Selank dosing & administration

Vyunova TV, Andreeva L, Shevchenko K, et al. · 2018

This study revealed that Selank works as a positive allosteric modulator of GABA receptors—meaning it enhances your brain's natural calming system without directly activating it like benzodiazepines do. This explains why Selank reduces anxiety without causing sedation, dependence, or memory problems.

Kolik LG, Nadorova AV, Antipova TA, et al. · 2019

Selank prevented alcohol-induced memory problems in rats by protecting BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) levels in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. This shows Selank's potential for protecting brain function and supporting healthy memory formation.

Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Israelian AIu, et al. · 2014

In patients with anxiety disorders, Selank showed comparable anxiolytic effects to phenazepam (a strong benzodiazepine) but with significantly better tolerability. Importantly, Selank's anti-anxiety effects lasted for a week after stopping the peptide, suggesting lasting benefits.

Kolomin T, Shadrina M, Andreeva L, et al. · 2011

Selank significantly changed the expression of 34 genes involved in inflammation, including the important Bcl6 gene crucial for immune system development. This demonstrates Selank's immunomodulatory effects beyond just brain benefits.

Uchakina ON, Uchakin PN, Miasoedov NF, et al. · 2008

In patients with generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia, Selank regulated the balance of Th1/Th2 cytokines and affected IL-6 levels. The study suggests Selank could work as an immunomodulator for people with anxiety disorders, potentially helping both mind and immune system.

Zozulya AA, Kost NV, Sokolov OY, et al. · 2001

Patients with generalized anxiety showed a shortened enkephalin half-life and reduced total enkephalinase activity in blood. Selank inhibited the enzymatic breakdown of enkephalin in plasma (IC50 15 microM), more strongly than the peptidase inhibitors bacitracin and puromycin. The authors proposed that slowing enkephalin degradation is one mechanism behind Selank's anti-anxiety effect.

Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation; JSC Peptogen (registration holder) · 2009

The registered product is a 0.15% nasal drop solution (1.5 mg/mL; one drop delivers 75 mcg). The approved dose is 2 drops in each nostril three times a day — 4 drops, 300 mcg, per administration, so 900 mcg a day — for a 14-day course, repeatable after 1-3 weeks on a doctor's advice. Absolute bioavailability by the intranasal route is 92.8%, with the peptide detectable in plasma within 30 seconds. No cases of overdose have been recorded.

Kolomin TA, Shadrina MI, Slominsky PA, et al. · 2011

A single dose of Selank changed expression of chemokine, cytokine, and receptor genes in mouse spleen at 6 and 24 hours. Most of the same gene changes occurred after giving the dipeptide Gly-Pro on its own, which the authors state had earlier been identified as Selank's pharmacophore - the minimum fragment carrying antiviral activity.

Zozulya AA, Neznamov GG, Syunyakov TS, et al. · 2008

In 62 people with generalised anxiety disorder or neurasthenia (30 on selank, 32 on medazepam), selank's anxiolytic effect was similar to the benzodiazepine medazepam on the Hamilton, Zung and CGI scales, and selank additionally reduced fatigue where medazepam did not. The developing institute's monograph records the doses as selank 2,700 mcg a day against medazepam 30 mg a day, over 14 days.

Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Kost NV, et al. · 2015

In 70 people with anxiety-phobic, hypochondriac and somatoform disorders, 30 took the benzodiazepine phenazepam alone and 40 took phenazepam together with selank. Adding selank brought the improvement on the Hamilton depression scale on sooner, and reduced the phenazepam side effects the authors tracked on the UKU scale — attention and memory impairment, fatigue, sedation, longer sleep, sexual problems, emotional flatness and dizziness on standing — both during treatment and after the benzodiazepine was withdrawn. Cognition was measured with the Stroop and verbal fluency tests and quality of life with SF-36. Published in Russian.

Pogodina MG, Nikiforova EYu · 2024

In 64 people with asthenia after COVID-19, 32 took a neuroprotective regimen plus selank nasal drops and 32 took the neuroprotective regimen alone. The selank group dosed 2-3 drops four times a day for 30 days — a longer course and one more administration a day than the registered label's 14 days at three times daily. The authors report improvement in asthenia and work capacity alongside anxiety and depressive symptoms. Published in Russian; no per-arm adverse-event rates are given.

Inozemtseva LS, Karpenko EA, Dolotov OV, Levitskaya NG, Kamensky AA, Andreeva LA, Grivennikov IA · 2008

In male Wistar rats, intranasal selank changed BDNF expression in the hippocampus, measured by RT-PCR and immunoenzyme assay. This is animal work and it is the only study measuring selank's effect on BDNF — no trial has measured BDNF in people taking selank.

Vasil'eva EV, Kondrakhin EA, Salimov RM, Kovalev GI · 2016

In mice given selank at 300 mcg/kg a day for 5 days, the injected and intranasal routes did not behave the same way. Injected into the abdomen, selank raised GABA-receptor binding in the frontal cortex by about a third (38%) and left NMDA receptors unchanged; given intranasally it raised NMDA-receptor binding by about a quarter (23%) and left GABA receptors unchanged. Anxiolytic and nootropic effects appeared only in the BALB/c strain, which starts out more anxious. The authors attribute the difference to how the drug is absorbed and broken down by each route. This is animal work.