Healing & Recovery

BPC-157

Body Protection Compound-157 · Pentadecapeptide

A 15-amino-acid fragment studied mostly in animal models of tendon, ligament, gut, and vascular repair. Popular in recovery protocols; not approved for human use anywhere. The widely quoted 4-hour half-life has no published source - rat IV PK is on the order of minutes.

Not FDA-approved - research chemicalWADA (S0) - prohibited in sport at all timesFDA Category 2 · PCAC Jul 2026 review is advisory, not a final rule

Reviewed by CalcMyPeptide Editorial Team

·Last updated: September 2026·Evidence: Strong preclinical·7 peer-reviewed citations

Typical research dose

200-800 mcg/day

Frequency

1-2× daily

Half-life

Minutes (IV PK, rat/dog) - the 4-hour figure has no published source

Common vials

5 mg

CAS

137525-51-0

Molecular weight

1419.53 g/mol

Use-case scores

0–10 against the evidence we have, not a gym ranking. Hidden domains do not apply here.

Injury & tissue5/10
Consistent rodent tendon, muscle, and GI models, including Chang 2011 outside Zagreb. Ceiling 5.5 for multi-lab animal; haircut for originating-lab concentration and zero adequate human RCT.
Recovery & sleep4/10
This is how the compound is used: soft-tissue recovery protocols. Not a sleep peptide. Community ceiling, not a rehabilitation trial.
Muscle / recomp3/10
Muscle-injury histology in animals is not hypertrophy or recomp data. Do not score it like a secretagogue.

Compound card

Sequence: GEPPPGKPADDAGLV
Class: Synthetic gastric pentadecapeptide (BPC-157 acetate)
Formula: C62H98N16O22
Status: Not FDA-approved · research use

Dose it

5 mg + 2 mL BAC water → 2.5 mg/mL · 200 mcg ≈ 8 units (U-100)

Open in calculator

Chemistry

identity via PubChem CID 9941957

G1E2P3P4P5G6K7P8A9D10D11A12G13L14V15

GEPPPGKPADDAGLV. Published PK (rat, IV/IM) shows elimination within minutes - the widely quoted "4-hour half-life" has no published source.

How it works

BPC-157 is a 15-residue fragment (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV) described by the Sikirić group at the University of Zagreb as a piece of a gastric-juice protein. The parent protein has never been fully sequenced in a way independent labs can reproduce. The synthetic 15-mer is what research-chem vials contain.

In animal and cell models the peptide is reported to move fibroblast and tendon-outgrowth behavior through FAK-paxillin, and to sit next to VEGF / nitric-oxide signaling. Chang, Tsai, Lin and colleagues (Taiwan, 2011) is the tendon paper most people mean when they say “independent of Zagreb”: rat Achilles outgrowth, survival, and migration, not a human RCT. A large share of the rest of the indexed literature still comes from one laboratory and its collaborators.

Plasma does not linger. He et al. (2022), Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, measured prototype BPC-157 in rats and beagles: IV elimination half-life about 15 min in the rat, under 30 min in both species, IM bioavailability about 14–19% in rats and 45–51% in dogs. The 4-hour half-life that still circulates on forums has no published source. Rapid clearance is not the same as “it does nothing.” It does mean daily research-chem dosing is a pulse, not a depot.

Source: PMID: 29936067, PMID: 30915550

The 4-hour half-life is not in the PK paper

He 2022 (independent, rats and beagles) measured prototype plasma t½ of minutes, not hours. IM bioavailability was ~14–19% in rats. Human PK is unpublished. If a page still prints 4–6 hours, it is repeating a forum number.

Goal context

Tendon, ligament, and local tissue

This is the search intent. Chang 2011 is the cleanest non-Zagreb tendon paper: outgrowth, survival, FAK-paxillin, collagen alignment in a rat Achilles model. That is a real signal. It is still a rat. There is no human tendon RCT to convert 250 mcg SubQ into a healing timeline.

Gut as animal cytoprotection, not a diagnosis

Gastric-juice origin plus NSAID and fistula models are why “gut healing” shows up on every vendor page. Those papers do not license IBS, leaky-gut, or IBD claims. If the job is a GI diagnosis, that is a clinician and a labeled drug, not a research 15-mer.

Stacking with TB-500

The pair is popular because the stories sound complementary (local angiogenesis vs actin motility). TB-500 in commerce is usually the 7-mer fragment, not the 43-aa parent with the clinical program. Complementary marketing is not a synergy trial. Math the blend. Do not invent a mechanism handshake.

Background & History

BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-mer (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV) described by Predrag Sikirić at the University of Zagreb in the 1990s as a fragment of a gastric-juice protein. The parent protein has never been independently sequenced. A large share of the animal literature still comes from that laboratory. Independent PK (He 2022) shows plasma t½ of minutes in rats and dogs, not the 4-hour figure that still circulates online. Gastric-stability claims do not equal published oral human bioavailability.

Research Use Cases

✓Rodent tendon and ligament injury models (including Chang 2011 outside Zagreb)
✓Rodent GI cytoprotection models (NSAID, fistula). Not a human IBD or ulcer indication
✓Community research-chem soft-tissue recovery protocols (not an FDA duration)
✓Blend math with TB-500 when both vials are in the same protocol

Dosing

Phase	Dose	Frequency	Notes
Starting	250 mcg	Once daily SubQ	Tolerance look. Split AM/PM is optional, not a PK requirement given the minutes-long plasma curve.
Common research-chem	250–500 mcg	1–2× daily SubQ	Most-quoted band. 4–6 weeks is the usual calendar. Not an FDA duration.
Upper reported	500 mcg	Twice daily SubQ	Higher doses are not shown to outperform in a human trial. 6–8 weeks is folklore, not a label.

When to increase

Current dose is well-tolerated for 2+ weeks
No change worth noting at 250 mcg
A clinician is directing an increase

When to decrease

Injection-site or systemic effects that are not settling
The job is done and you are stopping
A clinician is directing a reduction

Administration

Route / form

Subcutaneous injection from a reconstituted lyophilized vial. Oral arginate SKUs are a different leaf.

Timing

Consistent daily time is the habit. Food is not a documented requirement. Fasting is not required.

Empty stomach?

No - Food timing is not critical.

Preparation

Best injection sites

Abdomen (a few cm from the navel), Outer thigh, Back of upper arm, Near the injury if that is the protocol you chose

Required supplies

Lyophilized vial
Bacteriostatic water
U-100 insulin syringes (29–31G)
Alcohol swabs
Sharps container

Storage

Before reconstitution

Lyophilized powder refrigerated 2–8 °C, protected from light. Do not freeze-thaw the dry cake for sport.

After reconstitution

Reconstituted solution refrigerated 2–8 °C. Typical BAC-water window is up to 28 days if sterility holds. Do not freeze.

Signs of degradation

Cloudiness • Particles • Color change • Loss of cake integrity before mixing

BPC-157: oral vs SubQ

Subcutaneous injection

Bioavailability

He 2022 (PMID 36588717) measured prototype BPC-157 in rats and beagles: IV t½ minutes, not hours; IM bioavailability about 14–19% in rats and 45–51% in dogs. Human PK is unpublished. “~100% SubQ” is not a sourced number.

Dose note

Research-chem band is 250–500 mcg once or twice daily from a reconstituted acetate vial. BAC water, sterile technique. Food does not change the shot. Local vs abdominal site is habit, not a human head-to-head.

Advantages

This is the SKU the animal tendon papers and the reconstitution calculator describe.
Vial math is checkable. Minutes-class plasma curve means a pulse, not a 4-hour depot.

Considerations

Not a human tendon or GI indication. Chang 2011 is a rat Achilles paper (PMID 21030672).
FDA Category 2 bulk list. WADA S0. Angiogenesis signaling is a live caution in active malignancy.

Oral acetate / GI folklore

Bioavailability

No published human oral F% for BPC-157 acetate. NCT02637284 (oral PCO-02) did not post results. Swallowing a 15-mer as a “gut healing” capsule is community folklore, not a bioavailability certificate. Pentadeca arginate is a different salt SKU with its own leaf.

Dose note

If the bottle is a capsule or oral solution, do not run SubQ unit math. Vendor milligrams are not 250 mcg SC. Empty-stomach stories are not a PK study. For the arginine-salt oral pitch, use the pentadeca arginate leaf.

Advantages

Oral SKUs exist in commerce. Identity is still the 15-mer if the COA says so.
Rodent GI cytoprotection papers exist. That is animal histology, not IBS care.

Considerations

Oral acetate is not a second He 2022 package. Do not invent an F%.
Does not treat IBD, ulcers, or “leaky gut” as a diagnosis.
Nanoparticle / enteric-coating vendor talk is formulation marketing.

Recommendation: BPC-157 acetate is a SubQ research-chem pulse with checkable vial math. Oral acetate is GI folklore plus an unpublished Phase 1, not a systemic F% theater. PDA (arginate) is a different salt leaf. Animal tissue signal is real. Human evidence is not.

Timeline

Days 1–14

Anecdotes talk about local comfort. Animal histology is not a 2-week human endpoint. Many people feel nothing this early.

Weeks 3–6

This is when research-chem logs claim mobility changes. There is no RCT schedule to confirm or falsify that.

After the course

No maintenance label. Stopping when the calendar ends is the honest default, not a 2–4 week “cycle off” law.

Who it is for

Soft-tissue research (tendon, ligament, muscle injury models)

High

Best-documented research-chem use. Animal histology, including Chang 2011. Not a human orthopedic indication.

GI cytoprotection models

Moderate

Rodent gastric and fistula papers exist. Not IBS, IBD, or ulcer treatment.

Named human diagnoses

Low

No adequate RCT. Do not dose this as a drug for a charted condition.

Reconstitution

Vial	Water	Concentration	Example dose
5 mg	2.0 mL BAC	2.5 mg/mL	250 mcg = 0.10 mL = 10 units on a U-100 syringe
5 mg	1.0 mL BAC	5 mg/mL	250 mcg = 0.05 mL = 5 units on a U-100 syringe

Change vial size or water volume? Open the reconstitution calculator.

Safety & Considerations

Research-use pentadecapeptide. Animal papers spanning decades report low toxicity in the models those groups ran. That is not a Western Phase 3 safety database. FDA placed BPC-157 on the 503A Category 2 bulk list (immunogenicity and impurity concerns). The registered oral Phase 1 (NCT02637284) did not publish results. Angiogenesis signaling is why active cancer is a hard no in any honest protocol. Sterile reconstitution still matters. Do not treat rodent GI or tendon histology as a human disease indication.

Regulatory & Legal Status

FDA Status (US)

Research Only

FDA Category 2 (higher-risk compound) - not approved for human use. PCAC Jul 2026 review is advisory, not a final rule

WADA Status (2026)

Prohibited (S0)

Competitive athletes subject to anti-doping controls should not use BPC-157.

Classification

Research Chemical

US Compounding: Not eligible / not available

⚠️ This information is for educational purposes only and may not reflect the most current regulatory updates. Always verify with official FDA, WADA, and jurisdiction-specific sources before use.

Limits of current evidence

No published adequate randomized human efficacy trial for tendon, muscle, or GI indications.
Indexed literature is still heavily concentrated in one originating laboratory; Chang 2011 is the main independent tendon paper, not a second clinical program.
He 2022 (independent PK) shows plasma t½ of minutes, not hours. Human PK is unpublished. NCT02637284 posted no results.
IM bioavailability in that PK paper is ~14–19% in rats. “~100% subcutaneous” is not a sourced number.
Pentadeca arginate is a different salt SKU. Oral-stability claims for the arginate are not a second PK package.
FDA Category 2 bulk list. WADA S0. Angiogenesis signaling is a live caution in active malignancy.

Human evidence

Strong preclinical · no adequate human RCT

No published adequate randomized human efficacy trial for tendon, muscle, or GI indications.
NCT02637284 (oral PCO-02) was registered and did not post results.
A 2025 IV pilot in a handful of adults is not an efficacy program.
Chang 2011 is the main independent tendon paper (rat Achilles), not a second clinical program.

User reports

What research-chem logs claim

Anecdotes talk about local comfort in the first two weeks; many people feel nothing this early. Weeks 3–6 is when research-chem logs claim mobility changes. There is no RCT schedule to confirm or falsify that.

Verdict

BPC-157 is the most-studied research-chem recovery 15-mer, and the PK is the part most pages get wrong. Use it as a short SubQ pulse with vial math you can check, not as a 4-hour depot and not as a treatment for named gut or tendon diagnoses. The animal tissue signal is real. The human evidence is not.

Interactions & Contraindications

Angiogenesis signaling is why active malignancy is a hard no. NSAID overlap is a mechanistic caution from the GI papers, not a labeled interaction table. No adequate human DDI package.

Synergies & Common Stacks

+ TB-500 →

Default research-chem pair. Complementary marketing (VEGF/NO vs actin-loop fragment) is not a synergy RCT. Math both vials. TB-500 as sold is usually Ac-LKKTETQ, not full Tβ4.

+ GHK-Cu →

Stacked in connective-tissue research-chem logs. GHK-Cu has the dermal literature. This is a pairing habit, not a combination trial.

+ MGF →

Sometimes paired for muscle-injury protocols. MGF is an IGF-1 splice story. Not a head-to-head stack study.

BPC-157 vs. TB-500

Canonical comparison: BPC-157 vs TB-500

Attribute	BPC-157	TB-500
Origin	Synthetic 15-mer (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV)	Ac-LKKTETQ, Tβ4 residues 17–23
Mechanism	VEGF/NO + FAK-paxillin in animal models	Actin-binding loop of Tβ4; fragment ≠ 43-mer
Best For	Local soft-tissue research protocols	Community recovery stacks (not a Tβ4 trial)
Injection Site	Near injury is the habit, not a law	Any SubQ site is typical
Dose Frequency	250–500 mcg 1–2× daily	2–5 mg 2× weekly (loading, community)
WADA Status	Prohibited (S0)	Prohibited (S0)
Evidence Level	Strong preclinical, no adequate RCT	Low for the 7-mer; parent Tβ4 has separate trials

Verdict: Two different molecules. BPC-157 is a 15-mer with rodent tendon/GI papers and minutes-long PK. TB-500 as sold is usually the actin-loop fragment, not full thymosin β4. Stacking is common. It is not a synergy trial.

Appears in goal guides

Goal guides are maps, not clinic protocols. A mention here is not a treatment plan.

Gut Repair & Microbiome Restoration

BPC-157 and KPV identity for GI-adjacent research. Mouse and gastric-cytoprotection papers are not a leaky-gut, IBS, Crohn’s, or UC protocol.

View Protocol →

Advanced Injury Healing

BPC-157 plus TB-500 (Ac-LKKTETQ fragment) reconstitution math used in research-chem injury logs. Animal tendon papers are not a human regeneration label.

View Protocol →

Post-Surgical Accelerated Healing

BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu as they show up next to surgery folklore. Not a substitute for surgical aftercare and not a proven scar-erasure protocol.

View Protocol →

Ultimate Athletic Performance

Muscle and vascular cytomax plus BPC-157/TB-500 and GH secretagogues as they show up in athletic folklore. Injectable repair peptides are WADA-prohibited. This is not a doping pass.

View Protocol →

Frequently Asked Questions

Oral or SubQ?▼

SubQ from a reconstituted acetate vial is the research-chem default and the route the reconstitution math describes. Oral acetate is GI folklore; NCT02637284 (oral PCO-02) did not post results. For arginine-salt oral marketing, use the pentadeca arginate leaf. Do not invent an oral F%.

What is a typical research-chem dose?▼

Common reported SubQ range is 250–500 mcg once or twice daily, inside a wider 200–800 mcg/day band. That is community practice plus animal-model scaling, not an FDA label.

How do I reconstitute a 5 mg vial?▼

Add 2.0 mL bacteriostatic water for 2.5 mg/mL. Each unit on a U-100 syringe is 25 mcg. A 250 mcg dose is 10 units. Use the reconstitution calculator if you change water volume.

Is the half-life 4 hours?▼

No published PK supports 4 hours. He 2022 measured prototype plasma t½ of about 15 min IV in rats, under 30 min in rats and dogs. Human PK is unpublished.

Should I inject next to the injury?▼

Local SubQ is the usual research-chem habit because the animal tendon work is local. Abdominal injection is also used. Neither route has a human head-to-head trial. Do not read “systemic healing” into a minutes-long plasma curve.

How long do people run it?▼

Reported courses are 4–6 weeks for an acute soft-tissue protocol, sometimes 6–8 weeks. There is no evidence-based cycling-off rule because there is no adequate human efficacy trial.

Can I stack it with TB-500?▼

The blend is the default “Wolverine” research-chem pair. BPC-157 is a 15-mer with VEGF/NO animal data. TB-500 as sold is usually Ac-LKKTETQ, not full thymosin β4. Use the blend calculator for combined vial math. Stacking is not a synergy RCT.

Is pentadeca arginate the same thing?▼

PDA is the arginine salt of the same 15-mer, sold as a separate SKU. Parent acetate papers do not automatically become oral-arginate PK. See the pentadeca arginate leaf.

Has it been tested in people?▼

No adequate published RCT. NCT02637284 (oral PCO-02) was registered and did not post results. A 2025 IV pilot in a handful of adults is not an efficacy program.

Is it FDA-approved?▼

No. Category 2 bulk substance. Not a 503A compounding candidate. WADA S0. Check the regulatory panel on this page.

Does it treat IBS, ulcers, or IBD?▼

Rodent GI cytoprotection papers exist, many from the originating lab. That is not a gastroenterology indication. Do not dose this as a gut drug.

What about cancer risk?▼

VEGF/angiogenesis signaling is the mechanistic caution. Active malignancy is a reason to stay out. There is no human oncology trial either direction.

How should I store it?▼

Lyophilized vial refrigerated and dark. After BAC water, 2–8 °C. Discard if cloudy or particulate. Typical BAC-water practice is up to 28 days if sterility holds.

References

He L, Feng D, Guo H, et al. “Pharmacokinetics, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of body-protective compound 157 in rats and dogs.” Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022). PMID: 36588717 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1026182
Chang CH, Tsai WC, Lin MS, et al. “The promoting effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on tendon healing involves tendon outgrowth, cell survival, and cell migration.” Journal of Applied Physiology (2011). PMID: 21030672
Seiwerth S, Brcic L, Vuletic LB, et al. “Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and wound healing.” Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs (2014). PMID: 24799263
Sikiric P, Seiwerth S, Rucman R, et al. “Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157: novel therapy in gastrointestinal tract.” Current Pharmaceutical Design (2018). PMID: 29782919
Sikiric P, et al. “Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in trials for inflammatory bowel disease.” J Physiol Pharmacol (2006). PMID: 17106110
Chang CH, et al. “Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 enhances the growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts.” Molecules (2014). PMID: 25607720
Staresinic M, et al. “BPC 157 and its role in accelerating tendon-to-bone healing.” J Orthop Res (2006). PMID: 17001690

📚 Related Articles

BPC-157 Dosage Guide: How Much to Take and How to Calculate

9 min read • Recovery

How to Reconstitute Peptides: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

12 min read • Guide

The Complete Guide to Peptide Reconstitution & Dosing

12 min read • Pillar Guide

Recommended source10% OFF

Get BPC-157 from our recommended source - independently tested, COA-verified, USP <85> endotoxin compliant. Use code 4SS6SFTUGB at checkout.

Buy BPC-157 See all sources →

Affiliate link · Full review

← Back to Peptide Library