine, and animal work points to GABA and NMDA receptor effects, but there is no placebo-controlled human trial, so the claims rest on thin evidence.

Why grade B. There is one small randomized comparison in 62 patients with generalized anxiety disorder or neurasthenia, published in Russian without a placebo arm, plus a cytokine study in a subset of patients and two animal or in vitro studies on GABA and NMDA receptor binding. One randomized trial meets the letter of B, but it is tiny, unblinded as far as the abstract reports, and has never been replicated outside Russia. 13579

FDA. Selank is not approved by the FDA for any use and is sold in the United States as a research chemical. It is registered as a prescription anxiolytic in Russia. It is not on the FDA's list of substances pharmacies may compound, and it was not among the peptides the FDA's compounding advisory committee reviewed in July 2026. 461011

Written from 11 cited sources. Last refreshed 2026-10-27. Not physician reviewed.

What this means for you

What people take it for
Anxiety and focus
Can a US doctor prescribe it?
No. It is not approved and is sold as a research chemical.
Properly tested in people?
Partly: one small Russian trial of 62 patients with no placebo group, never repeated.

Evidence checklist

  • Randomised controlled trial One randomized trial, no placebo groupyes
  • Human study over 100 people 62 patients in the only trialno
  • More than one research group Russian group only, not replicatedno
  • Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers Anxiety scale scores onlyno
  • Human safety data beyond case reports A few dozen patients for a few weeksno

Drawn from the cited studies below. A dash means the sources give no information.

What it is

Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow in the 1990s. It is built from tuftsin, a four-amino-acid fragment of an antibody chain with immune activity, extended by three amino acids that protect it from being broken down. It is marketed in Russia as a prescription nasal spray for anxiety and is sold elsewhere, including the United States, by research chemical vendors. 25

Selank is often mentioned alongside semax, a different peptide from the same Moscow institute that is derived from the stress hormone ACTH and marketed in Russia for stroke and cognitive complaints. The two are chemically unrelated and were developed for different purposes; the pairing is a marketing habit. 2

How it works

The proposed mechanism is indirect. In patients, selank raised blood levels of leu-enkephalin, a natural opioid peptide that the body breaks down quickly, and the authors proposed that selank slows that breakdown. In mice, selank given by injection increased GABA receptor binding sites in the frontal cortex, while the same peptide given nasally increased NMDA receptor binding instead, which suggests the route of administration changes what the drug does. A gene expression study in rats found selank altered the expression of genes involved in GABA signaling, which has been interpreted as allosteric modulation of the GABA system, meaning it changes how GABA receptors respond and does not activate them directly. None of these mechanisms has been confirmed in humans. 189

What human research shows

The main clinical study randomized 62 patients with generalized anxiety disorder or neurasthenia to selank (30 patients) or medazepam, a benzodiazepine (32 patients). Anxiety ratings on the Hamilton and Zung scales fell to a similar degree in both groups, and the authors reported that selank also reduced fatigue and improved alertness, which medazepam did not. There was no placebo group and the abstract does not describe blinding, so the trial cannot distinguish a drug effect from expectation. Published in Russian in 2008, it remains the only randomized trial. 5

A companion study measured cytokines in patients from the same program given selank for two weeks and in blood cells exposed to selank in the laboratory, reporting shifts in interleukin-6 and in the balance between types of helper T cells. The authors proposed an immune-modulating role, but this has not been tested in a controlled design. 7

A 2015 Russian study in anxiety disorders and a 2019 analytical review that catalogued what is known about selank and semax add little controlled data; the review's conclusion was that the clinical evidence for both peptides comes from small Russian studies with methodology that is hard to assess. 12

StudyModelFinding
Selank versus medazepam in anxietyHumans, n=62 with generalized anxiety disorder or neurasthenia, randomized, active comparator, no placeboAnxiety scores fell to a similar degree with both drugs; selank was also reported to reduce fatigue. 5
Immune effects in anxiety patientsHumans (patients given selank for 14 days) and blood cells in vitroChanges in interleukin-6 and helper T cell cytokine balance, proposed as an immune-modulating effect. 7
Nasal versus injected selank in miceMice, two inbred strains, elevated plus maze and receptor bindingAnxiety-reducing effects appeared only in the more anxious strain; injection raised GABA receptor binding while nasal dosing raised NMDA receptor binding. 9
GABA gene expression in ratsRats, gene expression analysisSelank changed expression of genes involved in GABAergic signaling, suggesting an indirect effect on the GABA system. 8

Safety

The Russian trial reported no serious adverse effects and no sedation, and the mouse studies found no toxicity at the doses used. That is the extent of the safety record: a few dozen patients for a few weeks. Nothing is known about long-term use, effects on hormones or the immune system over time, interactions with other drugs, or use in pregnancy. Products sold online are unregulated, so purity and dose cannot be assumed. The FDA has placed several peptides it reviewed in 2024 and 2026 in the category of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks because of this kind of data gap. 569

Questions for your clinician

  • Has selank been tested against placebo in a blinded trial?
  • How do proven anxiety treatments compare for my symptoms?
  • Since it is not approved in the US, what is in the product I would buy?

Questions people ask

Does selank have FDA approval?

No. It has never been submitted for approval in the United States and is sold here only as a research chemical. Its approval in Russia does not carry over. 46

Can selank be bought lawfully in the US this year?

Selling it labeled for research is not itself prohibited, but marketing it for human use is, and pharmacies cannot compound it because it is not on the FDA's approved bulk substances list. The July 2026 advisory committee that recommended several peptides for compounding did not consider selank. 61011

How do selank and semax compare?

They come from the same Moscow institute but are different molecules. Selank is derived from tuftsin, an immune peptide, and is marketed in Russia for anxiety. Semax is derived from a fragment of ACTH and is marketed there for stroke recovery and cognitive complaints. Neither has controlled trials outside Russia. 2

What does the published research show?

One 62-patient randomized trial found selank matched a benzodiazepine for anxiety without sedation, but there was no placebo group. Animal studies show effects on GABA and NMDA receptors that differ by route of administration. That is the whole evidence base. 589

Are compounding pharmacies likely to offer selank?

Not on current evidence. The FDA's 2026 review of peptides for its compounding list covered semax, BPC-157 and five others but not selank. An earlier selank nomination was withdrawn, so there is no pending FDA evaluation. 61011

Citations

  1. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2015: Russian clinical study of selank in anxiety disorders doi.org
  2. Drug Test Anal 2019: analytical and pharmacological review of semax and selank doi.org
  3. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2009: effects of regulatory peptides on BDNF and NGF expression in rat brain doi.org
  4. STAT, July 2026: FDA peptide compounding panel outcomes statnews.com
  5. Zozulia 2008, Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr: efficacy of selank versus medazepam in generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. FDA: certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding may present significant safety risks fda.gov
  7. Uchakina 2008, Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr: immunomodulatory effects of selank in anxiety-asthenic disorders pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Volkova 2016, Front Pharmacol: selank and expression of genes involved in GABAergic neurotransmission doi.org
  9. Kolik 2016, Eksp Klin Farmakol: nasal versus intraperitoneal selank in two mouse strains pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. FDA: interim 503A bulk drug substances category list fda.gov
  11. FDA: July 23-24, 2026 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting fda.gov

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