Research record / starter review

BPC-157

Synthetic peptide discussed in injury and recovery communities

Uncertainty is highLast reviewed 2026-07-13

Also called

Body Protection Compound 157 · BPC 157

What people ask about

Community claims

tendon and soft-tissue claimsrecovery claims

These are topics circulating in appearance, physique, or recovery communities. Listing them does not validate them.

What this record can say

Evidence snapshot

A 2025 two-participant safety pilot and a 2026 ex-vivo human-tissue experiment do not test tendon healing or recovery. An older planned phase-I registration has no posted results. No community-claim efficacy conclusion is supported by these records.

Safety context

Read uncertainty as information

FDA says it has identified no or only limited safety-related information for proposed compounded routes and describes potential immunogenicity and peptide-characterisation concerns.

Tested sport

Anti-doping context

No simplified clearance label is shown. Tested athletes should verify the current List with their anti-doping organisation before relying on any status.

Regulatory scope

Context is not a universal answer

United States: this record points to FDA's compounding-safety discussion; it is not a global legal or marketing-authorisation determination.

Study-level evidence

What the individual records actually say.

Every row preserves identity and context. A related molecule, a tissue experiment, or a trial registration cannot become proof for the community claim.

Published human pilot study2025

Safety of Intravenous Infusion of BPC157 in Humans: A Pilot Study ↗

Lee E, Burgess K. Altern Ther Health Med. 2025;31(5):20-24. PMID: 40131143.

Identity: Exact compound name: BPC-157

Design & population: Two adults who had previously received BPC-157; short, single-clinic safety observation without a control group.

Question studied: Short-term measured biomarkers and reported adverse effects after an investigational infusion.

Record finding: The report describes no adverse effects and no measured change in the specified biomarkers in its two participants.

Does not show: It cannot establish safety, uncommon harms, comparative safety, effectiveness, tendon healing, recovery, or outcomes in athletes. Two participants cannot support a general safety conclusion.

Direct human evidence — very small, uncontrolled safety observationChecked 2026-07-13

Published ex-vivo human-tissue experiment2026

Endothelium-Dependent Nitric Oxide-Mediated Vasorelaxant Effects of BPC 157 in Human Internal Mammary Artery ↗

PMID: 42123221.

Identity: Exact compound name: BPC 157

Design & population: Laboratory experiments in artery-ring tissue obtained from 12 coronary-bypass procedures; no participants were treated with BPC-157 as a clinical intervention.

Question studied: Whether the tissue preparation relaxed under experimental conditions and the apparent role of nitric-oxide signalling.

Record finding: The authors report concentration-dependent relaxation in the laboratory tissue model, with evidence consistent with endothelial nitric-oxide involvement.

Does not show: It is mechanistic ex-vivo work, not a human treatment study. It cannot establish clinical benefit, safety, recovery effects, or an appropriate use in people.

Human tissue / mechanistic evidence — not clinical evidenceChecked 2026-07-13

Clinical trial registration2015

PCO-02 - Safety and Pharmacokinetics Trial ↗

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02637284. First posted 2015; status shown as unknown; no results posted when checked.

Identity: Exact compound name: BPC-157 (listed as PCO-02 / Bepecin)

Design & population: Registered phase-I, randomised placebo-controlled pilot in healthy volunteers; the registry lists an estimated enrolment of 42.

Question studied: Planned oral safety and pharmacokinetics.

Record finding: No posted results were present in the registry record when checked.

Does not show: Registration and planned design do not demonstrate that the trial completed, that its data are reliable, or that the compound is safe or effective.

Registered study with no posted results — not outcome evidenceChecked 2026-07-13

Primary sources

Read the source, not only our summary.

regulatory / safetyCertain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety RisksU.S. Food and Drug Administration ↗anti-doping2026 Prohibited ListWorld Anti-Doping Agency ↗