BPC-157[Body Protection Compound 157, pentadecapeptide BPC 157]
Compound snapshot
Class
Synthetic peptide (gastric-juice protein fragment)
FDA approved
No — Category 2 in 2023, nomination withdrawn April 2026, recommended 8–6 by the FDA advisory committee in July 2026; still not compoundable or approved
Clinical development
Preclinical
Last reviewed
September 2026
Research areas
Tissue repair / Gastrointestinal lining / Musculoskeletal recovery
Regulatory status
Research use only — not approved
Internet attention
Very high
Registry query
BPC-157
A synthetic 15-amino-acid fragment derived from a protein found in human gastric juice. It is one of the most-studied compounds in the peptide grey market and one of the least-studied in humans.
Reality check — what we actually know
Supported by human evidence
- Very little. There are no published randomised controlled trials establishing any healing outcome in humans.
Animal research only
- Faster tendon-to-bone and ligament healing in rat models
- Protection of the stomach and gut lining against NSAID and alcohol damage
- Faster recovery after muscle crush and transection injuries
Mechanistically plausible
- Upregulation of VEGF and the VEGFR2–Akt–eNOS pathway, which plausibly increases blood-vessel growth into injured tissue
Common internet claims
- "Heals any tendon or joint injury"
- "Repairs the gut in weeks"
- "Completely safe because it is found in the body"
Not established
- Human efficacy for any injury
- Effective route, quantity or duration in humans
- Long-term human safety — the FDA states it has identified no or only limited safety information for proposed routes of administration
Evidence distribution
Each band is a live PubMed search for BPC-157, filtered to that kind of study. Top is the strongest evidence; the base is reasoning, not proof. A band with no records means that kind of study has not been published for this compound yet.
Mechanism and reported findings
In rodent models it upregulates VEGF and the VEGFR2–Akt–eNOS pathway, driving new blood-vessel growth (angiogenesis) into injured tissue. It also modulates the nitric-oxide system, influences growth-hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts, and interacts with dopamine and serotonin signalling.
- Accelerated tendon-to-bone and ligament healing in rat models, with better collagen organisation than controls
- Faster muscle-crush and muscle-transection recovery in rodents
- Protection of the stomach and intestinal lining against NSAID and alcohol damage in animal studies
- Reduced inflammatory markers around injured connective tissue
- Preliminary work on nerve regeneration and blood-vessel repair after injury
Strength of the evidence: Large, consistent preclinical (animal) literature; essentially no published randomised human trials. Regulatory position as of September 2026: the FDA placed BPC-157 in Category 2 of its bulk-compounding review in 2023; in April 2026 it moved to the 'nominated but withdrawn' group after the nominations were withdrawn, which is not permission to compound; and on 23–24 July 2026 the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 8–6 to recommend it for the 503A bulks list, against FDA reviewers' advice. That vote is non-binding, so BPC-157 still cannot be legally compounded and remains unapproved. WADA prohibits it in sport.
Safety and known cautions
No human pharmacokinetic or long-term safety data. Angiogenesis-promoting compounds are a theoretical concern in anyone with a cancer history. Grey-market purity varies widely.
Evidence at a glance
No single score, on purpose. The line beside each bar shows how much reported outcomes vary between studies.
Development stage
- Discovery
- PreclinicalCurrent
- Phase 1
- Phase 2
- Phase 3
- Regulatory review
- Approved