The Repair Signal
BPC-157
Also known as Body Protection Compound-157 · Pentadecapeptide BPC 157
At a glance
- What it is
- Gastric-derived peptide studied for tendon, muscle, ligament and gut repair.
- Evidence
- Preclinical + practitioner useHow the tiers workDozens of published animal studies with consistent results; a 2025 systematic review of the muscle, tendon, ligament and bone work included 35 of them and 1 human study. Why this tier
- Half-life
- Not established in humans.
- Routes
- Subcutaneous, Oral
- Category
- Healing
- WADA
- Prohibited (S0)
- Amino acids
- 15
Putting BPC-157 on a schedule, with the vial it comes from and a log of each dose, happens in the app: Claritide for iPhone.
Why this tier
Dozens of published animal studies with consistent results; a 2025 systematic review of the muscle, tendon, ligament and bone work included 35 of them and 1 human study. The only human efficacy data is a single 2005 meeting abstract in 53 patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis, dosed as an 80 mg enema once daily for two weeks: the between-group difference in disease activity index was 1.6 points, 95% CI −4.84 to 1.62, which does not reach statistical significance, and FDA calls it inadequate to support efficacy and safety. FDA found no studies of BPC-157 by the oral, subcutaneous, nasal or transdermal routes in humans for any indication. The trial to watch is at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (NCT07803250, first posted 3 September 2026): a Phase 1 study of 30 people after rotator-cuff repair, a daily BPC-157 shot for 90 days against a sham control. It is not yet recruiting. Its start is estimated for January 2027, and its main measure, shoulder strength at 12 weeks and 5 months, for August 2027. Its dose is not disclosed on the registry.
What it is
BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide derived from a protective protein found in human gastric juice. Preclinical work, dozens of published animal studies, describes accelerated healing across tendon, ligament, muscle, bone, nerve and gastrointestinal tissue. It is unusual among peptides in being stable in stomach acid, which is why oral dosing is used for gut-specific issues.
How it works
BPC-157 appears to work by improving the blood supply to damaged tissue and then telling the repair machinery to switch on. It increases expression of VEGFR2, a receptor that drives angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, so more oxygen and nutrients reach the injury. It also interacts with the nitric oxide system, which controls how wide blood vessels open and how strongly the inflammatory response fires, counteracting both too little and too much nitric oxide. Separately it raises growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts and activates the FAK-paxillin pathway, the signalling route cells use to stick, crawl and divide during wound repair. It is named for a cytoprotective effect: shielding tissue from NSAIDs, alcohol and other stressors. That effect is most pronounced in the gut.
Commonly researched ranges
- Standard0.25–0.5 mg
Injected subcutaneously as close to the injury site as practical. The angiogenic effect is described as local.
- Oral (gut)0.25–0.5 mg
Our peptide page lists 250–500 mcg daily orally; the Playbook lists 500 mcg twice daily for gut-specific issues. Oral works because BPC-157 is acid-stable.
- Community 0.75 mg0.75 mg
- Community 1 mg1 mg
- Community 1.5 mg1.5 mg
| Phase | Amount | Frequency | Timing | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 0.25–0.5 mg | Once or twice daily | AM and PM when split | Injected subcutaneously as close to the injury site as practical. The angiogenic effect is described as local. |
| Oral (gut) | 0.25–0.5 mg | Once or twice daily | Not established in available literature | Our peptide page lists 250–500 mcg daily orally; the Playbook lists 500 mcg twice daily for gut-specific issues. Oral works because BPC-157 is acid-stable. |
| Community 0.75 mg | 0.75 mg | Once or twice daily | Not established in available literature | None |
| Community 1 mg | 1 mg | Once or twice daily | Not established in available literature | None |
| Community 1.5 mg | 1.5 mg | Once or twice daily | Not established in available literature | None |
- Cycle guidance
- 4–6 weeks, then reassess. A 2–4 week break before a second cycle is standard for chronic injuries. Our peptide page describes full cycles running 4–8 weeks.
- Goals
- Recovery, Gut
Where this sits with the FDA
FDA 503A bulks list · nominated, nomination withdrawn, advisory committee recommended; rulemaking pending
An advisory vote is not a rule. BPC-157 is not lawfully compoundable today: FDA would still have to write a rule, and it has not proposed one or given a date. McDermott Will & Schulte, a law firm that tracks FDA compounding, wrote in July 2026 that the rule could come in 2027 or take several years. FDA’s own multidisciplinary review team recommended against it.
Last change · 23 July 2026 · The Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 8–6–1 to recommend adding BPC-157 to the 503A bulks list, for ulcerative colitis.
Primary sourceHow it got here
- 22 April 2026
FDA removed 12 peptide bulk substances from Category 2 after the nominators withdrew their nominations. Announced 15 April 2026, effective 22 April 2026. Removal from Category 2 is not permission to compound.
- 23 July 2026
PCAC voted to recommend BPC-157 for the 503A bulks list, over the explicit recommendation of FDA’s own scientific reviewers. FDA assessed it for ulcerative colitis, not for tendon, ligament or muscle repair, which is what the community runs it for.
Vote 8–6–1 · Assessed for Ulcerative colitis
An advisory vote is not law. In July 2026 an FDA advisory committee voted in favour of adding several peptides to the 503A bulks list, over the explicit recommendation of FDA’s own scientific reviewers, who recommended against all seven. FDA would still have to write a rule, and it has not proposed one or given a date. None of these compounds is lawfully compoundable today.Note what FDA actually assessed: BPC-157 for ulcerative colitis, TB-500 for wound healing, KPV for wound healing and inflammatory conditions, MOTS-c for obesity and osteoporosis, Epitalon for insomnia, Semax for cerebral ischaemia, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia. Whatever emerges from rulemaking will be scoped to those indications.
WADA status
Prohibited at all times under S0 (Non-Approved Substances), Specified.
The FDA reclassification has no effect whatsoever on WADA status. BPC-157 stays S0 whether or not it lands on the 503A bulks list.
Mixing recipes our sources document
- 10 units0.25 mg
- 20 units0.5 mg
- 30 units0.75 mg
- 40 units1 mg
- 60 units1.5 mg
- 5 units0.25 mg
- 10 units0.5 mg
- 15 units0.75 mg
- 20 units1 mg
- 30 units1.5 mg
Week by week
- 1Week 1–2
Subtle. Reduced inflammation, warmth or increased blood flow near the injection site, slight pain reduction. Some people feel nothing yet. The Playbook describes this as normal.
- 2Week 3–4
Noticeable improvement in most reports. Pain drops on movements that previously hurt, range of motion improves, swelling decreases.
- 3Week 5–6
People describe significant functional recovery for acute injuries in this window. Chronic injuries may need a second cycle.
- 4Week 6–8+
For stubborn or chronic problems, a second cycle after a 2–4 week break often brings further improvement. Chronic tendinopathy may need two full cycles.
- 5After stopping
Benefits generally persist. The Playbook frames this as tissue actually repairing rather than pain being masked.
Side effects
Common
- Injection site redness or mild irritation
Uncommon
- Temporary nausea
- Headache
Rare
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Injection-site redness and swelling (FAERS report)
- Shortness of breath resulting in an emergency-room visit (FAERS report)
- Diffuse hyperpigmentation with gingival darkening (FAERS report)
- Altered clotting (animal)
Contraindications and interactions
Do not use if
- Active or recent cancer, or a family history of cancer: BPC-157 promotes angiogenesis, the same pathway tumours use
- Pregnancy or nursing: no safety data exists
- Under 25: the Playbook advises against use while your own peptide signalling systems are still developing
- Autoimmune conditions
- Cardiovascular disease: BPC-157 affects nitric oxide pathways, a theoretical interaction with blood pressure medication
- Known bleeding disorder or therapeutic anticoagulation: animal toxicity work in FDA’s review showed altered clotting parameters
- No carcinogenicity studies of BPC-157 exist, and no complete reproductive or pre-, peri- and postnatal development studies exist. That is an absence of data, not a clean result
Interactions
- Blood pressure medicationcaution
BPC-157 affects nitric oxide pathways, which govern vasodilation.
- PDE5 inhibitorscaution
Overlapping nitric oxide signalling.
- Anti-cancer drugsavoid
Pro-angiogenic: directly opposes anti-angiogenic therapy.
Absence from this list does NOT mean safety. It means lack of research.
Storage and cost
- Storage
- Lyophilized powder: refrigerator 2–8°C for several months, freezer −20°C for 1–2+ years. Reconstituted with bacteriostatic water: refrigerate 2–8°C and discard after 28 days. Never freeze reconstituted solution. Store the vial upright and never shake it.
- Cost
- $80–$120 per 4–6 week cycle (two 5 mg vials)
Stacks with
BPC-157 in full
What it actually is
BPC-157 is a chain of 15 amino acids copied from a larger protective protein that occurs naturally in human gastric juice. That origin matters twice over. It explains the name, Body Protection Compound, and it explains the peptide's most unusual property: it survives stomach acid. Almost every other compound in this library is destroyed by digestion, which is why they are injected. BPC-157 is the exception, and that exception is the entire reason oral dosing shows up in gut protocols.
Most of what is known comes from the University of Zagreb, where the compound has been studied for decades across a long run of animal models.
How it works
Three mechanisms come up repeatedly in the literature, and they stack on each other in a sensible order.
First, blood supply. BPC-157 increases expression of VEGFR2, the receptor that drives angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels into damaged tissue. Injured tendon is poorly vascularised, which is a large part of why tendons heal slowly. More vessels means more oxygen and nutrients arriving at the site.
Second, signalling. It raises growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts and activates the FAK-paxillin pathway, the machinery cells use to adhere, migrate and proliferate during wound repair. Building the roads is useless if nobody drives on them; this is the traffic.
Third, regulation. BPC-157 interacts with the nitric oxide system, counteracting both NO-synthase blockade and excess NO production. In practice that reads as a damping function: it pushes the inflammatory response toward the middle rather than in one direction.
The cytoprotective effect protects tissue against NSAIDs, alcohol and other stressors. It is most pronounced in the gastrointestinal tract, and is where the compound got its name.
What the evidence actually supports
This is a tier-three compound: preclinical plus practitioner use. Dozens of published animal studies show consistent recovery benefits. A 2025 systematic review in orthopaedic sports medicine included 35 of them, on muscle, tendon, ligament and bone, and found improved outcomes across those models. FDA’s July 2026 review found five small human studies: an enema in 24 healthy people, a 53-person colitis trial, knee injections in 17 people, bladder injections in 12, and an IV drip in 2. The knee study is a retrospective chart review.
There is no controlled human trial demonstrating that BPC-157 heals a tendon in a person. Everything in the dosing table below comes from practitioner protocols refined over years of clinical use, not from a dose-finding study. That is a real gap and it should shape your expectations, not just your reading.
Running it
The commonly researched range is 250–500 mcg per day subcutaneously, once or twice, injected as close to the injury as practical. Cycles run 4–6 weeks with reassessment, and a 2–4 week break before a second cycle for chronic problems.
Reconstitution is straightforward: a 5 mg vial with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 2.5 mg/mL, which puts 250 mcg at 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. If you would rather use less volume, 1 mL gives 5 mg/mL and 250 mcg lands at 5 units. The trade-off is precision: sub-5-unit measurements are harder to draw accurately on a U-100 syringe.
For gut issues specifically, oral dosing is a legitimate route because of the acid stability. For a tendon or a joint, protocols place the injection subcutaneously near the site, on the argument that it is the more direct route to the tissue.
The honest cautions
BPC-157 promotes angiogenesis. Tumours also depend on angiogenesis. No published study has demonstrated a pro-cancer effect, but the mechanistic overlap is why active or recent malignancy, along with a family cancer history, appears at the top of the contraindication list rather than the bottom. The same logic applies to combining it with anti-cancer drugs, which frequently work by blocking angiogenesis.
Because it acts on nitric oxide pathways, there is a theoretical interaction with blood pressure medication and PDE5 inhibitors.
Both BPC-157 and TB-500 are on the WADA prohibited list. If you compete under anti-doping rules, this compound ends the conversation.
Sources
- 1Vasireddi et al., 2025 · Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review
- 2Sikiric et al., 2014 · Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157, Curr Pharm Des 20(7)
- 3Chang et al., 2011 · BPC 157 on tendon healing, J Appl Physiol 110(3)
- 4Sikiric et al., 2018 · BPC 157 enhances growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts
- 5Sikiric et al., 2016 · Brain-gut axis and pentadecapeptide BPC 157
- 6Novinscak et al., 2008 · BPC 157 for muscle crush injury in the rat, Surgery Today 38(8)
- 7Lee & Padgett, 2021 · Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain
- 8Lee & Burgess, 2025 · BPC-157 review. Measured human exposures are milligram-scale intravenous and oral; the microgram subcutaneous band has no pharmacokinetics behind it (dose review, 2026-08-17)
- 9Peptide Dosing Protocols · BPC-157, the 250–500 mcg/day practitioner band (vendor tier, dose review 2026-08-17)
- 10ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07803250 · University of Arkansas, BPC-157 against a sham control after rotator-cuff repair, Phase 1, 30 people (not yet recruiting; start estimated January 2027; read 27 September 2026)
Every record in this library is free to read, and it stays free. Your own schedule, vials and log live in the app: Claritide for iPhone.