BPC-157
Also known as: Body Protection Compound-157, PL 14736, PL-10, Bepecin
What Is BPC-157?
BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide — a chain of 15 amino acids (Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val) — derived from a partial sequence of a protein found in human gastric juice. It was first characterized in the early 1990s by Dr. Predrag Sikirić at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. The triple-proline motif in the sequence confers resistance to enzymatic degradation, giving BPC-157 unusual stability in gastric juice for over 24 hours.
Despite its popularity in the biohacking community, BPC-157 has never been approved by the FDA for any indication, and the FDA has explicitly prohibited its compounding since September 2023.
How It Works (Proposed Mechanism)
All mechanism data comes from animal and in vitro studies. BPC-157 activates the VEGFR2-Akt-eNOS cascade, increasing nitric oxide production and promoting angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation) and vasodilation. Independent confirmation of this pathway comes from a Taiwan-based group (Hsieh MJ et al., J Mol Med, 2017), which is significant because it represents one of the few replications outside the original Zagreb lab. BPC-157 also disrupts the inhibitory Cav-1-eNOS complex, upregulates growth factors including VEGF, EGF, FGF-2, and TGF-β, and enhances growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts.
Critical caveat: The specific molecular receptor for BPC-157 has not been definitively identified. Over 80% of all published studies originate from or are linked to Sikirić’s group at the University of Zagreb — a concentration of evidence that raises questions about independent reproducibility.
What the Research Actually Shows
Animal Studies (~100 published)
BPC-157 has shown positive results across a wide range of animal models:
Gut healing: Accelerated healing of gastric and duodenal lesions in rats (Sikirić P et al., Dig Dis Sci, 1994), rescue from NSAID-induced cytotoxicity (Park JM et al., Curr Pharm Des, 2020), and colocutaneous fistula healing (Klicek R et al., J Pharmacol Sci, 2008).
Tendon and ligament repair: Achilles tendon healing (Starešinić M et al., J Orthop Res, 2003), tendon-to-bone healing (Krivic A et al., J Orthop Res, 2006), ligament healing (Cerovečki T et al., J Orthop Res, 2010).
Muscle healing: Transected quadriceps recovery (Starešinić M et al., J Orthop Res, 2006), muscle crush injury (Novinšćak T et al., Surg Today, 2008).
Bone: Segmental bone defect healing in rabbits (Šebečić B et al., Bone, 1999) — notably the only non-rat species study.
Neuroprotection: Multiple studies reviewed in Sikirić P et al., Neural Regen Res, 2022.
PeptideIntel Evidence Assessment: The animal data is extensive but suffers from a critical independence problem. A February 2026 STAT News investigation found that 35 of 36 BPC-157 studies are animal-only, and most originate from a single lab group with undisclosed patent conflicts.
Human Evidence: Nearly Nonexistent
Fewer than 30 total human subjects have been exposed to BPC-157 across all published studies. Here is the complete human evidence base:
- Phase II ulcerative colitis trial (Ruenzi M et al., Gastroenterology, 2005;128:A584) — Published only as a conference abstract. The full peer-reviewed paper with complete data was never published.
- Phase I safety trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02637284) — Listed as CANCELLED. Results were submitted in 2016 but recalled before quality control review. No data was ever published.
- Knee pain case series (Lee E, Padgett B, Altern Ther Health Med, 2021) — N=12, no placebo control, no randomization.
- IV safety pilot (Lee E, Burgess K, Altern Ther Health Med, 2025) — N=2 patients only.
No randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trial has ever been completed and fully published for BPC-157. This is the single most important fact about this peptide.
Oral Bioavailability: The Uncomfortable Truth
The only comprehensive pharmacokinetic study (He L et al., Front Pharmacol, 2022) measured IV and IM routes in rats and dogs. No published peer-reviewed PK study of oral BPC-157 bioavailability exists. The measured half-life is less than 30 minutes. IM bioavailability was 14–19% in rats and 45–51% in dogs.
Vendors frequently cite BPC-157’s stability in gastric juice as evidence of oral efficacy. But gastric stability does not equal systemic bioavailability — surviving the stomach is only the first of many barriers to reaching the bloodstream. The animal GI healing studies may reflect local mucosal action (the peptide working directly on gut tissue it contacts) rather than systemic absorption.
If you’re taking oral BPC-157 capsules for a knee injury, you should understand that there is zero published evidence that the peptide reaches your knee.
Safety Profile
Animal toxicology data is favorable: no lethal dose was achieved at doses up to 20 mg/kg in rats, the Ames test was negative (no mutagenicity), and no teratogenicity was observed. However, no systematic clinical safety data in humans exists. The FDA has flagged immunogenicity risk (the body may develop antibodies against the synthetic peptide), and BPC-157’s promotion of angiogenesis via VEGF raises theoretical cancer-promotion concerns that have not been studied (Jóźwiak M et al., Pharmaceuticals, 2025). This is not a proven risk — it is an unstudied one, which is arguably worse.
Legal and Regulatory Status
FDA: Category 2 under the 503A bulk drug substances framework — meaning it presents “significant safety risks” and cannot be legally compounded by 503A or 503B pharmacies. It is not approved for any indication. Products sold as “dietary supplements” containing BPC-157 likely violate DSHEA, as no New Dietary Ingredient Notification has been filed.
WADA: Prohibited under S0 (Non-Approved Substances), explicitly named since the 2022 Prohibited List. Banned at all times, in and out of competition.
Department of Defense: Listed on the Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List (OPSS.org).
Common Vendor Claims vs. Reality
| What vendors say | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| ”Heals tendons and ligaments” | ~8 rat studies, zero human RCTs |
| ”Heals gut / treats leaky gut” | Rat models + one UC abstract (never fully published) |
| “Clinically proven” | False — no completed, fully published human clinical trial exists |
| ”Orally bioavailable” | No published oral PK data exists; gastric stability ≠ systemic absorption |
| ”Safe / no side effects” | Animal tox favorable, but <30 total human subjects studied |
| ”FDA-approved” | False — Category 2 prohibited substance |
The Bottom Line
BPC-157 is a genuinely interesting research compound with extensive animal data suggesting broad tissue-protective properties. But “interesting research compound” and “proven therapeutic” are separated by years of human clinical trials that have never been conducted. The gap between what vendors promise and what science has demonstrated is wider for BPC-157 than for almost any other peptide on the market. If you choose to use it, you are conducting an uncontrolled experiment on yourself with a compound that has no established human dose, no proven oral bioavailability, and no long-term safety data.