Adalank

What it is

Adalank, also called N-Acetyl Selank Amidate, starts from Selank, a seven-amino-acid peptide researchers derived from tuftsin. Chemists then added a small chemical group to each end of the chain, one change called acetylation and the other amidation. Both changes are intended to make the molecule more resistant to being broken down and better able to cross into brain tissue than the original Selank.

Because Adalank is a recent variation on an older molecule, the bulk of the published science is about Selank rather than the modified version itself. That work has focused on how the peptide affects two brain chemistry systems: GABA, a signal that calms nerve activity, and BDNF, a protein involved in how brain cells grow and form new connections [1][3]. Researchers are interested in whether this combination could explain reports that the molecule reduces anxiety-like behaviour in animals without causing the sedation typical of older anti-anxiety drugs.

How it is studied

Almost all of the relevant published research uses Selank rather than the acetylated form, given to rats either into the nose or by injection under the skin. Studies have measured brain tissue levels of BDNF after treatment, looked at gene activity in pathways tied to GABA signalling, and tested how animals behave on standard anxiety measures such as maze tests, sometimes alongside a benzodiazepine drug for comparison [1][2][3]. No published study has tested the acetylated, amidated form of the molecule specifically.

What studies report

• In rats, Selank given into the nose raised BDNF levels in the hippocampus, a brain region tied to memory and mood, supporting the idea that the peptide affects nerve-growth signalling. [1]
• In rats under long-term mild stress, Selank made the calming effect of a benzodiazepine drug stronger while the combination caused less memory impairment and drowsiness than the benzodiazepine given alone. [2]
• In lab experiments, Selank changed the activity of a broad set of genes involved in GABA signalling, offering a possible explanation for its calming effect that does not depend on the same drug target benzodiazepines use. [3]

What is not known

No published study has tested Adalank, the acetylated and amidated form, directly in animals or people; every citation traces back to the unmodified parent peptide, Selank. Whether the chemical changes actually deliver the longer action and better brain penetration they are designed for has not been independently confirmed. Selank's own human evidence is limited mostly to smaller studies from one country, and no large, independently replicated human trial of either molecule has been published.

Reported adverse findings

• Rat studies combining Selank with a benzodiazepine reported fewer memory and sedation problems than the benzodiazepine alone, but this reflects the combination, not safety data on Adalank itself. [2]

Regulatory status

No regulator, not the FDA and not Health Canada, has approved either Adalank or its parent compound Selank. Russia has permitted Selank as a clinical treatment there since the early 2000s; that permission does not extend to Adalank, which has not been evaluated by any regulator anywhere.