Everything below concerns Regulatory peptide. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Updated 2026-07-31. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro. It was designed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences as a structural analogue of tuftsin, a naturally occurring tetrapeptide fragment of the immunoglobulin heavy chain. The added Pro-Gly-Pro tail was intended to slow enzymatic degradation and extend biological activity. In Russia it is registered as an anxiolytic nasal preparation, while regulators elsewhere have not approved it for clinical use.
Proposed mechanisms centre on modulation of the GABAergic system, with reports of altered expression of genes related to GABA-A receptor subunits and changed monoamine turnover. Some studies describe inhibition of enkephalinase, the enzyme that degrades endogenous enkephalins, which may prolong opioid peptide signalling. Effects on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and on cytokine expression have also been reported. These findings come largely from animal models and small human studies, and the precise primary target remains unresolved.
Development work on the compound began in the 1980s and 1990s at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow, within the same research programme that produced the peptide Semax. Early investigators sought a tuftsin derivative with improved resistance to enzymatic breakdown and with activity in the central nervous system after peripheral administration. Most of the primary literature from this period was published in Russian, a factor that still shapes how easily the findings can be checked by outside groups.
Naming for this compound is not fully standardised in English sources. The spelling Selanc appears in some transliterations, and catalogue entries may instead list the peptide sequence itself as the identifier. Reference material sometimes groups it with other short synthetic peptides studied for behavioural effects, which can create confusion when citations are compared. Distinguishing the exact sequence from related tuftsin analogues is therefore a practical first step when reviewing any dataset or specification sheet.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C33H57N11O9 | Free peptide form |
| Molecular mass | About 751.9 Da | Calculated average mass |
| Amino acid sequence | Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro | Single-letter form TKPRPGP |
| Structural basis | Tuftsin analogue | Extended version of a natural tetrapeptide |
| Development origin | Russian Academy of Sciences | Work carried out from the 1980s onward |
Selank is studied chiefly as an animal-model anxiolytic with proposed secondary effects on memory and immune signaling. Reported mechanisms include modulation of the GABA-A receptor complex, inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, and shifts in monoamine turnover within limbic structures. Some experiments describe increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus after repeated dosing. No single molecular target has been confirmed, and the peptide does not bind any receptor with the selectivity typical of a conventional small-molecule drug. Mechanism therefore remains a set of hypotheses rather than an established pathway.
Laboratory work relies on standard behavioral paradigms. Rodents are tested in the elevated plus maze, open field, and passive avoidance tasks, with outcomes compared against diazepam or vehicle controls. Intranasal dosing is used most often because it bypasses first-pass metabolism, though intraperitoneal and intravenous routes also appear in published protocols. Biochemical endpoints include tissue BDNF concentrations, cytokine levels, and monoamine metabolites. Human data are limited to small Russian trials reporting reduced anxiety scores; most were not prospectively registered, and few employed independent outcome assessment.
Measuring peptide exposure inside the brain is technically difficult. Selank is degraded rapidly in plasma, and assays must separate intact peptide from fragments, which favors targeted mass spectrometry over immunoassays alone. Reported half-lives are short, on the order of minutes, so effects observed hours later are attributed to downstream signaling rather than to the parent compound. Blood-brain barrier permeability is debated and rarely quantified directly. Gaps include absent dose-response characterization, inconsistent reporting of purity, and almost no pharmacokinetic data from human participants.
Most published work on selank originates from a small number of research groups in the Russian Federation. A large share of that record appears in Russian-language journals, which limits access for readers who rely on English-indexed databases. Independent replication by laboratories outside the original research network is sparse in publicly available sources. This concentration of origin and language is a frequently noted feature when the compound is summarized in broader reviews of synthetic peptides.
Reported pharmacological effects center on reduced anxiety-like behavior in animal models and on measures of memory and learning. Proposed contributing mechanisms include modulation of GABAergic signaling, shifts in monoamine turnover, and changes in the activity of enzymes that degrade neuropeptides. Effects on the expression of genes linked to neuroplasticity have also been described. No single molecular target is widely accepted, and whether the behavioral findings arise from one pathway or several remains an open question.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro. It was designed as a stabilized analogue of tuftsin, a naturally occurring tetrapeptide fragment derived from the immunoglobulin heavy chain. The additional Pro-Gly-Pro segment at the carboxyl terminus is intended to slow enzymatic cleavage. The compound is usually described in the literature as a synthetic peptide with anxiolytic and cognitive-related activity, a label that reflects a research context rather than an approved therapeutic category.
== How it works == The spark ion source consists of a vacuum chamber containing the electrodes, which is called the spark housing. The tips of the electrodes are composed of or containing the sample and are electrically connected to the power supply. Extraction electrodes create an electric field that accelerate the generated ions through the exit slit.
In his 1858 synopsis he even arranged lichens along an "algal‑to‑fungal continuum"—a speculative evolutionary ladder that cast the thallus as a transitional stage between algae and true fungi. Although soon eclipsed by Schwendener's dual‑symbiosis hypothesis, the idea shows that lichenologists were already grappling with gradations between the symbionts well before the composite nature of the organism was proved. Other botanists emphasised spores and propagules as diagnostic features. Britons William Lauder Lindsay (1851) and Henry Mudd (1861) proposed splitting genera by spore number, size and septation, while continental workers such as Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo and Gustav Wilhelm Körber built whole generic frameworks around ascospore traits, sparking debate yet adding critical descriptors. By 1867 lichenology had grown from Linnaeus's single‑genus sketch into a specialized field, complete with dozens of experts, thousands of named species and a nascent multi-character taxonomy linking thallus form, anatomy and reproduction—just in time for the coming revolution that would redefine lichens as symbiotic fungi.
A radionuclide (radioactive nuclide, radioisotope, radioactive isotope, or unstable isotope) is a nuclide that is unstable and known to undergo radioactive decay into a different nuclide, which may be another radionuclide (see decay chain) or be stable. Radioactive decay is a random process at the level of single atoms: it is impossible to predict when one particular atom will decay. For a collection of atoms of a single nuclide, their average decay rate can be measured, and its half-life (t1/2) calculated. Half-lives vary by 55 orders of magnitude and have no known limits. All chemical elements have radionuclides - even the lightest, hydrogen, has a well-known radionuclide, tritium (though helium, lithium, and boron have none with half-life over a second). Elements heavier than lead (Z > 82), and the elements technetium and promethium, have only radionuclides and do not exist in stable forms, though bismuth can be treated as stable with the half-life of its natural isotope being over a trillion times longer than the current age of the universe. Radiation emitted by radionuclides is almost always ionizing radiation and exposure above a certain level can cause damage to living organisms.
==== Efficacy ==== Some evidence shows that metformin is associated with weight loss in obesity in the absence of diabetes. Metformin has a lower risk of hypoglycemia than the sulfonylureas, although hypoglycemia has uncommonly occurred during intense exercise, calorie deficit, or when used with other agents to lower blood glucose. Metformin modestly reduces low density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels. In individuals with prediabetes, a 2019 systematic review comparing the effects of metformin with other interventions in the reduction of risk of developing type 2 diabetes found moderate-quality evidence that metformin reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes when compared to diet and exercise or a placebo. However, when comparing metformin to intensive diet or exercise, moderate-quality evidence was found that metformin did not reduce risk of developing type 2 diabetes and very low-quality evidence was found that adding metformin to intensive diet or exercise did not show any advantage or disadvantage in reducing risk of type 2 diabetes when compared to intensive exercise and diet alone. The same review also found one suitable trial comparing the effects of metformin and sulfonylurea in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in prediabetic individuals; however, this trial did not report any patient-relevant outcomes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Translational Research: The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering translational research. It was established in 1915 as The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine obtaining its current title in 2006. Jeffrey Laurence (Weill Cornell Medical College) has been editor-in-chief since 2006. He was preceded by Dale Hammerschmidt. It is the official journal of the Central Society for Clinical and Translational Research. It is published by Mosby.
Terrestrial data backs this idea by showing multiple periods of ejecta in the rock record both before and after the 3.9 Gya marker, suggesting that the early Earth was subject to continuous impacts with less impact on extinction. If life evolved in the ocean at depths of more than ten meters, it would have been shielded both from late impacts and the then high levels of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The available energy is maximized at 100–150 °C, the temperatures at which hyperthermophilic bacteria and thermoacidophilic archaea live.
== Clinical research == The feasibility of using recombinant human tropoelastin to promote elastin-fibre production and improve skin flexibility in wounds and scars has been studied. Although new elastin fibres were observed following the administration of recombinant human tropoelastin into fresh wounds, the treatment did not result in significant improvements in scar appearance or flexibility. Another line of research has investigated stimulation of endogenous elastin production in the skin. In an in vitro study, an amino acid–copper mixture increased elastin- and type I collagen-related gene expression and protein production in cultured human dermal fibroblasts compared with copper or the amino acid mixture alone. A subsequent open-label, single-centre clinical study evaluated a skin-booster formulation containing amino acids, copper sulfate and non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid, marketed as Elastic Lab. Five participants received four facial treatments at one-week intervals, and the outcomes were assessed one week after the final treatment. Instrumentally measured skin elasticity increased by 23.4% from baseline, while skin thickness and density increased by 7.3% and 12.5%, respectively. Improvements in skin hydration and periocular wrinkle depth were also reported. The study did not directly measure newly synthesised or deposited elastin fibres.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a seven-amino-acid peptide, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, produced by chemical synthesis rather than extracted from biological tissue. Its design is based on tuftsin, a natural immunomodulatory tetrapeptide. The C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro segment is a common stabilising motif in short regulatory peptides.
The core four residues correspond to tuftsin, which occurs naturally as part of immunoglobulin G. The full seven-residue sequence, however, is not a known endogenous peptide. It is a laboratory-designed analogue intended to combine tuftsin-like activity with greater resistance to breakdown.
No single receptor has been confirmed as the primary target. Reports describe involvement of the GABAergic system, interference with enkephalin degradation, and shifts in neurotrophic factor expression. Because these observations come from different models and assays, they have not yet been integrated into one accepted mechanism.
The sequence is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, commonly written as TKPRPGP. It shares the first four residues with tuftsin and carries three prolines in the chain. The proline-rich tail is the main structural feature that separates it from the parent tetrapeptide.