The effects of Selank, the active component of which is the heptapeptide Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, which includes the tetrapeptide tuftsin and three natural levorotatory amino acids, on behavior and brain serotonin and noradrenaline levels were studied in adult rats subjected to antenatal hypoxia on days 14-16 of gestation. Administration of Selank (300 microg/kg, i.p.) improved sensory attention levels by factors of 2-3 (p < 0.01), facilitated the learning process by a factor of 1.5 (p < 0.01), normalized the level of investigative activity in the open field and hole board, and restored the balance of activity between the serotoninergic and noradrenergic systems of the brain. The data obtained here provide evidence that Selank can be used to compensate for the long-term negative effects of antenatal hypoxia on brain integrative activity and the activity of monoaminergic transmitter systems.
Effects of selank on learning, memory, and attention to sensory stimuli of different modality were studied in adult Wistar rats treated with 6-hydroxydopamine (neurotoxin selectively damaging catecholaminergic neurons and their terminals) during the first 3 days of life. Selank (300 microg/kg) restored cognitive processes disordered by chronic artificial inhibition of the cerebral catecholaminergic system.
We studied the seasonal effects of peptide preparation Selank on orientation and exploratory activity in 36 arctic ground squirrels Citellus undulatus in the open-field and hole-board tests. Selank most significantly increased behavioral activity of hibernating animals in the spring and fall. The test peptide had no effect on locomotor activity of animals. The selective stimulatory effect of Selank on exploratory behavior of hibernating animals was season-dependent. The maximum effect was observed under conditions of seasonal depression-like state.
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