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Research Reference · Tissue Repair

BPC-157

A synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide based on a protective protein fragment from gastric juice — one of the most-studied repair peptides in preclinical research.

Last reviewed September 2026 14 peer-reviewed sources 4-minute read

At a glance

BPC-157 (short for Body Protection Compound-157) is a lab-made peptide studied mostly for how tissues repair themselves — tendons, ligaments, muscle, the gut lining and blood vessels. Nearly all of the evidence comes from cell and animal studies. The published human data is limited to three small, uncontrolled pilot reports.

TypeSynthetic peptide, 15 amino acids
Studied forTendon, gut & vessel repair
Evidence stagePreclinical (cell & animal)
Human data3 small pilot reports; not FDA-approved

What it’s studied for

Tendon & ligament repair

The most active area. Studies look at tendon-cell growth, survival and migration, and at soft-tissue healing in rodents. 5,7

Cell & animal

Gut & digestive research

A natural fit given its gastric origin: ulcer healing and protection of the gut lining in animal models. 4

Animal

Blood-vessel formation

How new vessels form after injury or reduced blood flow, through the VEGFR2 pathway. 8

Cell & animal

Brain–gut axis

A newer area looking at nervous-system signaling and links between the gut and the brain. 9,11

Animal · emerging

BPC-157

BPC-157 (10mg) · $39.99

Third-party tested · batch-matched COA · research use only

View BPC-157 BPC-157 COAsUsage guide

How it works

BPC-157 is a 15-amino-acid fragment of a larger protective protein found in human gastric juice. Most peptides break down quickly in stomach acid; researchers took an early interest in BPC-157 because it appeared unusually stable there and showed activity in many different tissues in animal models. 4

The best-documented mechanism involves blood-vessel growth. In cell and rat studies, BPC-157 activated the VEGFR2 receptor and its downstream Akt–eNOS signaling pathway, which new vessels depend on during repair. 8 In tendon cells it increased the number of growth-hormone receptors, making the cells more responsive to growth-hormone signals, 6 and it helped tendon cells survive and migrate. 5

In animals it is short-lived. A rat and dog study found an elimination half-life under 30 minutes, with the peptide broken down into amino acids and cleared through urine and bile. 10

Related research

TB-500Cell migration · often co-studied BB (BPC-157 & TB-500)BPC-157 + TB-500 GLOW (Three-Peptide Blend)+ GHK-Cu KLOW (Four-Peptide Blend)+ GHK-Cu + KPV

Frequently asked questions

What does BPC-157 stand for?
Body Protection Compound-157. It is a 15-amino-acid fragment of a protective protein first described in human gastric juice.
Is BPC-157 the same as TB-500?
No. TB-500 is based on thymosin beta-4, a different protein. The two are often studied together in repair research; the BPC-157 + TB-500 pairing is known as the "Wolverine" stack and is sold as our BB blend.
Has BPC-157 been tested in humans?
Only in three small, uncontrolled pilot reports: a retrospective review of 17 people given knee injections, a 12-patient interstitial cystitis pilot, and a two-person IV safety pilot. There are no controlled clinical trials.
What is the CAS number of BPC-157?
137525-51-0. Its molecular formula is C62H98N16O22 (1419.5 g/mol).
How is research-grade BPC-157 verified?
By third-party HPLC and mass-spectrometry testing. Our BPC-157 certificates are published by batch number on our COA page.

Identifiers

Name BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound-157)
Other names BPC 15 · Bepecin · PL 14736 · PLD-116 · pentadecapeptide BPC 157
Class Synthetic linear pentadecapeptide (15 amino acids)
Sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val
Molecular formula C62H98N16O22
Molecular weight 1419.5 g/mol
CAS number 137525-51-0
PubChem CID 9941957
UNII · DrugBank 8ED8NXK95P · DB11882
Supplied as Lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder

Identifiers checked against PubChem (CID 9941957).

Research timeline

  1. 2011Reviews summarize protective effects across the gastrointestinal tract in animal models 4; a cell study shows tendon cells grow out, survive and migrate faster with BPC-157. 5
  2. 2014BPC-157 is shown to raise growth-hormone receptor levels in tendon cells. 6
  3. 2017The VEGFR2–Akt–eNOS pathway is identified behind its blood-vessel effects in rats with reduced limb blood flow. 8
  4. 2019A review pulls together the muscle, tendon and ligament evidence. 7
  5. 2021A wound-healing review covers skin, burn and ulcer models 1; the first human report (a retrospective chart review of knee injections) is published. 12
  6. 2022First pharmacokinetic study in rats and dogs 10; review of central-nervous-system research. 9
  7. 2024A 12-patient pilot in interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome) is reported, with no control group. 13
  8. 2025A systematic review finds 36 studies — 35 preclinical, 1 clinical 3; a two-person IV safety pilot is published. 14

Key studies

StudyModelWhat it found
Chang 2011 5 Cell More tendon-cell outgrowth, survival and migration.
Chang 2014 6 Cell Higher growth-hormone receptor levels in tendon cells; downstream JAK2 signaling activated.
Hsieh 2017 8 Cell + rat Activated VEGFR2–Akt–eNOS; faster blood-flow recovery and more vessels after limb ischemia.
He 2022 10 Rat + dog Half-life under 30 minutes; broken down into amino acids; cleared via urine and bile.
Lee 2021 12 Human · retrospective Chart review of 17 people given knee injections; relief self-reported by phone survey. No control group.
Lee 2024 13 Human · 12 people Interstitial cystitis pilot: all 12 reported improvement and no adverse events were reported. No control group.
Lee 2025 14 Human · 2 people IV safety pilot: no changes in heart, liver, kidney, thyroid or glucose markers; no side effects reported.
Vasireddi 2025 3 Systematic review 36 studies (35 preclinical, 1 clinical); concludes that human safety data is lacking.

Sources

  1. Stable Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and Wound Healing. Seiwerth S, et al. Front Pharmacol, 2021. Free full textReview
  2. Regeneration or Risk? A Narrative Review of BPC-157 for Musculoskeletal Healing. McGuire FP, et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med, 2025. Free full textReview
  3. Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review. Vasireddi N, et al. HSS J, 2025. Free full textSystematic review
  4. Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157: novel therapy in gastrointestinal tract. Sikiric P, et al. Curr Pharm Des, 2011. Review
  5. The promoting effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on tendon healing involves tendon outgrowth, cell survival, and cell migration. Chang CH, et al. J Appl Physiol, 2011.
  6. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 enhances the growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts. Chang CH, et al. Molecules, 2014. Free full text
  7. Gastric pentadecapeptide body protection compound BPC 157 and its role in accelerating musculoskeletal soft tissue healing. Gwyer D, et al. Cell Tissue Res, 2019. Review
  8. Therapeutic potential of pro-angiogenic BPC157 is associated with VEGFR2 activation and up-regulation. Hsieh MJ, et al. J Mol Med, 2017.
  9. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and the central nervous system. Vukojevic J, et al. Neural Regen Res, 2022. Free full textReview
  10. Pharmacokinetics, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of body-protective compound 157, a potential drug for treating various wounds, in rats and dogs. He L, et al. Front Pharmacol, 2022. Free full text
  11. Stable Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 May Recover Brain-Gut Axis and Gut-Brain Axis Function. Sikiric P, et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 2023. Free full textReview
  12. Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain. Lee E, Padgett B. Altern Ther Health Med, 2021. Human · retrospective
  13. Effect of BPC-157 on Symptoms in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot Study. Lee E, et al. Altern Ther Health Med, 2024. Human · pilot
  14. Safety of Intravenous Infusion of BPC157 in Humans: A Pilot Study. Lee E, Burgess K. Altern Ther Health Med, 2025. Human · pilot
For Research Use Only. This page summarizes published scientific research for educational purposes. It is not medical advice and does not promote, recommend, or describe any human or animal use. Products referenced are sold strictly for laboratory research and are not for human consumption.

Last reviewed September 2026 by Midwest Compounds. Every source above was checked against its original publication.