Quick answer
Extended answer
What are the most common research questions about BPC-157?
Key facts
- Compound
- BPC-157
- Class
- Synthetic pentadecapeptide
- Status
- Preclinical (rodent + in vitro)
- Use
- In-vitro reference standard
What is BPC-157?
BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound 157) is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide corresponding to a fragment of a protein originally isolated from human gastric juice. It is studied in preclinical models of tissue repair, angiogenesis and cytoprotection.
What does BPC-157 stand for?
BPC stands for 'Body Protection Compound'. The number 157 refers to the specific 15-residue fragment described by Sikirić and colleagues in the early 1990s.
What is the sequence of BPC-157?
BPC-157 has the sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV), a linear pentadecapeptide with no disulfide bonds and no post-translational modifications.
What is BPC-157's molecular weight?
The reported molecular weight of BPC-157 is approximately 1419.55 g/mol, with molecular formula C62H98N16O22.
Does BPC-157 bind a defined receptor?
No single canonical receptor for BPC-157 has been established in the peer-reviewed literature. Reported mechanistic work describes convergent modulation of the nitric-oxide system, VEGFR2 signalling and FAK-paxillin pathways rather than agonism at a single defined target.
What is the role of VEGFR2 in BPC-157 research?
Preclinical work by Hsieh and colleagues reports that BPC-157's pro-angiogenic activity is associated with VEGFR2 activation and up-regulation. This is described as an indirect effect on the pathway rather than direct high-affinity binding of BPC-157 to VEGFR2.
How does BPC-157 relate to fibroblast migration?
Chang and colleagues reported that BPC-157 accelerates outgrowth and migration in cultured rat Achilles tendon fibroblasts through FAK-paxillin signalling — a pathway central to focal-adhesion dynamics and directed cell migration.
What is 'cytoprotection' in this context?
Cytoprotection is a research framework, associated with Robert and later Sikirić, describing molecules that protect cells and tissues from injury independently of any specific receptor pathway. BPC-157 is often situated within this framework as an 'organoprotector' active across multiple tissue systems in preclinical models.
Is BPC-157 stable in solution?
BPC-157 is reported to be unusually stable in the acidic environment of gastric juice, and stable in aqueous solution under standard laboratory storage conditions. Standard peptide handling still applies: aliquot on reconstitution, minimise freeze-thaw cycles, and store per the laboratory storage guide.
How is BPC-157 reconstituted?
Sterile or bacteriostatic water is the default diluent. Equilibrate the sealed vial to room temperature, introduce diluent slowly against the vial wall, swirl gently to dissolve (do not vortex), then aliquot into low-binding vials. Follow compound-specific documentation and the laboratory SOP.
How should BPC-157 be stored?
Lyophilised BPC-157 is stored at −20 °C, desiccated and protected from light. Reconstituted stocks are held short-term at 2–8 °C and longer-term as single-use aliquots at −20 °C, with freeze-thaw cycles minimised.
Is BPC-157 approved for clinical use in the United Kingdom?
No. BPC-157 has no marketing authorisation from the MHRA or from other major regulators. It is not an approved medicine in the United Kingdom and Oxford Research Peptides supplies it strictly as a reference standard for in-vitro laboratory research.
Is BPC-157 supplied for human use?
No. Oxford Research Peptides supplies BPC-157 strictly as a reference standard for in-vitro laboratory research. Nothing in the product documentation constitutes medical advice or endorses any therapeutic use.
Have any phase 3 clinical trials on BPC-157 been published?
No phase 3 clinical trials of BPC-157 are available in the peer-reviewed literature at the date of publication. The published evidence base is dominated by rodent preclinical studies and in-vitro reports.
What are the main limitations of the current BPC-157 literature?
Key limitations are: (1) no single canonical receptor has been characterised; (2) the published corpus is dominated by a small number of research groups; (3) independent cross-laboratory replication remains limited; and (4) human pharmacokinetic and efficacy data are minimal.
What common misconceptions exist about BPC-157?
Frequent misconceptions include the ideas that BPC-157 is a 'proven' therapeutic in humans, that it binds a specific receptor with high affinity, and that it is regulated in the same way as approved peptide medicines. None of these is supported by the current peer-reviewed literature or by UK regulatory status.
Where is BPC-157 typically used in research?
Reported research applications include endothelial tube-formation and angiogenesis assays, fibroblast wound-scratch and migration assays, in-vitro gastric mucosal-integrity models, and analytical HPLC and mass-spectrometry method development using BPC-157 as a reference standard.
Where can I read the primary literature on BPC-157?
Key primary sources include Chang et al. (2011) on tendon fibroblast migration, Hsieh et al. (2017) on VEGFR2 activation, Huang et al. (2015) on wound healing and angiogenesis, and the Sikirić and Seiwerth reviews (2018, 2020) situating BPC-157 within the cytoprotection framework. Full citations are provided in the BPC-157 monograph reference list.
For deeper reading see the BPC-157 monograph and the Mechanism of Action guide. Related glossary anchors: angiogenesis, VEGFR2, nitric oxide, cytoprotection, pentadecapeptide, fibroblast and FAK-paxillin.
Evidence summary
- BPC-157 Mechanism of Action
Scientifically honest overview of BPC-157's reported mechanistic activity — nitric-oxide modulation, VEGFR2 up-regulation, FAK-paxillin signalling and the cytoprotection framework — with explicit note of what remains unresolved.
- BPC-157 FAQ
Comprehensive research-focused FAQ on BPC-157 — identity, mechanism, laboratory handling, stability, evidence base, regulatory status and common misconceptions.
Research use only
Publication information
- Published
- 2026-08-05
- Updated
- 2026-08-05
- Reviewed
- 2026-08-05
- Version
- 1.0
Revision history
- v1.02026-08-05· Editorial Team
Initial publication of the BPC-157 cornerstone cluster (Authority Sprint 1B, Wave 1).
Editorial standards
Content is reviewed against our editorial process for scientific accuracy, sourcing, and clarity. Read our editorial standards.
Conflict of interest
Next scheduled review: 2028-02-05. Our research methodology describes how the review is conducted.