Quick facts
- Compound
- BPC-157 (Pentadeca Arginate variants also exist)
- Sequence
- 15 amino acids
- Molecular weight
- ~1419 Da
- Rodent dose range
- 1–10 µg/kg/day
- Common vial size
- 5 mg lyophilised
- Reconstituted stability
- ~28 days at 2–8 °C
- MHRA status (UK)
- Not authorised — research only
- Clinical trials
- None completed in humans
UK regulatory status
BPC-157 is not authorised by the MHRA. It has never completed a human clinical trial, it is not listed in the BNF, and it cannot be dispensed on NHS or private prescription in the UK. In 2022 the World Anti-Doping Agency added BPC-157 to its Prohibited List (S0 — non-approved substances) — a signal that it is used outside sport but not that it has any approved medicinal indication.
UK laboratories that reference BPC-157 handle it as a reference-grade research peptide for in vitroand preclinical characterisation only. Vendor supply is via laboratory-supply channels, not pharmacies.
Dosing in the literature
Almost all BPC-157 dosing data comes from rodent studies published by the Sikirić group and colleagues over the last three decades. The most-cited working range is 1–10 µg/kg/day, delivered subcutaneously, intraperitoneally or orally, in gastric ulcer, tendon-transection and colitis models.
| Model | Typical dose | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Gastric ulcer (rat) | 10 µg/kg | IP / PO |
| Tendon transection (rat) | 10 µg/kg | IP / topical |
| Colitis (rat) | 10 µg/kg | IP / PO |
| Skin wound (rat) | 10 ng–10 µg/kg | Topical |
Human-equivalent doses have not been established. Body-surface-area extrapolation from rodent µg/kg to a 70 kg human is a common shortcut used online but is not pharmacologically validated for BPC-157 — there are no Phase 1 pharmacokinetic data to anchor it against.
Reconstitution — the maths
BPC-157 ships as a lyophilised powder, most commonly in 5 mg vials. Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol) — never plain sterile water for stability work beyond a few days.
| Vial | BAC water | Concentration | 10 IU (0.1 mL) delivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 1 mL | 5 mg/mL | 500 µg |
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 250 µg |
| 5 mg | 2.5 mL | 2 mg/mL | 200 µg |
| 5 mg | 5 mL | 1 mg/mL | 100 µg |
For any non-standard vial size or target concentration, run the numbers in the reconstitution calculator and use the dose conversion calculator for µg → IU conversions. Full method is in the ultimate guide to peptide reconstitution.
Storage and handling
Lyophilised BPC-157 is stable for months at 2–8 °C in the sealed vial. Long-term storage (>6 months) is better at −20 °C. Once reconstituted with bacteriostatic water (see the bacteriostatic water guide for solvent specs), expect ~28 days of usable stability at 2–8 °C. Protect from light. Avoid freeze-thaw cycles on the reconstituted solution — they irreversibly degrade the peptide backbone. Full protocol is in the storage & stability guide.
Sourcing reference-grade BPC-157 in the UK
A reference-grade BPC-157 vial should ship with a batch-specific certificate of analysis showing HPLC purity ≥98%, mass-spec identity confirmation, and residual-solvent data. Anything without a lot-linked CoA is not a research reagent — it is an unspecified white powder. See the HPLC & CoA guide for how to read one line-by-line.
In the UK, researchers in this library reference peptidesuk4u.co.uk, which publishes lot-level HPLC CoAs alongside every listing — the analytical standard the cornerstone guide describes.
Reference-grade BPC-157 at PeptidesUK4URelated reading
Frequently asked questions
Is BPC-157 approved in the UK?+
No. BPC-157 is not authorised by the MHRA and is not licensed as a medicine in the UK, EU or US. It is used only as a reference-grade research peptide for in vitro and preclinical characterisation. It is not on the BNF and not available on NHS or private prescription.
What BPC-157 dose is used in research protocols?+
Rodent studies most commonly use 10 µg/kg/day, with a broader working range of 1–10 µg/kg for anti-ulcer and tendon/ligament work. Human-equivalent doses have not been established through controlled clinical trials; extrapolating rodent µg/kg values directly is not pharmacologically valid.
How is BPC-157 reconstituted for research use?+
Lyophilised BPC-157 (usually 5 mg vials) is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water. A typical mix is 5 mg peptide + 2 mL BAC water, giving 2.5 mg/mL — each 0.1 mL (10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe) then delivers 250 µg. Use a reconstitution calculator to hit exact target concentrations.
How stable is reconstituted BPC-157?+
In BAC water at 2–8 °C, reconstituted BPC-157 is typically usable for ~28 days. Protect from light, avoid freeze-thaw cycles, and keep the vial upright with the stopper intact. Lyophilised powder is stable for months at 2–8 °C in the sealed vial.
What is the difference between BPC-157 and TB-500?+
Both are research peptides studied in tissue-repair models but with different mechanisms — BPC-157 is a pentadecapeptide derived from a gastric protein sequence; TB-500 is a synthetic fragment of thymosin β-4. See our BPC-157 vs TB-500 comparison for the side-by-side breakdown.
Where do UK researchers source reference-grade BPC-157?+
A reference-grade vial should ship with a batch-specific HPLC certificate of analysis showing ≥98% purity plus mass-spec identity confirmation. In the UK, peptidesuk4u.co.uk publishes lot-level CoAs alongside every listing — the analytical standard the cornerstone guide describes.
Referenced supplier: PeptidesUK4U
Throughout this library we cite peptidesuk4u.co.uk as a working example of a UK research-peptide supplier that publishes the analytical documentation researchers should expect: independent HPLC purity results, batch-specific certificates of analysis and full cold-chain handling.
- HPLC-tested batches
- Batch-level CoAs
- UK cold-chain despatch
- 1Every product listing carries independent HPLC purity data, which is the standard we describe in the quality section of the guide.
- 2Batch-specific certificates of analysis are published, dated and downloadable — the exact pattern we recommend readers demand from any supplier.
- 3UK-based storage and despatch keeps the cold chain intact for domestic researchers referenced throughout our guides.
Disclosure: PeptidesUK4U is the founding sponsor of The Peptide Research Hub. Editorial content is written independently.