If you have been reading about Neurotrophic factor and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Last reviewed on 2026-06-20. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Peptide bonds in selank are susceptible to hydrolysis under strongly acidic or basic conditions, and the terminal proline residues are vulnerable to exopeptidase activity in biological samples. Lyophilized powder stored dry at -20 °C typically remains stable for extended periods, whereas aqueous solutions degrade faster and may lose measurable purity within days to weeks depending on pH, temperature, and microbial load. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles promote aggregation and adsorption to container surfaces. For analytical work, solutions are usually prepared fresh, kept cold, and used within a single working day.
Handling follows standard practice for research peptides. Material is weighed in a low-humidity environment because the powder absorbs atmospheric moisture. Purity is reported as the percentage area of the main peak in a chromatogram, with specifications commonly set at 95 percent or higher; values below that threshold indicate the presence of truncated or modified species. Residual trifluoroacetate from purification is often present and may affect mass balance. Certificates of analysis should state the analytical method, the column and gradient used, and the lot-specific retention time so that results can be compared across suppliers.
Identity and purity of selank are established with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The peptide elutes from C18 columns with acetonitrile gradients in water containing trifluoroacetic acid or formic acid, and detection is usually performed by ultraviolet absorbance near 214 nm. Electrospray ionization in positive mode gives a doubly protonated ion near m/z 377, consistent with a mass of about 752 Da. Amino acid analysis or tandem mass spectrometry of fragment ions confirms the sequence. Because the molecule has no aromatic residues, it lacks a usable 280 nm chromophore, so low-wavelength detection or mass spectrometry is required.
Published clinical work is concentrated in Russian-language journals and generally involves small samples without independent replication. Systematic reviews in English note the shortage of randomised, placebo-controlled trials and the difficulty of verifying methods from translated reports. Outcome measures vary between studies, which complicates pooling of results. Interest in the compound as a cognitive or anxiolytic agent therefore rests on a thinner evidence base than the volume of citations suggests. Replication in well-powered trials with preregistered endpoints would be needed before firm conclusions about efficacy can be drawn.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Identity confirmation | Reversed-phase HPLC retention time versus reference standard | Retention depends on column, gradient, and ion-pairing agent |
| Mass confirmation | Electrospray or MALDI mass spectrometry | Doubly protonated ion near m/z 377 is consistent with about 752 Da |
| Typical purity specification | 95 percent or higher by chromatographic peak area | Lower values suggest truncated or modified peptide species |
| Storage of lyophilized powder | -20 °C, desiccated, protected from light | Powder tolerates long storage better than solution |
| Storage of solution | 2-8 °C for short periods | Freeze-thaw cycling promotes aggregation and surface adsorption |
Clinical evidence comes mainly from small studies conducted in Russia, several of which were open-label or lacked robust blinding. Reported outcomes include lower anxiety scores, changes in attention measures, and effects on asthenic states following illness. Sample sizes are typically in the tens of participants, and independent replication outside the region is scarce. Reviews published in English generally note the limited methodological quality of the underlying trials. Whether the compound produces clinically meaningful effects under rigorous conditions remains unresolved.
Proposed mechanisms center on modulation of the GABA system, but no single molecular target has been confirmed. Rodent studies report changes in GABA-A receptor expression and in the turnover of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine in several brain regions. Increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its receptor have also been described after repeated administration. These findings come largely from animal models, and the degree to which they describe human neurochemistry remains an open question. The mechanism is best characterized as multi-system and not fully resolved.
Enzymatic stability motivates the extra three residues at the carboxyl end. Native tuftsin is cleaved quickly by circulating aminopeptidases and carboxypeptidases, which limits its duration of action and its usefulness as a tool compound. Extending the chain with proline-rich segments is a common design tactic because proline constrains the backbone and slows proteolysis. The same Pro-Gly-Pro motif appears in other Russian-developed peptides of the era. Whether the full seven-residue chain is required for activity, or whether it acts mainly as a prodrug releasing tuftsin, remains unresolved.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro. Its four N-terminal residues reproduce tuftsin, a tetrapeptide fragment of the immunoglobulin heavy chain, while the C-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro extension is a synthetic addition. The peptide has a molecular mass near 752 daltons and carries a net positive charge at physiological pH because of the arginine and lysine side chains. Published indexes list it under the name Selank and the sequence abbreviation TKPRPGP. Solid-phase peptide synthesis is the standard production route for research quantities.
Development took place at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where a series of short peptides were designed in the 1980s and 1990s. Selank was selected from variants of tuftsin that showed resistance to plasma peptidases. Russian regulatory approval covers it as an anxiolytic agent given intranasally. Outside that market the compound is normally handled as a research chemical rather than a medicine, and no widely recognised international pharmacopoeial monograph exists. The name Selank is a coined trade designation rather than a systematic chemical name.
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.
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.
Identity and purity are usually assessed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, with mass spectrometry used to confirm molecular mass and sequence information. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping may supplement these methods. Certified reference standards are scarce, and many commercial lots are sold as research chemicals without a pharmacopoeial monograph. Regulatory treatment differs by country: Selank is a registered prescription medicine in Russia, while in the European Union and the United States it is not an approved drug and may fall under research-chemical or unapproved-product frameworks.
Selank is a hydrophilic peptide and dissolves readily in water and in aqueous buffers. The lyophilised powder is typically a white to off-white solid. Because short peptides are prone to hydrolysis and oxidation, handling benefits from limiting exposure to heat, moisture and strong light. Working solutions are commonly prepared in sterile water or saline, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles are avoided to reduce aggregation and loss of activity. These practices reflect general laboratory convention rather than published stability specifications.
Dry powder is normally held at -20 degrees Celsius or lower, in a sealed container with desiccant and protection from light. Reconstituted solutions are usually kept at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius for short periods and frozen for longer ones. Proline residues at several positions are generally associated with some resistance to peptidase attack, but chemical stability still declines at neutral to alkaline pH and at elevated temperature. Exact shelf-life figures are product-specific and are not standardised across suppliers.
== Recognition == In 1999, the University of Oulu collagen research group received, for the second time, the Finnish Science Award, divided amongst the group's members. In addition to Ala-Kokko, the group included professors Kari Kivirikko and Taina Pihlajaniemi. In 2001 she received the Norwegian Anders Jahre Prize for Young Scientists.
=== Discovery, regulation and marketing === Docetaxel is marketed worldwide under the name Taxotere by Sanofi-Aventis as well as Docefrez by Sun Pharma Global and Zytax by Zydus. Annual sales of Taxotere in 2010 were €2.122 billion (US$3.1 billion). The patent expired in 2010. Docetaxel was developed by Rhône-Poulenc Rorer (now Sanofi-Aventis) following from the discoveries of Pierre Potier at CNRS at Gif-sur-Yvette during his work on improvements to the production of paclitaxel (Taxol) using the local European yew.
Julian Clarence Levi (1896), architect, watercolorist, philanthropist Gilbert White (1900), painter Henry Rutgers Beekman (1903), watercolorist Ely Jacques Kahn (1904), commercial architect who designed the Municipal Asphalt Plant, the Film Center Building, 120 Wall Street, 399 Park Avenue, One Penn Plaza, and 1095 Avenue of the Americas Rockwell Kent* (1907), illustrator Eric Gugler (1911), architect who designed the current Oval Office Albert Mayer (1916), planner who designed the master plan of Chandigarh Isamu Noguchi* (1926), sculptor, namesake of the Noguchi table and Noguchi Museum, designer of the Moerenuma Park, Bayfront Park, and the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden Charles Alston (1929), artist Ad Reinhardt (1935), abstract expressionist artist and critic Arthur Rothstein (1935), photographer for the Farm Security Administration and Look magazine Vincent Kling (1938), architect, co-founder of KlingStubbins Ed Rice (1940), author, publisher, photojournalist and painter Charles Saxon (1940), cartoonist Burton Silverman (1949), painter George S. Zimbel (1951), photographer Jeh V. Johnson (1953), architect, and educator at Vassar College Frederick C. Baldwin (1955), photographer Edward Koren (1957), cartoonist John Giorno (1958), artist, subject of Andy Warhol's first movie, Sleep Robert A. M.
== Further reading == Chesnut, D. B.; Savin, A. (1999). "The Electron Localization Function (ELF) Description of the PO Bond in Phosphine Oxide". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 121 (10): 2335–2336. Bibcode:1999JAChS.121.2335C. doi:10.1021/ja984314m. Alkorta, Ibon; Sánchez-Sanz, Goar; Elguero, José; Del Bene, Janet E. (2014). "Pnicogen Bonds between X═PH3 (X = O, S, NH, CH2) and Phosphorus and Nitrogen Bases". The Journal of Physical Chemistry A. 118 (8): 1527–1537. Bibcode:2014JPCA..118.1527A. doi:10.1021/jp411623h. PMID 24547683.
=== Analogues === Analogues of 4-HO-DPT include dipropyltryptamine (DPT), 5-MeO-DPT, psilocin (4-HO-DMT), 4-HO-DET, 4-HO-DiPT, 4-HO-MPT, 4-HO-EPT, 4-HO-PiPT, and 5-HO-DPT, among others. 4-AcO-DPT is a presumed prodrug of 4-HO-DPT.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
18 October — The Primary Principals Collective Bargaining Union accepts a 2.5% pay rise offer following four months of negotiations with the Ministry of Education. This will be followed by another 2.1% pay rise in 2026. 20 October: The New Zealand Government introduces two new requirements for job seeker beneficiaries who have failed a welfare obligation: engaging in three job search activities weekly and attending at least one employment-training course per month. A measles case linked to international travel is reported in Auckland. 21 October: Strong winds cause power outages, fallen trees and disrupt road and rail travel across the Wairarapa region. Lines company Powerco reports that 10,000 houses in the area have lost electricity due to fallen power lines. Strong winds and heavy rains disrupt road, rail and air travel in the Wellington Region. One person is killed by a fallen tree branch in Mount Victoria during a storm that hits Wellington. Strong winds cause four vegetation fires in the Hawke's Bay Pōrangahau area, leading to the evacuation of vie homes. Strong winds and dry conditions cause six fires in the Kaikōura District, leading to the destruction of 14 buildings and local evacuations. Three new measles cases are reported in Manawatū and Nelson. 22 October: Fire and Emergency New Zealand deploys numerous firefighters and helicopters to combat fires in the Kaikōura District and Pōrangahau. Strong winds and fires cause power outages and flight disruptions through the lower North Island and upper South Island.
Bipolar cell A type of amacrine cell that transmits signals from photoreceptors (rods and cones) to ganglion cells in the eye, playing a key role in visual processing. Bipolar disorder A mood disorder characterized by alternating episodes of depression and mania, associated with dysregulation in neurotransmitter systems and structural brain changes. Blood–brain barrier (BBB) A selective barrier formed by endothelial cells lining brain capillaries that restricts the passage of substances from the bloodstream into the central nervous system, protecting the brain from pathogens and toxins. Bouton Also known as an axon terminal or synaptic bouton, this is the swollen end of an axon where neurotransmitters are released into the synaptic cleft. Brain The central organ of the nervous system, responsible for processing sensory information, regulating bodily functions, and enabling thought, emotion, memory, and consciousness. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) A protein that supports the survival of existing neurons and encourages the growth and differentiation of new neurons and synapses. It is crucial for long-term memory and synaptic plasticity. Brain plasticity Also called neuroplasticity, this refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt by forming new neural connections throughout life, especially after injury or in response to learning and experience. Brainstem The posterior part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord.
If at least one tenth of those entitled to vote in Bundestag elections were in favour of a revision, the federal government had to include the proposal into its legislation. Then a referendum was required in each territory or part of a territory whose affiliation was to be changed (paragraph 3). The proposal should not take effect if within any of the affected territories a majority rejected the change. In this case, the bill had to be introduced again and after passing had to be confirmed by referendum in the Federal Republic as a whole (paragraph 4). The reorganization should be completed within three years after the Basic Law had come into force (paragraph 6). Article 29 states that "the division of the federal territory into Länder may be revised to ensure that each Land be of a size and capacity to perform its functions effectively". In their letter to Konrad Adenauer, the three western military governors approved the Basic Law but suspended Article 29 until such time as a peace treaty should be concluded. Only the special arrangement for the southwest under Article 118 could enter into force. Upon its founding in 1949, West Germany thus had eleven states. These were reduced to nine in 1952 when three south-western states (South Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern, and Württemberg-Baden) merged to form Baden-Württemberg. From 1957, when the French-occupied Saar Protectorate was returned and formed into the Saarland, the Federal Republic consisted of ten states, which are referred to as the "Old States" today.
Pakistani cuisine, rooted in the royal kitchens of 16th-century Mughal emperors, blends influences from British, Indian, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern culinary traditions. Unlike Middle Eastern fare, Pakistani dishes are heavily spiced with garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli, and garam masala. Roti, a wheat-based flatbread, accompanies most meals, alongside curry, meat, vegetables, and lentils. Rice is also common, served plain, spiced, or in sweet dishes. Lassi, a traditional drink from the Punjab region, and black tea with milk and sugar are popular beverages enjoyed nationwide. Sohan halwa, a beloved sweet dish from southern Punjab, is savoured across Pakistan.
==== Vabicaserin and aripiprazole ==== Vabicaserin has a high affinity for 5-HT2C receptors and low affinity for 5-HT2B and 5-HT2A receptors. Vabicaserin is a full agonist with approximately 4-fold greater selectivity for 5-HT2C over these related receptors, in terms of binding affinity. Vabicacserin is a full agonist in stimulating the 5-HT2C receptor; it was discovered when a class of tetrahydroquinoline-fused diazepines were being researched as possible potent 5-HT2C receptor agonists. As of 2012, vabicaserin is in clinical trials for the treatment of schizophrenia. Long-term administration of vabicaserin significantly decreased the number of spontaneously active mesocorticolimbic dopamine neurons without affecting nigrostriatal dopamine neurons, consistent with effects of atypical antipsychotic agents. The outcome of clinical studies for vabicaserin may reveal whether 5-HT2C receptors can be possible targets for the treatment of schizophrenia. Aripiprazole is also a mild partial agonist of 5HT2C receptor.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== 19th century === Since the late nineteenth century, breast implants have been used to surgically augment the size (volume), modify the shape (contour), and enhance the feel (tact) of a woman's breasts. In 1895, surgeon Vincenz Czerny effected the earliest breast implant emplacement when he used the patient's autologous adipose tissue, harvested from a benign lumbar lipoma, to repair the asymmetry of the breast from which he had removed a tumor. In 1889, surgeon Robert Gersuny experimented with paraffin injections, with disastrous results arising from the breakup of the paraffin into smaller bodies following the procedure.
== History == It was first used in 1795 shortly after the formation of the Orange Order and was the original system put together by the founding members of the Orange Order. The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland disliked the ritualism and tried to suppress it as early as 1798 however, the main reason for the opposition to the Royal Arch Purple Degree was that many rural Lodges were practising other degrees in addition to the Royal Arch Purple degree and the gentry deemed this as unacceptable and realised the need for a central system of degrees. The Royal Arch Purple degree was practised in secrecy for a period after the Grand Lodge (in Dublin) deemed the degree illegal, however it was kept alive by the Lodges around County Armagh as it was the system of 'travel' closest to the original ritual put together by the founding members of the Orange Order in 1795. The Grand Lodge maintains their position in not recognising the degree to this day although it now, rather grudgingly, recognises the Royal Arch Purple as an official Order. It was re-constituted in 1911, with the explicit intentions of promoting the Reformed Faith, Charity amongst all men and maintaining historic Orangeism. It was granted its Royal title by the Duke of Cumberland, King Ernest Augustus of Hanover, who was the fifth son of King George III, and brother to King George IV and King William IV, whom he succeeded as King of Hanover.
The Phoenicians also made a deep blue-coloured dye, sometimes referred to as royal blue or hyacinth purple, which was made from a closely related species of marine snail. The Phoenicians established an ancillary production facility on the Iles Purpuraires at Mogador, in Morocco. The sea snail harvested at this western Moroccan dye production facility was Hexaplex trunculus, also known by the older name Murex trunculus. This second species of dye murex is found today on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa (Spain, Portugal, Morocco).
=== From nitrate fertilizers === Although perchlorate as an environmental contaminant is usually associated with the manufacture, storage, and testing of solid rocket motors, contamination of perchlorate has been focused as a side effect of the use of natural nitrate fertilizer and its release into ground water. The use of naturally contaminated nitrate fertilizer contributes to the infiltration of perchlorate anions into the ground water and threaten the water supplies of many regions in the US. One of the main sources of perchlorate contamination from natural nitrate fertilizer use was found to come from the fertilizer derived from Chilean caliche (calcium carbonate), because Chile has rich source of naturally occurring perchlorate anion. Perchlorate concentration was the highest in Chilean nitrate, ranging from 3.3 to 3.98%. Perchlorate in the solid fertilizer ranged from 0.7 to 2.0 mg g−1, variation of less than a factor of 3 and it is estimated that sodium nitrate fertilizers derived from Chilean caliche contain approximately 0.5–2 mg g−1 of perchlorate anion. The direct ecological effect of perchlorate is not well known; its impact can be influenced by factors including rainfall and irrigation, dilution, natural attenuation, soil adsorption, and bioavailability. Quantification of perchlorate concentrations in nitrate fertilizer components via ion chromatography revealed that in horticultural fertilizer components contained perchlorate ranging between 0.1 and 0.46%.
bans on arms-related exports, controls over dual-use technology exports, restrictions on economic assistance, financial restrictions such as: authority to prohibit U.S. citizens from engaging in financial transactions with listed individuals, entities, or governments, except by license from the U.S. government, requiring the United States to oppose loans by the World Bank and other international financial institutions, diplomatic immunity waived, to allow families of terrorism victims to file for civil damages in U.S. courts, tax credits for companies and individuals denied for income earned in listed countries, duty-free goods exemption suspended for imports from those countries, and prohibition of U.S. Defense Department contracts above $100,000 with companies controlled by listed countries, visa restrictions preventing certain individuals from entering the U.S.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Identity is confirmed by matching the retention time in reversed-phase chromatography against a reference standard and by measuring the molecular mass with mass spectrometry. Tandem mass spectrometry or amino acid analysis can verify the sequence of the seven residues. Because the peptide contains no aromatic amino acids, detection at 280 nm is not useful.
Lyophilized powder is normally stored desiccated at -20 °C, protected from light and moisture. Powder kept under these conditions is generally stable for long periods. Solutions are less stable and are usually prepared immediately before use.
A purity value from one chromatographic method does not capture every possible impurity. Related peptides with similar retention behavior, counterions, and residual solvents may not appear in the same analysis. Independent testing with an orthogonal method provides stronger assurance of identity and content.
Reports describe modulation of GABA signalling, changes in monoamine turnover and effects on neurotrophic factor expression. These observations come mainly from animal and cell studies. A single unifying mechanism has not been demonstrated.