Selank

Typical use cases

Dosing guidelines

Titration

Community sources commonly describe starting at the lower end of the intranasal range and using time-limited courses (commonly 2-3 weeks) rather than continuous indefinite use, with breaks between courses; this is educational information, not dosing guidance.

Reconstitution

For lyophilized injectable powder: bring vial and bacteriostatic water to room temperature, then add diluent slowly down the vial wall and swirl gently (do not shake) until dissolved. Nasal-spray formulations are reconstituted/diluted into a metered intranasal solution. N/A for any pre-mixed intranasal product.

Injection sites

Primarily intranasal (sprayed/dropped into the nostrils); also reported subcutaneously (abdomen) or intramuscularly in injectable form

Storage & handling

Store lyophilized powder frozen at -20C for long-term or refrigerated at 2-8C short-term; after reconstitution keep refrigerated at ~2-8C and use within roughly one month. Protect from light and avoid repeated freeze-thaw.

Side effects

• Nasal irritation or congestion (intranasal use) Mild · Common
• Injection-site reaction (subcutaneous/IM use) Mild · Uncommon
• Fatigue or drowsiness Mild · Uncommon
• Headache Mild · Uncommon
• Altered taste or transient dizziness Mild · Rare
• Possible GABAergic desensitization with prolonged use (rebound anxiety/insomnia, hypothesized) Moderate · Rare

Research summary

Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro) developed at the Russian Institute of Molecular Genetics by extending the endogenous tetrapeptide tuftsin with a Pro-Gly-Pro stabilizing sequence. The bulk of the evidence base is preclinical: rodent and cell-culture studies report anxiolytic and antidepressant-like effects without the sedation, motor impairment, or dependence associated with benzodiazepines, with proposed mechanisms including allosteric modulation of the GABA-A system (2016-2017 Frontiers in Pharmacology studies found Selank alters expression of GABAergic and monoaminergic genes in rat brain and in IMR-32 cells), inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, and changes in serotonin turnover and BDNF. A 2017 study reported that Selank combined with diazepam most effectively normalized anxiety in chronically stressed rats. Human data are limited and almost entirely Russian: a small controlled trial (62 patients) in generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia reported anxiolytic efficacy comparable to the benzodiazepine medazepam plus antiasthenic and mild psychostimulant effects, contributing to Russian regulatory approval as an intranasal solution around 2009-2010. Notably, despite a very short plasma half-life (about 2-3 minutes), behavioral effects are reported to persist for days, attributed to downstream changes in gene expression and neurotransmitter systems. Major limitations include the absence of independent Western replication, small sample sizes, lack of FDA approval, and no large long-term safety data; proposed risks such as GABAergic desensitization remain hypothetical. It should be regarded as investigational rather than an established therapy.

Key references

• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4757669/
• https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5322660/
• https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2017.00089/full
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18454096/
• https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/11765600

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