Research Overview
From tuftsin to Selank
Tuftsin is a naturally occurring tetrapeptide released from the CH2 domain of IgG and long studied for its effects on phagocyte activity. Its usefulness as a research tool is limited by rapid enzymatic breakdown, so Russian investigators appended Pro-Gly-Pro to the C-terminus — the same stabilising strategy used to create Semax from ACTH(4–10). The resulting heptapeptide retains water solubility and small size while resisting exopeptidase cleavage.
Anxiolytic-type behavioural research
Proposed mechanisms under investigation
- Modulation of GABA-A receptor subunit expression and inhibitory tone in cortex and hippocampus.
- Inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, extending endogenous enkephalin activity.
- Shifts in serotonergic and, in some reports, dopaminergic turnover.
- Altered expression of genes associated with inflammatory signalling and stress reactivity, a line consistent with tuftsin ancestry.
