Peptides semax and selank affect the behavior of rats with 6-OHDA induced PD-like parkinsonism.
Slominsky. P A PA; Shadrina. M I MI; Kolomin. T A TA; Stavrovskaya. A V AV; Filatova. E V EV; Andreeva. L A LA; Illarioshkin. S N SN; Myasoedov. N F NF
Key Findings
- Both Semax and Selank did not alter motor activity in rats with 6-OHDA‑induced Parkinsonism.
- Selank reduced anxiety‑like behavior in these rats, as measured in an elevated cross‑shaped maze.
- The anxiolytic effect of Selank was consistent with previous findings in healthy rodents under stress.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, Selank may have potential as an anxiety‑reducing supplement, even in contexts of dopaminergic stress, but the evidence is limited to animal models. No guidance on dosage or human safety can be drawn from this study. It’s an incremental insight that warrants caution and further human research before practical use.
Summary
In rats that had a Parkinson-like brain injury, the peptide Selank lowered anxiety, while Semax and Selank did not change how much the rats moved around. This suggests Selank might have calming effects even when dopamine neurons are damaged, but the study was done in animals and didn’t look at human dosing or safety.
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common severe neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons (DA neurons) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) region of the brain. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the synthetic regulatory peptides Semax (analog of an ACTH 4-10 fragment (ACTH4-10)) and Selank (analog of immunomodulatory taftsin) on behavior of rats with 6-hydroxidopamine (6-OHDA) induced PD-like parkinsonism. It was showed that both peptides did not affect motor activity of rats in elevated cross shaped maze and passive defensive behavior of the animals. At the same time, Selank decreased level of anxiety of rats with toxic damage of DA neurons in elevated cross shaped maze. Previously such effects of Selank were revealed in healthy rodents (rats and mice) with different models of psycho-emotional stress. Therefore, toxic damage of substantia nigra does not affect the response of the rat organism on this peptide.
Study Information
pubmed
2017
2017-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
10.1134/s0012496617030048