Research Use Only (RUO). This article is for education and shares what published science says about a research compound. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a suggestion to use any peptide on people or animals.
Selank is a man-made research peptide that scientists study in the laboratory. A peptide is a small chain of amino acids, which are the tiny building blocks that make up proteins. Selank is sold for research use only (RUO), which means it is a lab material and is not for use in people or animals. This simple guide explains what Selank is, where it came from, and what early laboratory research has looked at.
What is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic (man-made) peptide built from seven amino acids, so scientists call it a heptapeptide, since hepta means seven. Because it is studied for how it may act on the nervous system in research models, Selank is often called a neuropeptide, which is a peptide that can signal to nerve cells in the brain. Selank was designed in a laboratory so researchers could study a stable molecule based on a natural body peptide. Remember, Selank is a research chemical only and is not a medicine.
Where does Selank come from?
Selank is an analog of tuftsin. An analog is a molecule that is built to be very similar to another one, with small changes to its structure. Tuftsin is a natural peptide made in the body that helps the immune system, so tuftsin is called an immunomodulatory peptide, meaning it helps adjust how the immune system works. Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Russia changed tuftsin to make Selank more stable, so it would be easier to study in the lab. This is why Selank is often described as a Russian research peptide.
What does the research say about Selank?
All of the research below comes from preclinical work. That means laboratory and animal studies, not studies that prove anything in people. Every finding belongs to the scientists who reported it.
In a 2008 study published in Doklady Biological Sciences, Inozemtseva and colleagues reported that Selank changed the levels of a protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) in the hippocampus of rats. The hippocampus is a brain area that researchers link to memory in these animal models.
In a 2019 study in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Kolik and colleagues described Selank as a peptide analog of tuftsin and reported that it affected memory-related behavior and BDNF content in the brains of rats.
In a 2017 paper in the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers studied Selank in cultured nerve cells and looked at genes tied to the GABA system, which is one of the brain's signaling systems in these laboratory models.
These are early laboratory findings. They do not show that Selank treats anxiety or any other condition in humans, and Selank is not a treatment.
Is Selank FDA approved?
No. Selank is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It has not been approved as a drug or a supplement in the United States. Selank has been studied mainly in Russia, where it was developed, but that is not the same as FDA approval. At Dissolv Labs, Selank is sold only as a research-use-only (RUO) material. That means it is for laboratory research and is not for human or animal use.
How researchers store and handle Selank
Selank is treated as a laboratory reference material. Research teams generally keep peptides like Selank sealed and follow their own lab's safety rules and their local laws. Because Selank is research use only, this guide does not give any instructions for using it in people or animals. It is meant only for qualified researchers working in a proper lab setting.
Selank vs Semax
Selank and Semax are both research peptides that were developed in Russia and are studied in nervous-system research. Semax is a different peptide with a different structure. It is based on a fragment of a natural hormone called ACTH, while Selank is based on tuftsin. Researchers sometimes compare the two because both are studied in preclinical brain research. Both are sold as research-use-only materials, and neither one is FDA approved.
Selank research materials at Dissolv Labs
Dissolv Labs supplies the following research-use-only reference materials for laboratory study:
- Selank 10mg - Selank research peptide reference material.
- Semax 10mg - a related Russian research peptide often used for comparison studies.
- Bacteriostatic Water 3ml - a common laboratory reconstitution material.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of peptide is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide, which means a man-made chain of seven amino acids. It is an analog, or close copy, of the natural peptide tuftsin.
Is Selank a medicine?
No. Selank is not an approved medicine and it is not FDA approved. It is sold as a research-use-only material for laboratory study only.
Does Selank treat anxiety?
No. Some early animal and laboratory studies have looked at Selank and brain signaling, but this research does not show that Selank treats anxiety or any condition in people. It is a research chemical, not a treatment.
Where was Selank developed?
Selank was developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Russia, which is why it is often called a Russian research peptide.
The bottom line
Selank is a synthetic research peptide and an analog of the natural immune peptide tuftsin. It was developed in Russia and has been studied in preclinical animal and cell research that looked at things like BDNF and brain signaling. Selank is not FDA approved and is not a medicine. Dissolv Labs offers Selank and related peptides strictly as research-use-only reference materials for qualified laboratories.
Sources
- Kolik et al. (2019), Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine - Selank, a peptide analogue of tuftsin, and BDNF in rats (PubMed)
- GABA, Selank, and Olanzapine Affect the Expression of Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission (2017), Frontiers in Pharmacology
- Inozemtseva et al. (2008), Doklady Biological Sciences - Intranasal administration of the peptide Selank regulates BDNF expression in the rat hippocampus
Disclaimer: All Dissolv Labs products are sold for Research Use Only and are not for human or veterinary use. This content is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment guidance, or a recommendation to consume any substance.
