Compound Profile
BPC-157: From Gastric Juice to Phase 2 Trials
Published: August 24, 2026
TL;DR
BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide fragment first described in 1993, derived from a protective protein found in human gastric juice. It is one of the most studied peptides in the preclinical literature, with three decades of animal work behind it and a Phase 2 human trial now recruiting. This page covers where it came from, the mechanisms researchers have characterized, what the human record contains so far, its 2026 regulatory status, and how to confirm what is in a given vial. Curo stocks BPC-157 for laboratory research in the research catalog, with lot-level lab reports published for independent verification.
What BPC-157 is
BPC-157, sometimes labeled Body Protection Compound 157, is a stable gastric pentadecapeptide: a 15-residue fragment (sequence GEPPPGKPADDAGLV) of a larger parent protein isolated from human gastric juice. It was first characterized by Predrag Sikiric and colleagues at the University of Zagreb in 1993, with the fragment itself described in 1994. It carries CAS number 137525-51-0 and a molecular weight of 1419.6 g/mol, and it appears in commerce as a free base, an acetate salt, and an arginate form, the last of which has no peer-reviewed characterization. No regulatory agency anywhere has approved it as a drug; DrugBank classifies it as investigational.
One property sets it apart from most peptides and helps explain the volume of research interest: it remains intact in human gastric juice for more than 24 hours, which is unusual for a peptide and made oral administration a plausible study route from the start.
Why researchers pay attention
Community and practitioner circles nicknamed BPC-157 "the Wolverine peptide," and it is routinely discussed alongside TB-500 in repair-focused conversations. That reputation was built on a large body of animal work: studies in rodent models report effects on gastric and intestinal lesions, tendon and ligament repair, muscle crush injury, bone defects, wound closure, and vascular growth. Mechanistic work points to several experimentally demonstrated pathways, including VEGFR2 signaling and nitric oxide system modulation, though no receptor-binding target has been conclusively identified in humans.
That body of work is large and consistent in its direction. It is also mostly rodent work, and a substantial share of it comes from the original Zagreb group, so it describes animal models rather than human outcomes.
Human studies to date
The published human record is short, and worth knowing in specifics. A Phase I safety study of rectally administered BPC-157 in 32 healthy volunteers was reported only as a 2002 conference abstract. A multicenter, placebo-controlled Phase II study in ulcerative colitis was presented at a 2005 conference and never published in full; development stopped after the sponsoring company was acquired. A registered oral-dosing trial was canceled without posting results. What remains are small uncontrolled reports from a single Florida clinic: a 17-patient retrospective chart review on knee pain, a 12-patient open-label pilot in interstitial cystitis, and a 2-person intravenous observation.
The first randomized controlled trial designed to produce publishable efficacy data, a 120-patient Phase II study in acute hamstring strain (NCT07437547), began recruiting in February 2026 and is not expected to read out before 2027.
Regulatory status in 2026
The regulatory picture moved this year, and anyone working with the compound should track it:
- In April 2026 the FDA announced that its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee would formally review BPC-157, among a group of nominated peptides, for the section 503A bulk substances list, and the agency republished its interim compounding category list in a way that signaled a possible shift from the earlier "significant safety concerns" posture. At its July 2026 meeting the committee voted 8 to 6, with one abstention, to recommend adding BPC-157 to the 503A list for an ulcerative colitis indication, reaching that same split separately for the free base and the acetate. Hyman, Phelps & McNamara reported the votes, and Pharmaceutical Executive and Regulatory Focus covered them independently. FDA's staff had recommended against listing. That is an advisory recommendation only: turning it into a rule requires FDA rulemaking, which typically takes a year or more.
- WADA keeps BPC-157 on the 2026 Prohibited List under category S0, non-approved substances. Tested athletes have been sanctioned over it, including a two-year suspension issued in early 2026.
- State-level activity cuts both ways: Louisiana enacted a law in 2026 protecting compounded peptide access, while Alabama's medical board issued a notice against physicians prescribing research-grade peptides.
None of this changes the compound's standing for a supplier like Curo: BPC-157 is sold strictly for laboratory research, not for human or animal use. Curo's research use only policy covers what that means in practice.
Evaluating BPC-157 as a research material
BPC-157 is synthesized by many suppliers, so material quality is something a lab confirms rather than assumes. Identity, purity, endotoxin load, and fill accuracy all vary by manufacturer and by lot, which is what the accompanying paperwork exists to establish:
- Lot-specific certificates of analysis, not a generic product-page certificate. The help center explains how to verify a certificate against your lot.
- Identity and purity confirmed by more than one method. Curo's standard runs HPLC, LC-MS, and endotoxin testing on every lot, described in the quality and testing standard.
- Published verification. A certificate a buyer can look up independently in the COA database is worth more than one attached to a marketing email.
- Sensible handling after receipt, since a well-tested lyophilized peptide can still be degraded by poor storage. See storing research peptides and bacteriostatic water.
For a broader framework on separating documentation from marketing when comparing suppliers, see how to evaluate research peptide companies and the companion piece on purity claims and COA batch documentation.
Further reading
TB-500 comes up constantly alongside BPC-157, and it carries an identity question worth settling before reading its literature: the commercial name and the molecule in the trial registries are not the same thing. That is covered in how TB-500 relates to thymosin beta-4.
Semax appeared on the same July 2026 committee agenda, reviewed for cerebral ischemia, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia. Its record runs very differently, with a long Russian clinical literature and no registered US intervention studies, and that contrast is drawn out in the Semax profile.
KPV shared that July 2026 agenda and brings a much smaller but unusually clean mechanistic record: the transporter it depends on can be knocked out, and the effect goes with it. That evidence is set out in KPV enters cells through PepT1, not a melanocortin receptor.
Common questions
Is BPC-157 approved for any use? No. No regulatory agency has approved BPC-157 as a drug for any indication. It is an investigational compound, and in the United States it is sold only as a research chemical.
Is there any completed human trial? Two controlled trials were run in the early 2000s but their full results were never published. The published human literature consists of small uncontrolled reports. The first full randomized controlled trial began recruiting in 2026.
Is BPC-157 banned in sport? Yes. WADA prohibits it at all times under category S0, and athletes have been sanctioned for possession and use.
What should a certificate of analysis for BPC-157 show? Lot-specific identity and purity data from chromatographic and mass-spectrometry methods, plus endotoxin results, tied to the exact lot number on the vial and verifiable through a public lookup.