Selank

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, built on the sequence of the endogenous peptide tuftsin. Preclinical studies of the Selank peptide have examined the expression of GABAergic neurotransmission genes in rat cortex, allosteric effects on GABA binding, inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, inflammation-related gene expression in mouse spleen and behavior in rat chronic stress models. Research Market supplies Selank as a lyophilized research reagent, with purity and identity data for each lot reported on its certificate of analysis. It is sold strictly for laboratory research use.

Chemical structure and identification

• Molecular formula: C₃₃H₅₇N₁₁O₉
• Molecular weight: 751.9 g/mol
• CAS number: 129954-34-3
• PubChem CID: 11765600
• Amino acid sequence: Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro (TKPRPGP)
• Synonyms: Selanc; TP-7
• Form: Lyophilized powder
• Analytical methods: RP-HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity, reported on the batch certificate of analysis

Research applications

• GABAergic gene expression: In rat frontal cortex, Selank changed the expression of 45 of 84 neurotransmission-related genes at 1 hour and 22 at 3 hours, and the early changes correlated with those produced by GABA [1]
• GABA receptor binding: Radioligand-receptor assays on brain membranes indicated that Selank acts on [³H]GABA binding as a positive allosteric modulator and can block the modulatory activity of diazepam and olanzapine [2]
• Enkephalin-degrading enzymes: Selank inhibited enzymatic hydrolysis of enkephalin in human plasma in a dose-dependent manner (IC₅₀ 15 µM) and was more active than the peptidase inhibitors bacitracin and puromycin [3]
• Inflammation-related genes: After a single intraperitoneal injection in mice, Selank and its fragment Gly-Pro altered spleen mRNA levels of C3, Casp1, Il2rg and Xcr1 within 30 to 90 minutes [4]
• Chronic stress models: Anxiety-related behavior in the elevated plus maze was compared in rats given Selank, diazepam or both, with and without unpredictable chronic mild stress [5]

Reference citations

1. Volkova A. et al. (2016). Selank administration affects the expression of some genes involved in GABAergic neurotransmission. Front Pharmacol, 7:31. PMID 26924987 · DOI
2. Vyunova T.V. et al. (2018). Peptide-based anxiolytics: the molecular aspects of heptapeptide Selank biological activity. Protein Pept Lett, 25(10):914–923. PMID 30255741 · DOI
3. Zozulya A.A. et al. (2001). The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity. Bull Exp Biol Med, 131(4):315–317. PMID 11550013 · DOI
4. Kolomin T. et al. (2014). The temporary dynamics of inflammation-related genes expression under tuftsin analog Selank action. Mol Immunol, 58(1):50–55. PMID 24291245 · DOI
5. Kasian A. et al. (2017). Peptide Selank enhances the effect of diazepam in reducing anxiety in unpredictable chronic mild stress conditions in rats. Behav Neurol, 2017:5091027. PMID 28280289 · DOI

Compound data from PubChem CID 11765600. Literature summaries describe published preclinical research and are not claims about this product’s effects in humans or animals.