This is a working overview of Heptapeptide, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
Reviewed 2026-03-04. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
Peptide stability depends strongly on temperature, moisture, and pH. Lyophilized Selank is generally most stable when stored cold and dry, with freezer temperatures commonly used for long-term storage. In solution, the compound is susceptible to hydrolysis and to microbial growth if it is not handled aseptically. The C-terminal proline-rich extension appears to slow enzymatic cleavage relative to tuftsin, though quantitative degradation rates vary with the matrix and the conditions tested. Published stability data specific to Selank remain sparse.
Quality assessment of Selank samples typically combines purity determination with identity confirmation and counter-ion analysis. Purity is usually reported as a percentage by chromatographic area, with values above 95 percent often quoted for research-grade material. Water content and residual solvents are checked in lyophilized batches because they affect both stability and accurate mass determination. A reported purity figure does not by itself establish that a sample is the intended sequence, so orthogonal methods are needed to rule out sequence isomers or truncation products.
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 developed in Russia as a structural analogue of tuftsin, a naturally occurring immunomodulatory tetrapeptide. Its sequence, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, keeps the tuftsin core at the N-terminus and appends a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow synthesized the compound during the 1990s while searching for peptides with combined anxiolytic and immunomodulatory activity. The added tail was intended to resist enzymatic cleavage and prolong the molecule's presence in circulation.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Typical storage temperature | -20 °C or below | For lyophilized powder, long term |
| Common analytical method | Reverse-phase HPLC | Usually paired with mass spectrometry |
| Typical reported purity | At or above 95 percent by area | Research-grade material |
| Aqueous solubility | High | Solutions used in laboratory assays |
| Moisture sensitivity | Hydrolyzes in solution | Aseptic handling reduces degradation |
Laboratory work relies on standard behavioral paradigms. Rodents are tested in the elevated plus maze, open field, and passive avoidance tasks, with outcomes compared against diazepam or vehicle controls. Intranasal dosing is used most often because it bypasses first-pass metabolism, though intraperitoneal and intravenous routes also appear in published protocols. Biochemical endpoints include tissue BDNF concentrations, cytokine levels, and monoamine metabolites. Human data are limited to small Russian trials reporting reduced anxiety scores; most were not prospectively registered, and few employed independent outcome assessment.
Measuring peptide exposure inside the brain is technically difficult. Selank is degraded rapidly in plasma, and assays must separate intact peptide from fragments, which favors targeted mass spectrometry over immunoassays alone. Reported half-lives are short, on the order of minutes, so effects observed hours later are attributed to downstream signaling rather than to the parent compound. Blood-brain barrier permeability is debated and rarely quantified directly. Gaps include absent dose-response characterization, inconsistent reporting of purity, and almost no pharmacokinetic data from human participants.
Purity assessment relies mainly on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Because the peptide lacks a strong chromophore, detection often uses backbone absorbance near 214 nm. Identity is confirmed by mass spectrometry, typically electrospray ionization or matrix-assisted laser desorption, comparing the measured mass against the expected value. Amino acid analysis can verify composition after acid hydrolysis. Diastereomer content and residual counterions are reported less often, although both can influence biological assays.
Lyophilized material is generally stable for extended periods when kept dry at or below minus twenty degrees Celsius. Working solutions are less stable, and common practice is to aliquot and freeze them so that repeated freeze-thaw cycles are avoided. Aqueous solutions are sensitive to pH extremes and to microbial growth, so short-term storage at refrigerator temperature is typical. Oxidation and hydrolysis are the principal degradation routes. Reconstitution with sterile water or a mild buffer is standard, and solutions should be protected from light.
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.
The compound was designed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences during the 1980s and 1990s. The stated design goal was to retain the immunomodulatory and central nervous system activity attributed to tuftsin while improving resistance to enzymatic breakdown. Adding a proline-rich tail to the short parent peptide was a deliberate strategy, because proline residues restrict the conformations available to many peptidases. The same laboratory produced Semax, an ACTH fragment analog, and both compounds were developed in parallel as short, enzymatically stabilized peptides intended for intranasal use.
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.
Additionally, while cocaine overdose victims showed a large increase in KORs (doubled) in the NAcc, KOR agonist administration is shown to be effective in decreasing cocaine seeking and self-administration. Furthermore, while cocaine abuse is associated with lowered prolactin response, KOR activation causes a release of prolactin, a hormone known for its important role in learning, neuronal plasticity and myelination. It has also been reported that the KOR system is critical for stress-induced drug-seeking. In animal models, stress has been demonstrated to potentiate cocaine reward behavior in a kappa opioid-dependent manner. These effects are likely caused by stress-induced drug craving that requires activation of the KOR system. Although seemingly paradoxical, it is well known that drug taking results in a change from homeostasis to allostasis. It has been suggested that withdrawal-induced dysphoria or stress-induced dysphoria may act as a driving force by which the individual seeks alleviation via drug taking. The rewarding properties of drug are altered, and it is clear KOR activation following stress modulates the valence of drug to increase its rewarding properties and cause potentiation of reward behavior, or reinstatement to drug seeking. The stress-induced activation of KORs is likely due to multiple signaling mechanisms. The effects of KOR agonism on dopamine systems are well documented, and recent work also implicates the p38 MAPK cascade and pCREB in KOR-dependent behaviors.
Nalmefene acts as an inverse agonist of the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) (KiTooltip Inhibitor constant = 0.24 nM) and as a weak partial agonist (Ki = 0.083 nM; Emax = 20–30%) of the κ-opioid receptor (KOR), with similar binding for these two receptors but a several-fold preference for the KOR. In another study however, nalmefene had approximately equal affinity for the MOR and KOR. In vivo evidence indicative of KOR activation, such as elevation of serum prolactin levels due to dopamine suppression and increased hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activation via enhanced adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol secretion, has been observed in humans and animals. Side effects typical of KOR activation such as hallucinations and dissociation have also been observed with nalmefene in human studies. It is thought that nalmefene activation of KOR may produce dysphoria and anxiety. In addition to MOR and KOR binding, nalmefene also possesses some, albeit far lower affinity for the δ-opioid receptor (DOR) (Ki = 16 nM), where it behaves as an antagonist. Nalmefene is structurally related to naltrexone and differs from it by substitution of the ketone group at the C6 position of naltrexone with a methylene group (CH2). It binds to the MOR with similar affinity relative to naltrexone, but binds "somewhat more avidly" to the KOR and DOR in comparison. Nalmefene with a single 1 mg dose by intravenous injection has been found to produce brain MOR blockade of 99% at 5 minutes, 90% at 2 hours, 33% at 4 hours, and 10% at 8 hours.
Chemical information and Biochemical information. The chemical information in YMDB includes 2,027 metabolite structures with detailed metabolite descriptions, extensive chemical classifications, synthesis information and observed/calculated chemical properties. It also contains nearly 4,000 NMR, GC-MS and LC/MS spectra obtained from more than 500 different metabolites. The biochemical information in YMDB includes >1,100 protein (and DNA) sequences and >900 biochemical reactions. The YMDB supports a wide variety of queries including text searches, chemical structure searches, sequence similarity searches and spectral similarity searches. This makes it particularly useful for metabolomic researchers who are studying yeast as a model organism or who are looking into optimizing the production of fermented beverages (wine, beer). Secondary electrospray ionization-high resolution mass spectrometry SESI-HRMS is a non-invasive analytical technique that allows us to monitor the yeast metabolic activities. SESI-HRMS has found around 300 metabolites in the yeast fermentation process, this suggests that a large number of glucose metabolites are not reported in the literature.
== Treatment and prognosis == The recommended treatment for individuals presenting with localized MFS tumors is radical surgical resection. The resection should include a 2 cm margin of soft tissue surrounding the tumor, with planned resection of the entire area as defined by MRI-detected increased signals on T2-weighted images. This is done to ensure that all tumor tissue is removed in order to avoid the high risks of local recurrences and worsening prognoses. Historically, about 10% of patients treated with radical surgery developed recurrences at the surgical site and a significant number of these patients developed metastatic disease. Consequently, adjuvant radiotherapy has been used to help reduce these recurrences and metastatic transformations. For patients with a limb tumor that cannot be resected (less than 5% of all cases)), limb amputation is the treatment of choice. Recurrent and metastatic MFS first-line treatment has employed two chemotherapy drugs, anthracycline and Ifosfamide, while second-line treatment has employed two other chemotherapy drugs, gemcitabine and paclitaxel. Triple chemotherapy drug treatment (adriamycin, ifosfamide, and dacarbazine) has also been used to treat MFS. However, there are no randomized clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of these or other chemotherapy drugs in the treatment of inoperable or metastatic MFS and none of the uncontrolled studies have demonstrated a benefit in improving the overall survival in MFS.
=== Desalination/ion separation === MOF membranes can achieve substantial ion selectivity due to their small repeating structures. This offers the potential for use in desalination and water treatment. As of 2020, reverse osmosis supplied more than two-thirds of global desalination capacity, and the last stage of most water treatment processes. Osmosis does not use dehydration of ions, or selective ion transport in biological channels and it is not energy efficient. The mining industry uses membrane-based processes to reduce water pollution, and to recover metals. MOFs could be used to extract metals such as lithium from seawater and waste streams. MOF membranes such as ZIF-8 and UiO-66 membranes with uniform subnanometer pores consisting of angstrom-scale windows and nanometer-scale cavities displayed ultrafast selective transport of alkali metal ions. The windows acted as ion selectivity filters for alkali metal ions, while the cavities functioned as pores for transport. The ZIF-8 and UiO-66 membranes showed a LiCl/RbCl selectivity of ~4.6 and ~1.8, respectively, much higher than the 0.6 to 0.8 selectivity in traditional membranes. A 2020 study suggested that a new MOF called PSP-MIL-53 could be used along with sunlight to purify water in just half an hour.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Dissociation and equilibrium == Reactions of acids are often generalized in the form HA ⇌ H+ + A−, where HA represents the acid and A− is the conjugate base. This reaction is referred to as protolysis. The protonated form (HA) of an acid is also sometimes referred to as the free acid. Acid–base conjugate pairs differ by one proton, and can be interconverted by the addition or removal of a proton (protonation and deprotonation, respectively). The acid can be the charged species and the conjugate base can be neutral in which case the generalized reaction scheme could be written as HA+ ⇌ H+ + A. In solution there exists an equilibrium between the acid and its conjugate base. The equilibrium constant K is an expression of the equilibrium concentrations of the molecules or the ions in solution. Brackets indicate concentration, such that [H2O] means the concentration of H2O. The acid dissociation constant Ka is generally used in the context of acid–base reactions. The numerical value of Ka is equal to the product (multiplication) of the concentrations of the products divided by the concentration of the reactants, where the reactant is the acid (HA) and the products are the conjugate base and H+.
After making the necessary adjustments to account for the n0 standard gas density, ion mobilities are often expressed as reduced mobilities. This number can also be described as standard temperature T0 = 273 K and standard pressure p0 = 1013 hPa. Both of these can be found in the table below. Ion concentrations are another term that may be used when referring to ion mobilities. Because of this, the decreased ion mobility is still temperature-dependent, although this adjustment does not consider any impacts other than the reduction in gas density.
Identified weaknesses were comparatively higher infant mortality rate, the prevalence of chronic conditions, long wait times, poor availability of after-hours care, and a lack of prescription drugs and dental coverage. An increasing problem in Canada's health system is a lack of healthcare professionals and hospital capacity.
== Uses == Warm compresses are a common non-pharmacological therapy used in the treatment of things such as sports injuries, dental pain, post-operative wound healing, and ophthalmic conditions. They are believed to improve blood flow, increase oxygenation in tissues and help manage inflammation.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The most common approach combines reverse-phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Chromatography separates the components while mass spectrometry confirms the molecular mass. Peptide sequencing or tandem mass analysis can further verify the amino acid order.
Lyophilized powder is usually kept frozen and protected from moisture. Solutions are less stable and are often used promptly or divided into aliquots to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Exact shelf-life values depend on purity and handling.
No. A purity figure derived from chromatographic area does not prove the amino acid sequence. Identity requires an orthogonal method such as mass spectrometry or sequencing. Truncated or isomerized peptides can co-elute with the target compound.
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.