In rats that were repeatedly shocked, a stress‑inducing situation damaged their liver cells. Giving the peptide Selank before each shock reduced the damage, especially at a middle dose (300 µg/kg). The study suggests Selank might protect the liver from stress‑related harm, but it’s an animal experiment and the dosing method isn’t how people normally take it.

We studied the effects of Selank on morphological parameters of the liver in Wistar male rats subjected to chronic foot-shock stress. Selank was injected intraperitoneally in doses of 100, 300 and 1000 μg/kg 15 min before each stress session. Morphological and morphometrical analysis showed that chronic foot-shock stress induced hydropic degeneration of hepatocytes, an increase of the nucleus/cytoplasm ratio due to an increase in the area of nuclei and reduction of the cytoplasm area, the appearance of focal necroses, and lymphohistiocyte infiltration. Injection of Selank in all doses reduced the intensity of stress-induced degenerative changes. Administration of Selank in doses of 300 and 1000 μg/kg restored the nucleus/cytoplasm ratio in hepatocytes. The maximum stress-limiting effect was attained after administration of 300 μg/kg Selank.