BPC-157

BPC-157 ("body protection compound") is a chain of 15 amino acids. Its sequence is taken from a larger protein found in human gastric juice, but the peptide sold today is made synthetically. It was first studied as an anti-ulcer agent, and later in models of tendon, ligament, muscle, gut and skin injury.

In the 2000s it was developed by the pharmaceutical company Pliva under the code PL 14736, and described as being in clinical trials for inflammatory bowel disease. We could not find any published results from those trials.

Two features of the research matter when reading anything about BPC-157. First, almost all of it is in rats, mice and cells: by mid-2024 a systematic review found 35 preclinical studies and one human study (Vasireddi 2025). Second, most of the animal work comes from a single research group in Zagreb, Croatia; independent groups in Taiwan and China have reported similar findings in some models, but large independent replications are missing.

• Type: synthetic peptide, 15 amino acids.
• Studied for: tendon, ligament and muscle healing, gut injury, wounds and blood vessel growth.
• Strongest evidence: animal studies. Human data are three small uncontrolled reports.
• Legal status: not approved as a medicine anywhere in the US; prohibited in sport by WADA.

At a glance: 14 studies report a dose (3 in people, 9 in animals, 2 in cells).

Doses used in human studies

• Lee E 2025: Infusions of up to 20 mg (Intravenous infusion)
• Lee E 2024: 10 mg in total, in a single procedure (Injected into the bladder wall during cystoscopy)

Every study

No single mechanism has been established. The studies point to several pathways, each shown in cells or animals:

• New blood vessels (VEGFR2): BPC-157 increased the VEGFR2 receptor on blood vessel cells and switched on its signalling chain (Akt and eNOS), which drives vessel growth (Hsieh 2017).
• Nitric oxide system: in rat fistula models its effect held whether nitric oxide production was blocked or boosted, which suggests it interacts with that system (Klicek 2008).
• Cell movement (FAK-paxillin): in tendon cells it activated FAK and paxillin, proteins that let cells move into an injured area (Chang 2011).
• Growth hormone receptors: tendon cells exposed to it made more growth hormone receptor, so they responded more to growth hormone (Chang 2014).
• Gene switches and growth signals: it switched on the egr-1 gene, linked to tissue repair and collagen (Tkalcević 2007), and the ERK1/2 growth pathway in blood vessel cells (Huang 2015).

1. Wash your hands and work on a clean, uncluttered surface. Let a refrigerated vial reach room temperature so the stopper is easier to pierce.
2. Wipe the rubber stopper of the peptide vial and of the bacteriostatic water with a fresh alcohol swab, and let them air-dry.
3. Draw the chosen volume of bacteriostatic water into a sterile syringe. With 2 mL, a 10 mg vial ends up at 5,000 mcg/mL, or 50 mcg per U-100 unit.
4. Insert the needle through the stopper and let the water run slowly down the inside wall of the vial, not straight onto the powder.
5. Swirl or roll the vial gently until the powder dissolves. Do not shake it: foaming can damage some peptides.
6. Check the solution against the light. It should be clear; cloudiness or particles mean something is wrong with the vial or the water.
7. Write the date and the volume of water on the label. Every unit calculation later depends on that volume.
8. Store the reconstituted BPC-157 vial in the refrigerator, away from light.

• A U-100 insulin syringe holds 1 mL in 100 units, so each unit is 0.01 mL. The marks measure volume, not peptide.
• Syringes come in 0.3 mL (30 units), 0.5 mL (50 units) and 1 mL (100 units) sizes. The smaller ones have finer marks and are easier to read for small volumes.
• Read the volume at the top edge of the plunger's rubber seal, at eye level.
• Tap out air bubbles before reading: a bubble takes up volume and makes the reading wrong.
• Use a new sterile syringe and needle every time, and dispose of them in a sharps container.

• The peptide vial, with its certificate of analysis (COA) for that batch. See how to read a COA.
• Bacteriostatic water (water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol), which keeps a multi-use vial from growing bacteria. Sterile water has no preservative.
• Sterile syringes to add the water, and U-100 insulin syringes to measure.
• Alcohol swabs for the stoppers.
• A sharps container for used needles.
• A label or marker to write the date and the volume of water on the vial.

Side effects and long-term safety in people are unknown: the human reports include about 30 people, without control groups. Animal toxicology from the group developing it in China found no serious toxicity in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs (Xu 2020), but animal safety does not establish human safety.

• Product quality: BPC-157 sold online is not checked by any regulator for identity, purity, dose or sterility. Reviews in orthopaedics highlight unregulated manufacturing as a main risk (Vasireddi 2025; McGuire 2025).
• Blood vessel growth: its main proposed effect is promoting new blood vessels. Tumours also depend on new vessels, so this is a theoretical concern for anyone with cancer or a history of it. It has not been studied.
• Injection risks: any injected product that is not sterile can cause infection or abscesses.
• Sport: it is on the WADA prohibited list at all times, so athletes subject to testing can be sanctioned.

Before mixing

• Freeze-dried (lyophilised) peptide is the most stable form. It is usually kept refrigerated, or frozen for long storage, sealed and away from light.
• Heat, moisture and light speed up degradation. Keep the vial in its box and avoid leaving it in a car or by a window.

After mixing

• Keep the reconstituted vial refrigerated and away from light. Do not freeze it again: freezing and thawing a solution can break the peptide down.
• How long a mixed vial stays good depends on the peptide and the diluent, and for most research peptides there is no published stability data. Follow the supplier's guidance and discard any vial that turns cloudy.
• Pierce the stopper as few times as possible, and always with a new sterile needle after wiping it with alcohol.
• Write the volume of water on the label (for example "2 mL"). Without it, the unit calculations cannot be checked later.