Everything below concerns tuftsin. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Last reviewed on 2025-08-22. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
The compound has a calculated molecular weight near 751.9 daltons and carries a net positive charge at physiological pH because of its arginine residue. It dissolves freely in water and in common aqueous buffers, and typically appears as a white or off-white lyophilized powder. The amide backbone makes the molecule susceptible to peptidases, which limits oral use and favors intranasal or parenteral routes. Nomenclature in the literature varies: the substance is also described by the sequence abbreviation TP-7 and by a Russian trade designation.
Regulatory status differs sharply by region. Selank holds a Russian marketing authorization, where it is supplied mainly as nasal drops, while authorities elsewhere have not approved it for medical use. Material sold internationally is therefore usually labeled as a research chemical rather than a medicine. Peer-reviewed publications come predominantly from Russian laboratories, and sample sizes are generally small. Whether the compound produces comparable effects under independent, well-controlled replication remains an open question that the broader literature has not settled.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Synthetic heptapeptide | Analog of the tetrapeptide tuftsin |
| Sequence | Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro | Reported consistently across pharmacopoeial descriptions |
| Appearance | White to off-white lyophilized powder | Typical form of research-grade material |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water | Aqueous buffers; poor in nonpolar solvents |
| Typical storage temperature | -20 degrees Celsius | Lyophilized powder; protect from moisture |
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.
Published clinical evidence is limited. Most controlled trials were conducted in Russia, enrolled modest numbers of participants, and appeared in Russian-language journals, which restricts independent verification. Reported outcomes include lower anxiety scores, improved attention and memory measures, and changes in fatigue ratings. Reviews written in English note methodological limitations such as small samples and inconsistent endpoints. Whether the compound produces clinically meaningful benefit relative to established anxiolytics is therefore an open question rather than an established finding.
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.
Outside its country of origin the compound is generally handled as a research chemical rather than an approved medicine. No regulatory approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or the European Medicines Agency has been granted for human use. Identity and purity are normally checked by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, with mass spectrometry used to confirm the molecular mass. Lyophilised material is stored cold and desiccated, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles are avoided.
Published work on this peptide almost always uses intranasal delivery, with drops or a spray applied to the nasal mucosa. Some animal experiments have used subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injection, and a smaller number have compared routes directly. Oral administration is not a focus of the literature, because short peptides of this size are broken down by digestive enzymes and cross intestinal barriers poorly. How much of an intranasal dose reaches the bloodstream intact in humans remains an open question.
Animal studies have examined behaviour in tests of anxiety, memory retention and stress response, and several report changes in neurotrophic or neurotransmitter-related markers. The human evidence base is much smaller, consisting mainly of short trials conducted in Russia with limited reporting in English-language journals. Sample sizes are modest and outcome measures vary between studies, so the findings are best described as preliminary. Independent replication under modern trial standards has not been widely reported.
Selank is not a naturally occurring peptide and has no known endogenous counterpart in human physiology. Russian-language sources frequently call it TP-7, while English-language sources use the name Selank almost exclusively. Database indexing is uneven, partly because early reports appeared in regional journals that are not widely cataloged. Some summaries describe the material as a tuftsin analog and others as a synthetic heptapeptide; the labels overlap rather than conflict. Citing the primary sequence resolves ambiguity more reliably than the research or trade name alone.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, written TKPRPGP in one-letter notation. Its structure consists of the immunomodulatory tetrapeptide tuftsin, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg, extended at the carboxyl terminus by a Pro-Gly-Pro segment. The molecular formula is commonly given as C33H57N11O9, corresponding to a monoisotopic mass near 751.4 Da and an average molecular mass near 751.9 Da. All seven residues are proteinogenic amino acids, and the molecule carries no modified side chains or non-natural linkages.
A further important example of orthogonal protecting groups occurs in carbohydrate chemistry. As carbohydrates or hydroxyl groups exhibit very similar reactivities, a transformation that protects or deprotects a single hydroxy group must be possible for a successful synthesis.
== Medical uses == Amitriptyline is indicated for the treatment of major depressive disorder, neuropathic pain, and for the prevention of migraine and chronic tension headache. It can be used for the treatment of nocturnal enuresis in children older than 6 after other treatments have failed.
== January 12, 1982 (Tuesday) == Canada's Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced that he was reorganizing several Canadian federal ministries, and that the existing Ministry of Industry, Trade and Commerce would be broken up into a Ministry for Economic and Regional Development. Kevin McGrady, a terrorist of the Provisional IRA who had become a born-again Christian, walked into the Musgrave Street police station in Belfast and confessed to 27 crimes committed in 1975, including three murders. After being sentenced to life imprisonment in June, McGrady agreed to become a "supergrass" and his testimony led to the conviction of seven IRA members in 1983. The PBS television series American Playhouse telecast its first play, The Shady Hill Kidnapping, written and narrated by John Cheever. The series would run for 13 seasons, ending on September 29, 1996. Born: Tony Lochhead, New Zealand footballer with 47 caps for the New Zealand national team from 2003 to 2013; in Tauranga Da Peng (stage name for Dong Chengpeng), Chinese comedian, filmmaker and TV show host; in Ji'an City, Jilin province Died: Dorothy Howel, 83, Brisith pianist and concerto composer. Major General Frank Crowther Roberts, 90, British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross for heroism during World War One Major General Harold William Chase, 59, U.S. Marine Corps officer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense from 1977 to 1980, died following a heart attack.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The Moscow Metro system is well-known for art, murals, mosaics, and chandeliers. This system started operating in 1935 and promptly became the centerpiece of the city's transportation system. Moreover, the system was a Stalinist tactic to awe and reward the population, as well as help them to appreciate Soviet realist art. The system became the prototype for later large-scale Soviet technologies. Lazar Kaganovich headed the system; he designed the subway so that residents would absorb the values and ethos of Stalinist society as they rode. The artwork of the original 13 stations became nationally and internationally known. For example, the Sverdlov Square subway station featured porcelain bas-reliefs depicting the daily life of Soviet people; in addition, the bas-reliefs at the Dynamo Stadium sports complex glorified sports and the physical prowess of the new "Homo Sovieticus" (Soviet man). The metro was heralded as the symbol of a new social order—a sort of communist cathedral of engineering modernity. Soviet workers performed the labor and created the art, but the main engineering designs, routes, and construction plans were handled by specialists recruited from the London Underground. The Britons called for tunneling rather than the "cut-and-cover" technique; preferred escalators over lifts; and designed the routes and the rolling stock. The paranoia of Stalin and the NKVD (Soviet secret police) was evident when the NKVD arrested many British engineers for espionage—that is, for gaining an in-depth knowledge of the city's physical layout.
== Function == The antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) belongs to the family of glutathione peroxidases, which consists of 8 known mammalian isoenzymes (GPX1–8). GPX4 catalyzes the reduction of hydrogen peroxide, organic hydroperoxides, and lipid peroxides at the expense of reduced glutathione and functions in the protection of cells against oxidative stress. The oxidized form of glutathione (glutathione disulfide), which is generated during the reduction of hydroperoxides by GPX4, is recycled by glutathione reductase and NADPH/H+. GPX4 differs from the other GPX family members in terms of its monomeric structure, a less restricted dependence on glutathione as reducing substrate, and the ability to reduce lipid-hydroperoxides inside biological membranes. Inactivation of GPX4 leads to an accumulation of lipid peroxides, resulting in ferroptotic cell death. Mutations in GPX4 cause spondylometaphyseal dysplasia. In vitro studies suggest that GPX4 protects cells against cold-induced cell death. Therapy-resistant cancer cells in a high-mesenchymal state depend on a lipid peroxidase pathway to suppress ferroptosis, indicating a critical survival mechanism in this cellular context. Drug-tolerant persister cells exhibit a specific dependency on the lipid hydroperoxidase GPX4 for survival; inhibition of GPX4 induces ferroptotic cell death in these cells.
==== MeSH E05.393.285 – cytogenetic analysis ==== MeSH E05.393.285.130 – chromosome banding MeSH E05.393.285.350 – in situ hybridization, fluorescence MeSH E05.393.285.350.125 – chromosome painting MeSH E05.393.285.350.125.800 – spectral karyotyping MeSH E05.393.285.475 – karyotyping MeSH E05.393.285.475.800 – spectral karyotyping MeSH E05.393.285.830 – sex determination (analysis)
== Occurrence in foods and beverages == 2,5-Diketopiperazines are often formed during cooking from naturally occurring oligopeptides in foodstuffs. They have been detected in foods such as stewed beef, beer, barley bread, Awamori, dark chocolate, coffee and Comté cheese. 2,5-diketopiperazines have been shown to be important sensory compounds that help to influence the taste of a food product. The proline derived 2,5-diketopiperazines are the most abundant and structurally diverse class of 2,5-diketopiperazines found in food. The valine derivative cyclo(L-Val-L-Pro) at a concentration of 1742 ppm, was identified as the most important bitter 2,5-diketopiperazine contributing to the bitter taste of roasted cocoa. It has also been found as one of the major 2,5-diketopiperazines in autolyzed yeast extract and stewed beef and is also present in chicken essence and coffee. It has also been isolated from a variety of marine microorganisms and has been identified as an active LasI quorum-sensing signal molecule important for the plant growth promotion by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The most studied of all the simple 2,5-diketopiperazines is the histidyl-proline 2,5-diketopiperazine cyclo(L-His-L-Pro) which is found in a variety of foods, with particularly high concentrations in fish and fish products. It is well absorbed orally, and crosses the blood–brain barrier via a non-saturable mechanism.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide modeled on tuftsin, a fragment of the immunoglobulin G heavy chain. It was designed in Russia to combine anxiolytic and immunomodulatory properties in one molecule.
The first four residues of Selank reproduce the tuftsin sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg. A Pro-Gly-Pro extension at the C-terminus was added to slow enzymatic breakdown and extend residence time.
It holds marketing authorization in Russia, where nasal drop formulations are sold. No equivalent approval exists in the European Union, the United States, or most other countries.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, designed as a metabolically stabilized analogue of the endogenous tetrapeptide tuftsin. It has been studied mainly against anxiety-related and cognitive endpoints rather than as an approved medicine in most jurisdictions.