BPC-157

Body Protection Compound-157 · PL 14736 · Bepecin

Recovery, repair & tissue

Awaiting medical reviewEN ES DE FR PT ZH+ Follow for updates

Summary

Class: Synthetic pentadecapeptide (15 amino acids), partial sequence of a protein found in human gastric juice
Mechanism: Appears to promote blood-vessel formation and tissue repair, with effects on nitric-oxide and growth-factor signalling — mostly shown in rodents
Routes studied: Injection (SC, IP, IM near injury) and oral, almost all in animals
Dose range reported: Animal studies: typically 10 µg/kg. Community reports: 250–500 µg/day SC. No validated human dose exists.
Half-life: Not characterised in humans. Reported stable in gastric juice for 24 h+
Storage: Lyophilised: refrigerate, protect from light. Reconstituted: refrigerate, community practice is use within ~4 weeks
Regulatory status: Not approved for human use anywhere. WADA S0

Doses are as reported in studies or by the community — never recommendations.

1What it is

BPC-157 is a short chain of 15 amino acids. It was identified by a research group in Zagreb, Croatia, as a fragment of a larger protein present in human gastric juice. That group has published the overwhelming majority of research on it, mostly in rats, over about 30 years. A pharmaceutical version (PL 14736) was explored for inflammatory bowel disease in the early 2000s but did not progress to approval.

It is one of the most discussed peptides online, and one of the biggest gaps between how often it is talked about and how much human evidence exists.

2How it's thought to work

Angiogenesis. Promotes new blood-vessel growth, with work pointing to VEGFR2 and nitric-oxide pathways.

Growth factors. Increases growth-hormone receptor expression on tendon fibroblasts.

Neurotransmitters. Interacts with dopamine and serotonin systems in rodent models.

Gut lining. Counteracts NSAID and alcohol damage to the stomach lining in rodents.

Proposed: new capillaries grow toward the injury; fibroblasts lay down aligned collagen.Schematic — not to scale

None of these has been confirmed in controlled human studies.

3What the research shows

Tendon, ligament and muscle healing

Rat studies report faster healing of transected Achilles tendons, medial collateral ligaments and crushed muscle, with improved function and histology. All rodent or cell-based. [2][3][4]

Gut protection and healing

Extensive rodent work on NSAID-induced ulcers, colitis models, fistulas and anastomoses. Consistently positive in rats; not replicated in humans in published form. [1]

Knee pain (intra-articular)

One retrospective case series of 12 patients reported improvement in most. Small, uncontrolled, no placebo, single clinic. [6]

Inflammatory bowel disease

PL 14736 reportedly completed Phase I and entered early Phase II; results were not published in full. Studied, outcome unclear. [1]

Nervous system, blood pressure, heart rhythm

Numerous rodent studies report protective effects. Breadth of claimed effects from one research group is itself a reason for caution until independent replication exists. [1][5]

4Reported side effects and interactions

Literature-reported

Almost no human safety data. Rodent studies report few adverse effects at tested doses. The mechanism raises a theoretical concern about effects on existing tumours; not studied in humans.

Community-reported

Injection-site redness, occasional nausea or dizziness, headache. Reports of mood or energy changes in both directions.

Interactions. None established. Rodent work suggests interaction with dopaminergic drugs; relevance to humans unknown.

Markers researchers commonly monitor

Marker	Why it's watched
Baseline + periodic CBC	General safety baseline where no human safety data exists
Any existing oncology screening	Pro-angiogenic mechanism — discuss with a clinician

Free for everyone. Safety information is never behind a paywall.

5Reconstitution and handling

Typically supplied as powder in 5 mg or 10 mg vials. with . Avoid shaking; swirl gently. Protect from light.

Open in calculator, pre-loaded →

6Commonly studied alongside

TB-500 →Often discussed together for soft-tissue injury; no combined human study GHK-Cu →Recovery context KPV →Gut and inflammation context

Informational cross-links. Not stack recommendations.

7Regulatory status by region

Region	Status (checked —)
United States	Not FDA-approved. In 2023 placed in Category 2 of the bulk drug substances list for compounding, citing safety concerns
European Union	Not authorised as a medicine; not a permitted food/supplement ingredient
United Kingdom	Not licensed
Australia	Prescription-only (Schedule 4) classification; not an approved product
South Africa	Not registered with SAHPRA
Canada	Not authorised by Health Canada
Sport	Prohibited by WADA (S0 — non-approved substances)

8Open questions

Does oral BPC-157 reach systemic circulation intact in humans?
Is there any independent, non-Zagreb replication of the core rodent findings?
Long-term safety, particularly regarding .

9References

1Sikiric P et al. (2010). Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157: novel therapy in gastrointestinal tract. Curr Pharm Des. PubMed · DOI
2Staresinic M et al. (2003). Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 accelerates healing of transected rat Achilles tendon. J Orthop Res. PubMed · DOI
3Krivic A et al. (2006). Achilles detachment in rat and stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157. J Orthop Res. PubMed
4Chang CH et al. (2011). The promoting effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on tendon healing. J Appl Physiol. PubMed
5Hsieh MJ et al. (2017). Therapeutic potential of pro-angiogenic BPC157 is associated with VEGFR2 activation. J Mol Med. PubMed · DOI
6Lee E, Padgett B (2021). Intra-articular injection of BPC 157 for multiple types of knee pain. Altern Ther Health Med. PubMed
7FDA (2023). Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks — BPC-157. PubMed

References are being resolved to PubMed/DOI identifiers; links search PubMed for the citation until then.

10Community

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Self-reported side effects Phase 2

Not enough data yet. 31 of the 50 members needed have logged this compound for 4+ weeks. We don't show anything below 50, so no one can be identified.

11Page history

14 Oct 2026Regulatory table re-checked; Canada row added

2 Aug 2026Knee pain case series added (ref 6)

10 Jun 2026Page published

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