Selank Treats Anxiety by Protecting the Body's Natural Anxiety-Relieving Enkephalins
Anxiety disorder patients had faster enkephalin degradation in blood, and the peptide drug Selank worked as an anxiolytic partly by inhibiting enkephalin-degrading enzymes, preserving the body's natural anxiety relief.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Anxiety patients showed accelerated enkephalin degradation, and Selank's anxiolytic effect correlated with inhibition of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, preserving endogenous opioid-mediated anxiety relief.
Key Numbers
How They Did This
Clinical study examining enkephalin half-life and enkephalinase activity in blood from patients with various anxiety and phobic disorders (DSM-4 criteria). Selank treatment effects on both anxiety symptoms and enkephalin metabolism measured.
Why This Research Matters
Most anxiolytics work through GABA (benzodiazepines) or serotonin (SSRIs). Selank's opioid-preserving mechanism represents a fundamentally different approach — boosting natural anxiety control rather than artificially suppressing anxiety circuits.
The Bigger Picture
Anxiety may involve not just excessive fear circuits but also deficient natural calming systems. Protecting the body's own anti-anxiety opioid peptides is a paradigm-shifting treatment concept.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Clinical study with limited methodological details in abstract. The correlation between enzyme inhibition and symptom improvement doesn't prove causation. Blood enkephalin dynamics may not reflect brain levels.
Questions This Raises
- ?Could dedicated enkephalinase inhibitors treat anxiety?
- ?Is enkephalin deficiency a biomarker for anxiety disorders?
- ?Does Selank's mechanism avoid benzodiazepine-type dependence?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- Natural defense protected Selank's anxiolytic effect correlates with protecting enkephalins from premature degradation — preserving the body's own anti-anxiety system
- Evidence Grade:
- Moderate evidence from a clinical study with biochemical correlation between enzyme inhibition and symptom improvement in diagnosed anxiety patients.
- Study Age:
- Published in 2001. Selank has been approved for clinical use in Russia as an anxiolytic peptide drug.
- Original Title:
- The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity.
- Published In:
- Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 131(4), 315-7 (2001)
- Authors:
- Zozulya, A A(3), Kost, N V(5), Yu Sokolov, O, Gabaeva, M V, Grivennikov, I A, Andreeva, L N, Zolotarev, Y A, Ivanov, S V, Andryushchenko, A V, Myasoedov, N F, Smulevich, A B
- Database ID:
- RPEP-00708
Evidence Hierarchy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic peptide based on tuftsin (an immune peptide) that has been developed and approved in Russia as an anxiolytic and nootropic drug. It works differently from Xanax or SSRIs by protecting the body's own anti-anxiety opioid peptides.
Is this better than benzodiazepines?
The mechanism is different: instead of directly sedating anxiety circuits (like benzodiazepines), Selank strengthens the body's natural calming system. This may avoid the dependence and withdrawal problems of benzodiazepines, though head-to-head comparisons are limited.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-00708APA
Zozulya, A A; Kost, N V; Yu Sokolov, O; Gabaeva, M V; Grivennikov, I A; Andreeva, L N; Zolotarev, Y A; Ivanov, S V; Andryushchenko, A V; Myasoedov, N F; Smulevich, A B. (2001). The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity.. Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 131(4), 315-7.
MLA
Zozulya, A A, et al. "The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity.." Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine, 2001.
RethinkPeptides
RethinkPeptides Research Database. "The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzy..." RPEP-00708. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/zozulya-2001-the-inhibitory-effect-of
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.