Nootropic Peptides UK: Semax and Selank

Semax and Selank are heptapeptides developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow and in clinical use in Russia since 1994 and 2009 respectively. Semax is studied for attention, memory and BDNF expression; Selank for anxiolytic activity without sedation. Both are stocked as 10 mg lyophilised research vials. Finished nasal-spray versions sold as supplements are a different product from our sister brand, COGENT.

In brief: Nootropic peptides are short synthetic peptides studied for attention, memory and stress responses; the two with a clinical record are Semax and Selank. ALTA PEPTIDES stocks both as 10 mg lyophilised vials in UK stock, with the certificate of analysis published for Semax (lot R26042903), pending for Selank, dispatched the same working day before 1pm. Research use only.

The brain and focus range compared

What the research covers

Semax, an ACTH(4-7) fragment with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail, has a larger human literature than most research peptides. A controlled study in healthy volunteers reported improved attention and short-term memory across an eight-hour shift after intranasal administration, which is the basis of its reputation among peptides for focus. Rodent studies show rapid increases in BDNF and TrkB expression in the hippocampus and activation of dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, without stimulant-like cardiovascular effects. It has been in clinical use in Russia since 1994 and is not licensed elsewhere.

Selank, a tuftsin analogue from the same institute, is the stress compound of the pair. Russian clinical studies in anxiety disorders report anxiolytic effects comparable to low-dose benzodiazepines without sedation, tolerance or withdrawal; mechanistic work points to GABAergic modulation and effects on serotonin and enkephalin metabolism. Rodent work uses the elevated plus maze and gene-expression readouts. There are no Western controlled trials. The Semax versus Selank article compares the two literatures.

Choosing between them

Semax for attention, learning and neurotrophin readouts; Selank for stress, anxiety-type behaviour and immune-cytokine designs. They share the Pro-Gly-Pro tail but have different parent fragments and different proposed mechanisms, which is why the stack builder offers them as the Focus pair at the 10% tier. DSIP in sleep pairs with Selank for HPA-axis designs. The vials here are lyophilised peptide for the laboratory; the finished Semax nasal spray sold as a supplement by our sister brand COGENT is a different product and is not what this page describes.

Buying in the UK

Semax and Selank are not controlled substances in the UK. Both are licensed medicines in Russia only; here they are unlicensed research chemicals, legal to buy and possess, sold for laboratory use and not for human use.

Everything on this page is held in UK stock and dispatched the same working day before 1pm Monday to Friday by Royal Mail Tracked 48 (£4.95, free over £75) in plain packaging. Certificates: published for Semax (lot R26042903), pending for Selank. That is the manufacturer's or supplier's paperwork published as received; ALTA's own independent test of each lot is added to the certificates page as it arrives. Any two of the single-compound vials here earn 10% off the peptide lines automatically, three earn 15% and four or more earn 20%; the stack builder shows the tiers.

Questions

Guides for this category

• Semax vs Selank: what each peptide is and how the research differsAn ACTH fragment analogue and a tuftsin analogue, both from the same Moscow institute, with different proposed mechanisms and a shared evidence gap outside Russia.
• Are peptides legal in the UK? Research peptides and the law explainedWhich laws actually apply to research peptides in the UK, what a supplier can and cannot do, and why research use only is a legal condition rather than a slogan.
• What are peptides? Amino acid chains, proteins, hormones and synthesisThe chemistry behind the word: what a peptide chain is, where the line with proteins sits, what peptide hormones do, and how a synthetic peptide is built one residue at a time.
• What is DSIP? The delta sleep-inducing peptide, its origin and what the research showsA nine-residue peptide found in the blood of sleeping rabbits nearly fifty years ago, with a name that promises more than the evidence has delivered, and a genuinely unresolved question about where it comes from.
• Peptides studied for sleep: DSIP, epitalon and what the research measuredSleep is regulated by peptides, from orexin to the pineal system, and two research peptides sit in that literature: DSIP, named for the slow-wave sleep it produced in rabbits in 1977, and epitalon, studied for melatonin rhythm. What the research measured and where it stands.

Other research areas

• Weight & Metabolic: GLP-1 family and mitochondrial peptides studied for energy balance and metabolism.
• Recovery & Repair: Peptides studied in tissue, tendon and gut models.
• Copper & Skin: GHK-Cu and copper-peptide stacks studied in dermal and wound models.
• Growth Hormone: GHRH analogues and secretagogues studied for pulsatile GH release.
• Longevity & Cellular: Peptides studied in ageing, telomere and mitochondrial research.
• Libido & Tanning: Melanocortin receptor agonists.
• Sleep: Delta sleep-inducing peptide.
• Myostatin Antibodies: Research-grade antibodies against myostatin, activin A and the activin type II receptors.
• Water & Accessories: Bacteriostatic water, syringes and swabs for reconstitution.

Related: certificates of analysis, peptide calculator, build a stack, FAQ, all research peptides.