GABA-A receptor is one of those subjects where the details matter more than the headlines. This page pulls together the background, the mechanisms, and the practical points readers ask about most.
Last reviewed on 2026-03-31. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide developed in Russia. Its sequence is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, a seven-residue chain built around the natural tetrapeptide tuftsin. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences first described the compound in the mid-1990s. The design combined the tuftsin core with an added Pro-Gly-Pro tail, a modification intended to extend the molecule's stability in biological fluids. Published work on the peptide has appeared mainly in Russian-language journals.
Reported activity for Selank centers on anxiolytic and nootropic effects. Russian clinical reports describe use in anxiety and in cognitive or attention-related complaints. Most of this evidence comes from studies conducted by the same research groups that developed the peptide. Independent replication in other countries remains limited, and no major Western regulatory agency has approved the compound for any indication. The gap between local reports and external verification is a recurring point in discussions of the peptide.
Tuftsin, the parent structure, is a naturally occurring immunomodulatory tetrapeptide released from the Fc region of immunoglobulin G by spleen enzymes. Selank extends this four-residue sequence with three additional amino acids. The stated rationale is that the added tail slows enzymatic breakdown and may influence receptor interactions. How the full heptapeptide behaves at the molecular level is not firmly established, and proposed mechanisms often involve indirect modulation of neurotransmitter or immune signaling rather than a single defined target.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Synthetic heptapeptide | Modeled on tuftsin |
| Amino acid sequence | Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro | Seven residues |
| Approximate molecular mass | Around 750 Da | Depends on counter-ion and hydration |
| Common forms | Lyophilized powder | Also described as aqueous solution |
| Primary origin of research | Russian laboratories | Mid-1990s onward |
Proposed mechanisms centre on the GABAergic system. Animal and tissue studies report changes in GABA-A receptor expression and reduced activity of GABA transaminase, the enzyme that degrades GABA. Effects on monoamine turnover, including serotonin and dopamine pathways, are also described, and a separate line of work links the peptide to increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in hippocampal tissue. Most of these findings come from rodent models and cell preparations. How the individual observations combine into a single coherent mode of action is not settled.
Pharmacokinetic data are sparse and largely derived from animal work. After intranasal administration the peptide appears in plasma within minutes, and reported half-lives are short, on the order of minutes to tens of minutes. Degradation proceeds through ordinary proteolytic cleavage into constituent amino acids and smaller fragments. Direct evidence that intact Selank reaches brain tissue in meaningful amounts is limited, and the extent of blood-brain barrier penetration is debated. Some authors argue that fragments, not the parent peptide, carry much of the observed activity.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide developed in Russia during the 1990s. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences designed it as a stabilized analog of tuftsin, a naturally occurring immunomodulatory tetrapeptide. The compound has been studied primarily for its reported anxiolytic and nootropic effects. It remains largely unknown in Western pharmacology and is not approved as a medicine by major regulators such as the FDA or the EMA.
The primary structure of Selank is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, corresponding to the molecular formula C33H57N11O9 and a monoisotopic mass of roughly 751.9 daltons. The N-terminal threonine and the arginine residue in the fourth position are shared with tuftsin, which carries the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg. The three additional residues at the C-terminus, Pro-Gly-Pro, extend the chain and are associated with greater resistance to enzymatic degradation. This extension also separates Selank from the shorter parent peptide.
Liquid Scintillation Counting, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Radiation Safety Program Principles and Applications of Liquid Scintillation Counting, National Diagnostics K. Regan, "Cerenkov counting technique for beta particles: advantages and limitations". J. Chem. Educ., August 1983, 60 (8), 682–684. doi:10.1021/ed060p682
==== UPS European service hub ==== UPS' European service hub is located at Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany. The Cologne Hub handles 190,000 packages an hour in the 57,000m² facility. It is the second-busiest UPS hub worldwide, in terms of daily flights serving more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
Although sometimes applied to other cultures and religions, caste is a fundamental social institution of India, most fully developed among Hindus. All Hindus fall broadly into four castes, or varnas: Brahmin, or priests, at the top; below them Kshatriya, or warriors; further below, Vaishya, or merchants and farmers; and at the bottom, Shudra, or the service class. Outside the caste system, and of traditional Hinduism, lie people formerly called "outcastes" or "untouchables," and now scheduled caste (a term used in India's constitution) or Dalit, a later self-description of pride, meaning "broken" or "downtrodden". Each caste is further divided into sub-castes, or jātis, many of which are tied to occupations. However, the custom of endogamy, or marrying within one's subcaste, makes caste a hereditary label rather than one of occupational choice and has entrenched the caste system. The Constituent Assembly of India abolished untouchability in 1947, the Republic of India did more formally in 1950, and India has since enacted other anti-discrimination laws and social welfare initiatives related to caste. Still, caste-based inequality, discrimination, segregation, and violence persist. Multi-generational patrilineal joint families have been the norm in India, though nuclear families are becoming common in urban areas. A very large majority of Indians have their marriages arranged by their parents or family elders. Marriage is thought to be for life; and the divorce rate is extremely low, less than one in a thousand.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Angiofibroma of soft tissue is also named angiofibroma, not otherwise specified, by the World Health Organization, 2020. The Organization also classified these lesions as in the category of benign fibroblastic and myofibroblastic tumors. These tumors more often afflict females, typically occur in adults (median age 49 years), have a median size of ~3.5 cm, and develop in a leg near to, and may invade, a large joint. Less uncommonly, they occur in the back, abdominal wall, pelvic cavity, or breast. Angiofibroma of soft tissue tumors consist of uniform, bland, spindle-shaped cells and a prominent vascular network consisting of small thin-walled branching blood vessels in a variably collagenous tissue background. Its tumor cells contain an AHRR-NCOA2 fusion gene in 60% to 80% of cases and a GTF2I-NCOA2 or GAB1-ABL1 fusion gene in rare cases.
=== Bethlem myopathy 2 === (Collagen XII gene) See Bethlem myopathy 2 Clinical synopsis on OMIM: 616471 In Bethlem myopathy 2, there is phenotypic variability. In one family, the only notable finding on T1-weighted MR images (used to detect fatty infiltration) was atrophy of the rectus femoris muscles of the thigh, with the degree of atrophy matching the severity of the disease, but no fatty infiltration. In another family, only the more severely affected older patient showed significant abnormality, by having symmetrical fatty atrophy of the femoral quadriceps of the thigh, the adductor and medial gastrocnemius muscles of the calf; as well as asymmetrical fatty atrophy of the adductor longus of the thigh. No muscle hypertrophy was reported and the muscles of the patients without fatty atrophy appeared normal. Bethlem myopathy 2 also differs by including the possibility of scapula winging, pectus excavatum, stooped posture, kyphosis (hunchback), micrognathia, retrognathia, and a high-arched palate. Childhood muscle weakness improves in teen years, but muscle weakness returns by the third decade of life.
== Epidemiology == Ehlers–Danlos syndromes are estimated to occur in about one in 5,000 births worldwide. Initially, prevalence estimates ranged from one in 250,000 to 500,000 people, but these were soon found to be low, as medical professionals became more adept at diagnosis. EDS may be far more common than the currently accepted estimate due to the wide range of severities with which the disorder presents. The prevalence of the disorders differs dramatically. The most common is hypermobile EDS, followed by classical EDS. The others are very rare. For example, fewer than 10 infants and children with dermatosparaxis EDS have been described worldwide. Some types of EDS are more common in Ashkenazi Jews. For example, the chance of being a carrier for dermatosparaxis EDS is one in 2,000 in the general population but one in 248 among Ashkenazi Jews. Some recent studies have found that EDS is significantly more prevalent in people who identify as transgender or gender-diverse, or who suffer from gender dysphoria. One review, of a pediatric EDS clinic in the American Midwest between 2020 and 2022, found that 17% of patients identified as trans or gender-diverse, 89% of whom were assigned female at birth. By comparison, roughly 1–2% of adolescents identify as trans or gender-diverse in the US overall. In a 2020 study, among adults undergoing gender-affirming surgery, 2.6% had a diagnosis of EDS—130 times the highest reported prevalence of EDS in the general population.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Selank is a synthetic peptide made of seven amino acids. It is modeled on tuftsin, a natural tetrapeptide, with an added three-residue tail. It is not a small-molecule drug.
It originates from research in Russia, associated with the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The first descriptions date to the mid-1990s. Most published studies come from Russian laboratories.
No, Selank itself does not occur naturally. Its backbone is based on tuftsin, which is produced in the body, but the seven-residue version is a synthetic construct. It is supplied as a manufactured peptide.
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.