Plain-English fact sheet
Selank
Also known as Selank acetate, TP-7
Selank is marketed as an anti-anxiety or cognitive peptide, but it is not FDA approved and dependable clinical evidence and safety data remain limited.
Quick answer
Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide studied mainly in Russia for anxiety-related outcomes. It is not FDA approved for anxiety, cognition, focus, stress, or any other use.
By the PeptideFactSheets Editorial Team. Claims are source-checked under our editorial policy; clinician review is identified only when a named reviewer is shown.
What is Selank?
Selank is derived from a short sequence related to the immune peptide tuftsin and has been explored for effects on anxiety and brain signaling.
Mechanistic papers describe possible effects on neurotransmitter and gene-expression pathways, but mechanism is not clinical proof.
Why are people interested in it?
Online nootropic communities promote it for calmness, focus, learning, and stress without the sedation associated with some anxiety medicines.
The published clinical literature is small and difficult to evaluate against current standards, and FDA says important human safety information is lacking.
Current regulatory status
Selank has no FDA-approved drug product or use. FDA's current compounding safety summary states that important human safety information is lacking and describes peptide-quality and immune-reaction concerns.
What is it approved for?
No FDA-approved use. This matters because clinical-trial participation and products marketed online are not the same as an approved medicine.
What is it being studied for?
Investigational areas
- Anxiety-related symptoms
- Cognitive and stress-response outcomes
Evidence snapshot
A small randomized Russian-language study and mechanistic literature exist, but there is no broad, independently replicated evidence base establishing effectiveness for anxiety or cognitive enhancement.
Potential benefits being researched
- A small randomized study reported anxiety-related outcomes, but limited accessible detail and replication constrain confidence.
- Laboratory and animal work offers mechanistic hypotheses, not evidence of a dependable nootropic effect in people.
Potential does not mean proven. Study design, population, endpoint, and regulatory review matter.
Known or possible risks
- FDA identifies potential immune reactions and risks related to aggregation or peptide impurities.
- Human safety data are too limited to define reliable adverse-event rates or long-term risks.
- Unapproved products add quality, identity, strength, sterility, and labeling uncertainty.
What we still do not know
- Whether anxiety or cognition findings replicate in larger independent trials
- Long-term neurologic, immune, and reproductive safety
- How outcomes compare with established anxiety treatments
- Whether marketed products contain the claimed peptide consistently
Plain-English takeaway
Selank's promise rests on a narrow and uncertain literature. Until larger independent human trials and better safety data exist, it should be described as an unapproved research peptide, not an established anxiolytic or nootropic.
Research and reference links
Use these primary and reputable sources to verify status and read beyond this summary. Trial registries may list studies without proving a benefit.
- 1FDA: safety risks for selected compounded bulk substances
FDA's current substance-specific summary of evidence gaps and potential safety risks.
- 2Randomized study of Selank in anxiety disorders
Small Russian-language randomized trial with limited accessible reporting and generalizability.
- 3Review of Selank biological mechanisms
Mechanistic review that does not substitute for confirmatory clinical trials.
- 4FDA: understanding the risks of compounded drugs
FDA overview explaining that compounded drugs are not reviewed before marketing for safety, effectiveness, or quality.