RP-HPLC purity raises a handful of sensible questions. This page answers them in order, starting with the fundamentals and moving to applications.
This page was last updated on 2025-10-25 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide developed in Russia as a structural analogue of tuftsin, a naturally occurring immunomodulatory tetrapeptide. Its sequence, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, keeps the tuftsin core at the N-terminus and appends a Pro-Gly-Pro tail. Researchers at the Institute of Molecular Genetics in Moscow synthesized the compound during the 1990s while searching for peptides with combined anxiolytic and immunomodulatory activity. The added tail was intended to resist enzymatic cleavage and prolong the molecule's presence in circulation.
The compound has a calculated molecular weight near 751.9 daltons and carries a net positive charge at physiological pH because of its arginine residue. It dissolves freely in water and in common aqueous buffers, and typically appears as a white or off-white lyophilized powder. The amide backbone makes the molecule susceptible to peptidases, which limits oral use and favors intranasal or parenteral routes. Nomenclature in the literature varies: the substance is also described by the sequence abbreviation TP-7 and by a Russian trade designation.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peptide sequence | Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro | Seven residues; tuftsin plus a Pro-Gly-Pro tail |
| Molecular formula | C33H57N11O9 | Commonly reported value for the free peptide |
| Monoisotopic mass | Roughly 751.4 Da | Average molecular mass near 751.9 Da |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typically supplied as a lyophilized solid |
| Solubility class | Freely soluble in water | Also dissolves in saline and other polar solvents |
Lyophilized selank is normally supplied as a dry powder and is considered stable for extended periods when kept cold and dry. Moisture uptake is the main practical threat, because absorbed water promotes both hydrolysis and aggregation in the solid state. Vials are usually warmed to room temperature before opening so that condensation does not form on the powder. Supplier documentation commonly specifies -20 °C for routine storage, with -80 °C used for material intended to be archived for years.
Once dissolved, the peptide is markedly less stable than the dry powder. Aqueous solutions are subject to backbone hydrolysis and to microbial growth when they are handled without sterile technique. Buffered solutions near neutral pH are common for short-term laboratory work, while acidic conditions are sometimes used to improve solubility. Analytical laboratories generally prepare working solutions fresh rather than storing them, and a residual water film left in a reopened vial can seed degradation even when the container appears dry.
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.
== Symbiosis == Anaerobic respiration and its end products can facilitate symbiosis between anaerobes and aerobes. This occurs across taxa, often in compensation for nutritional needs. Anaerobiosis and symbiosis are found in interactions between ciliates and prokaryotes. Anaerobic ciliates interact with prokaryotes in an endosymbiotic relationship. These relationships are mediated in which the ciliate leaves end products that its prokaryotic symbiont utilizes. The ciliate achieves this through fermentative metabolism. The rumen of various animals houses this ciliate alongside many other anaerobic bacteria, protozoans, and fungi. In specific, methanogenic archaea found in the rumen acts as a symbiont to anaerobic ciliates. These anaerobes are useful to those with a rumen due to their ability to break down cellulose, making it bioavailable when otherwise indigestible by animals. Termites utilize anaerobic bacteria to fix and recapture nitrogen. Specifically, the termite's hindgut is full of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, whose functions depend on the nitrogen concentration of the diet. Acetylene reduction in termites was observed to upregulate in termites with nitrogen-poor diets, meaning that nitrogenase activity rose as the nitrogen content of the termite was reduced. One of the functions of termite microbiota is to recapture nitrogen from the termite's uric acid. This allows nitrogen conservation from a diet otherwise low in nitrogen.
=== Small animal imaging === A miniature animal PET has been constructed that is small enough for a fully conscious rat to be scanned. This RatCAP (rat conscious animal PET) allows animals to be scanned without the confounding effects of anesthesia. PET scanners designed specifically for imaging rodents, often referred to as microPET, as well as scanners for small primates, are marketed for academic and pharmaceutical research. The scanners are based on microminiature scintillators and amplified avalanche photodiodes (APDs) through a system that uses single-chip silicon photomultipliers. In 2018 the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine became the first veterinary center to employ a small clinical PET scanner as a scanner for clinical (rather than research) animal diagnosis. Because of cost as well as the marginal utility of detecting cancer metastases in companion animals (the primary use of this modality), veterinary PET scanning is expected to be rarely available in the immediate future.
Cancer of the lymphatic system can be primary or secondary. Lymphoma refers to cancer that arises from lymphatic tissue. Lymphoid leukaemias and lymphomas are now considered to be tumours of the same type of cell lineage. They are called "leukaemia" when in the blood or marrow and "lymphoma" when in lymphatic tissue. They are grouped together under the name "lymphoid malignancy". Lymphoma is generally considered as either Hodgkin lymphoma or non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A particular type of microscopic cell, known as a Reed–Sternberg cell, characterises Hodgkin lymphoma. It is associated with past infection with the Epstein–Barr virus and generally causes a painless "rubbery" lymphadenopathy. It is staged, using Ann Arbor staging. Chemotherapy generally involves the ABVD and may also involve radiotherapy. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer characterised by increased proliferation of B-cells or T-cells, and generally occurs in an older age group than Hodgkin lymphoma. It is treated according to whether it is high-grade or low-grade, and carries a poorer prognosis than Hodgkin lymphoma. Lymphangiosarcoma is a malignant soft tissue tumour, whereas lymphangioma is a benign tumour occurring frequently in association with Turner syndrome. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a benign tumour of the smooth muscles of the lymphatics that occurs in the lungs. Lymphoid leukaemia is another form of cancer in which the host is devoid of different lymphatic cells.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Starting in the United Kingdom in the 18th century, the discovery of steam power set off the Industrial Revolution, which saw wide-ranging technological discoveries, particularly in the areas of agriculture, manufacturing, mining, metallurgy, and transport, and the widespread application of the factory system. This was followed a century later by the Second Industrial Revolution, which led to rapid scientific discovery, standardization, and mass production. New technologies were developed, including sewage systems, electricity, light bulbs, electric motors, railroads, automobiles, and airplanes. These technological advances led to significant developments in medicine, chemistry, physics, and engineering. They were accompanied by consequential social change, with the introduction of skyscrapers accompanied by rapid urbanization. Communication improved with the invention of the telegraph, the telephone, the radio, and television. The 20th century brought a host of innovations. In physics, the discovery of nuclear fission in the Atomic Age led to both nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Analog computers were invented and asserted dominance in processing complex data. While the invention of vacuum tubes allowed for digital computing with computers like the ENIAC, their sheer size precluded widespread use until innovations in quantum physics allowed for the invention of the transistor in 1947, which significantly compacted computers and led the digital transition.
In 1649, German scientist and inventor Otto von Guericke invented the spool vacuum air pump. Guericke's vacuum pump decreased any potential leaks between the piston and the cylinder by utilizing washers made from leather. In Britain, the first effective vacuum pump for scientific purposes was constructed in 1658 by English polymath Robert Hooke, on behalf of Anglo-Irish natural philosopher Robert Boyle. Boyle used the term "air pump" (among others) for his own vacuum pump as well as Guericke's, and they have often been referred to as such ever since. In 1705, English scientist Francis Hauksbee, developed a style of a double-barrelled air pump. Hauksbee's double-barrelled air pump was used primarily for scientific research, and had the ability to create a vacuum.
== Further reading == Duckworth WC (August 1988). "Insulin degradation: mechanisms, products, and significance". Endocrine Reviews. 9 (3): 319–45. doi:10.1210/edrv-9-3-319. PMID 3061785. Affholter JA, Hsieh CL, Francke U, Roth RA (August 1990). "Insulin-degrading enzyme: stable expression of the human complementary DNA, characterization of its protein product, and chromosomal mapping of the human and mouse genes". Molecular Endocrinology. 4 (8): 1125–35. doi:10.1210/mend-4-8-1125. PMID 2293021. Duckworth WC, Hamel FG, Bennett R, Ryan MP, Roth RA (February 1990). "Human red blood cell insulin-degrading enzyme and rat skeletal muscle insulin protease share antigenic sites and generate identical products from insulin". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 265 (5): 2984–7. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)39898-9. PMID 1689296. Kuo WL, Gehm BD, Rosner MR (October 1990). "Cloning and expression of the cDNA for a Drosophila insulin-degrading enzyme". Molecular Endocrinology. 4 (10): 1580–91. doi:10.1210/mend-4-10-1580. PMID 2126597. Ding L, Becker AB, Suzuki A, Roth RA (February 1992). "Comparison of the enzymatic and biochemical properties of human insulin-degrading enzyme and Escherichia coli protease III". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 267 (4): 2414–20. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)45895-4. PMID 1733942. Mukherjee A, Song E, Kihiko-Ehmann M, Goodman JP, Pyrek JS, Estus S, et al. (December 2000). "Insulysin hydrolyzes amyloid beta peptides to products that are neither neurotoxic nor deposit on amyloid plaques". The Journal of Neuroscience. 20 (23): 8745–8749.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Ivosidenib === Ivosidenib was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2018, for relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an IDH1 mutation. Ivosidenib (AG-120) has exhibited potent anti-wtIDH1 properties in melanoma under low magnesium and nutrient levels, reflective of the tumor microenvironment in natura. Vorasidenib was approved for medical use in the United States in August 2024. Vorasidenib is the first approval by the FDA of a systemic therapy for people with grade 2 astrocytoma or oligodendroglioma with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 or isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 mutation. Ivosidenib is a highly selective, small-molecule inhibitor designed to target the mutant IDH1 enzyme. It works by reversibly inhibiting the mutated enzyme, effectively reducing the production of the oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG). By lowering D-2HG levels, ivosidenib helps restore normal cellular differentiation that is often disrupted in IDH1-mutant cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and cholangiocarcinoma. This therapeutic approach is based on the idea that altering the D-2HG concentration interferes with both cellular metabolism and epigenetic regulation, processes that are key to the cancerous transformation driven by IDH1 mutations. Specifically, ivosidenib targets IDH1 mutations at the R132 residue, particularly the R132H and R132C variants, which are among the most common in human cancers.
The light source shines onto or through the sample. The sample transmits or reflects light. The detector detects how much light was reflected from or transmitted through the sample. The detector then converts how much light the sample transmitted or reflected into a number.
Hunger has been a perennial human problem. However, until the early 20th century, there was relatively little awareness of the qualitative aspects of malnutrition. Throughout history, various peoples have known the importance of eating certain foods to prevent symptoms now associated with malnutrition. Yet such knowledge appears to have been repeatedly lost and then re-discovered. For example, the ancient Egyptians reportedly knew the symptoms of scurvy. Much later, in the 14th century, Crusaders sometimes used anti-scurvy measures – for example, ensuring that citrus fruits were planted on Mediterranean islands, for use on sea journeys. However, for several centuries, Europeans appear to have forgotten the importance of these measures. They rediscovered this knowledge in the 18th century, and by the early 19th century, the Royal Navy was issuing frequent rations of lemon juice to every crewman on their ships. This massively reduced scurvy deaths among British sailors, which in turn gave the British a significant advantage in the Napoleonic Wars. Later on in the 19th century, the Royal Navy replaced lemons with limes (unaware at the time that lemons are far more effective at preventing scurvy).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The sequence is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, written TKPRPGP in one-letter code. It combines the tetrapeptide tuftsin with a carboxyl-terminal Pro-Gly-Pro extension. This full sequence identifies the molecule more precisely than the research name.
No peptide with this exact sequence has been identified as an endogenous substance. It is a laboratory-designed analog of tuftsin, a naturally occurring immunomodulatory tetrapeptide. The Pro-Gly-Pro extension has no known natural source.
Proline introduces conformational constraints that make a peptide less accessible to common peptidases. This is a standard stabilization strategy in peptide design. The added residues also increase the distance between the active tuftsin portion and typical cleavage sites.
Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide modeled on tuftsin, a fragment of the immunoglobulin G heavy chain. It was designed in Russia to combine anxiolytic and immunomodulatory properties in one molecule.