— Research monograph
BPC-157
A synthetic pentadecapeptide from human gastric juice, studied almost entirely in rodent repair models.
- Class
- Synthetic pentadecapeptide, Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val — a partial sequence of the human gastric juice protein designated Body Protection Compound
- Half-life (research)
- No reliable human pharmacokinetic figure exists in the peer-reviewed record, and none is asserted here. Circulating half-life values quoted widely in non-academic sources could not be traced to a primary study during preparation of this entry. What the literature does report is unusual stability in aqueous solution and resistance to degradation in human gastric juice, which is the property most frequently cited to explain the peptide appearing in oral-administration rodent protocols. Stated for interpretation of the research literature only.
- Origin
- Described from the early 1990s onward by Predrag Sikiric, Sven Seiwerth and colleagues at the University of Zagreb, who isolated a 15-residue partial sequence of a protein found in human gastric juice and characterised it in rodent injury models. The great majority of the published literature originates from that group or its collaborators.
- Solubility
- Supplied lyophilised, commonly as the acetate or trifluoroacetate salt. Reported as freely soluble in water and in aqueous buffers. The sequence is rich in proline and contains two adjacent aspartate residues and a single lysine, giving a net negative charge at neutral pH, and it contains no cysteine, so there is no disulfide to reduce or scramble and no methionine or tryptophan to oxidise. Physicochemical context only. Merit Sciences publishes no reconstitution or preparation procedures.
What is BPC-157?
BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide corresponding to a partial sequence of a protein identified in human gastric juice. Unlike most peptides used in laboratory work it carries no disulfide bridge, no terminal amidation and no unnatural residues, and it is repeatedly reported as stable in aqueous solution and in gastric juice, which is unusual for a peptide of this length and is one reason it appears so often in oral-administration animal work. The sequence is frequently written with the research code PL 14736 in the earlier literature.
The published record is overwhelmingly preclinical. A PubMed search returns on the order of two hundred papers, of which a large majority list Sikiric or Seiwerth as first or senior author, and the experimental subjects are almost entirely rats and mice. Reported observations cluster around tissue-repair endpoints: transected Achilles tendon, transected muscle, colonic anastomosis, corneal injury, and various models of gastrointestinal lesion. A 2019 review by Chang and colleagues collected the musculoskeletal soft-tissue work, and a 2025 systematic review examined the orthopaedic sports-medicine literature specifically, both concluding that the animal evidence is consistent in direction while human evidence remains scarce.
The concentration of authorship in a single research group is the most important caveat a reader should carry into this literature, and it is a limitation the field itself acknowledges. Independent replication outside Zagreb is comparatively thin, and controlled human trials of the pentadecapeptide are largely absent from the peer-reviewed record. Merit Sciences supplies BPC-157 strictly for laboratory research use. Nothing in this entry describes or implies use in humans or animals, and no preparation, dosing or administration guidance is published here.
How does BPC-157 work?
The mechanism most consistently proposed in the literature is angiomodulatory rather than directly mitogenic. Work from the Sikiric group reports upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 with downstream activation of the Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway, and a body of related work situates the peptide as an interacting partner of the nitric oxide system, reported as counteracting both excessive and deficient NO signalling in different injury models rather than acting in a single direction. Separate in vitro work by Chang and colleagues reported increased outgrowth from tendon explants, improved fibroblast survival under hydrogen peroxide stress and dose-dependent fibroblast migration, with FAK-paxillin signalling implicated, and a subsequent paper from the same group reported growth hormone receptor as among the most abundantly upregulated transcripts in treated tendon fibroblasts. These are proposed mechanisms drawn from animal and cell-culture models, reported here as literature and not as established pharmacology in any species.
Research applications
- Tendon, ligament and muscle repair models in rodents
- Angiogenesis and VEGFR2/Akt/eNOS pathway investigation
- Gastrointestinal mucosal injury and anastomotic healing models
- Nitric oxide system interaction studies
- Fibroblast migration, survival and outgrowth assays in vitro
Form & storage
BPC-157 ships as a sealed, lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder. Supplied lyophilised, commonly as the acetate or trifluoroacetate salt. Reported as freely soluble in water and in aqueous buffers. The sequence is rich in proline and contains two adjacent aspartate residues and a single lysine, giving a net negative charge at neutral pH, and it contains no cysteine, so there is no disulfide to reduce or scramble and no methionine or tryptophan to oxidise. Physicochemical context only. Merit Sciences publishes no reconstitution or preparation procedures. Store sealed, light-protected, and follow your institution’s handling procedures for research materials.
Frequently asked questions
What is BPC-157?
BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide corresponding to a partial sequence of a protein identified in human gastric juice. Unlike most peptides used in laboratory work it carries no disulfide bridge, no terminal amidation and no unnatural residues, and it is repeatedly reported as stable in aqueous solution and in gastric juice, which is unusual for a peptide of this length and is one reason it appears so often in oral-administration animal work. The sequence is frequently written with the research code PL 14736 in the earlier literature. Merit supplies it as a lyophilized research compound for research use only — not for human or veterinary use.
How does BPC-157 work?
The mechanism most consistently proposed in the literature is angiomodulatory rather than directly mitogenic. Work from the Sikiric group reports upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 with downstream activation of the Akt and endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway, and a body of related work situates the peptide as an interacting partner of the nitric oxide system, reported as counteracting both excessive and deficient NO signalling in different injury models rather than acting in a single direction. Separate in vitro work by Chang and colleagues reported increased outgrowth from tendon explants, improved fibroblast survival under hydrogen peroxide stress and dose-dependent fibroblast migration, with FAK-paxillin signalling implicated, and a subsequent paper from the same group reported growth hormone receptor as among the most abundantly upregulated transcripts in treated tendon fibroblasts. These are proposed mechanisms drawn from animal and cell-culture models, reported here as literature and not as established pharmacology in any species. Mechanistic descriptions summarize published preclinical findings and are not clinical claims.
What is the half-life of BPC-157?
No reliable human pharmacokinetic figure exists in the peer-reviewed record, and none is asserted here. Circulating half-life values quoted widely in non-academic sources could not be traced to a primary study during preparation of this entry. What the literature does report is unusual stability in aqueous solution and resistance to degradation in human gastric juice, which is the property most frequently cited to explain the peptide appearing in oral-administration rodent protocols. Stated for interpretation of the research literature only. Values reflect preclinical or research-context reports, not clinical pharmacokinetics.
Is Merit BPC-157 for human use?
No. It is sold strictly for research use only — not for human or veterinary use, and not for diagnostic or therapeutic use. Every batch is tested before it is listed, and its certificate of analysis documenting ≥99% HPLC purity is published in the COA library.
References
- The promoting effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on tendon healing involves tendon outgrowth, cell survival, and cell migration. Chang CH, Tsai WC, Lin MS, Hsu YH, Pang JHS. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2011 · PMID 21030672
- Gastric pentadecapeptide body protection compound BPC 157 and its role in accelerating musculoskeletal soft tissue healing. Gwyer D, Wragg NM, Wilson SL. Cell and Tissue Research, 2019 · PMID 30915550
- Modulatory effect of gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on angiogenesis in muscle and tendon healing. Sikiric P, Seiwerth S, Brcic L, et al.. Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2010 · PMID 20388964
- BPC 157 and Standard Angiogenic Growth Factors. Gastrointestinal Tract Healing, Lessons from Tendon, Ligament, Muscle and Bone Healing. Seiwerth S, Rucman R, Turkovic B, et al.. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 2018 · PMID 29998800
- Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review. Systematic review, authorship to be confirmed on validation. PubMed-indexed systematic review, 2025 · PMID 40756949
For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Not FDA-approved. Reference information summarized from published literature — not medical or dosing advice.