BPC-157 Capsules

BPC-157 — body protection compound 157 — is a synthetic pentadecapeptide derived from a sequence within human gastric juice protein BPC (body protection compound). The molecule has been studied for several decades in the published preclinical literature, principally by the Sikiric laboratory in Zagreb and collaborators, in models of gastrointestinal-mucosa research, tendon and ligament repair research, vascular biology, and central-nervous-system protection. The peptide does not appear in the FDA Orange Book as an approved medicine for any indication and has not advanced through human clinical trials to drug-approval status.

This product is an oral capsule format of BPC-157 at 1000 mcg (1 mg) per capsule, 120 capsules per container. The capsule format is studied in the context of enteric / gastrointestinal-tract research where local exposure of the GI mucosa to the peptide is of mechanistic interest. The injectable lyophilized format of BPC-157 — the more commonly studied research format — provides systemic exposure of the peptide and is used in studies targeting peripheral tissues.

This page is a research-only educational reference. The capsules are supplied as a research-supply product and are not intended for human consumption or any therapeutic application. No medical claims are made on this page.

BPC-157 is a 15-amino-acid synthetic peptide with the sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val (often abbreviated GEPPPGKPADDAGLV). The sequence corresponds to amino-acid residues 14-28 of a putative "body protection compound" (BPC) identified in human gastric juice extracts in the early 1990s. The full-length BPC parent protein was characterized as a high-molecular-weight protein with apparent gastric-mucosal protective activity in early rodent studies; the pentadecapeptide fragment BPC-157 was identified through fragment-mapping studies as a synthetically tractable molecule retaining bioactivity in the same models.

The 1000 mcg (1 mg) capsule dose corresponds to approximately 624 nmol of peptide per capsule (BPC-157 molecular weight ~1,419 Da). For comparison, the standard injectable research-format dose used in published rodent studies is typically in the 10 micrograms per kilogram range (intraperitoneal or subcutaneous administration), corresponding to substantially lower mass per dose than the per-capsule mass in this oral format. The oral / enteric research rationale is not that the peptide is systemically absorbed intact (the pentadecapeptide is unlikely to survive gastric and pancreatic proteases at high recovery), but rather that local exposure of the GI mucosa to the peptide is the relevant variable in enteric / gut-tract research.

This is a peptide research compound in a capsule format intended for laboratory and research-supply use. It is not a dietary supplement, not a medicine, and not labeled or supplied for human consumption. The capsule format is provided for the research-supply context only.

BPC (body protection compound) was identified by Sikiric, Seiwerth, and colleagues at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in the early 1990s through extraction studies of human gastric juice in models of gastric-mucosal injury and ulcer formation. The full-length BPC protein extracts demonstrated apparent protective activity in rodent ulcer models, and subsequent peptide-fragment-mapping work identified the 15-amino-acid pentadecapeptide BPC-157 as a synthetically accessible bioactive fragment.

Over the subsequent three decades, the Sikiric laboratory has published an extensive series of preclinical studies investigating BPC-157 in rodent models of gastric and intestinal mucosal injury, esophagitis, fistula and anastomotic healing, tendon-to-bone healing, ligament repair, muscle injury, nerve injury, vascular endothelial function, central-nervous-system protection, and other tissue-repair contexts. The body of work is substantial in volume but concentrated in a relatively small set of overlapping research groups, and independent replication outside the original investigative team has been more limited.

BPC-157 has not advanced to FDA-approved clinical use. A small number of human exploratory studies have been reported in the literature, generally as open-label observational reports rather than controlled clinical trials. The compound is not approved by FDA, EMA, or any other major regulatory authority as a medicine for any indication. In the research-supply market, BPC-157 is commonly supplied as a lyophilized peptide for injectable research use; oral capsule formats are a more recent introduction into the research-supply market and are studied primarily in the context of enteric / gastrointestinal-tract research.

The published preclinical mechanism-of-action literature for BPC-157 spans several proposed axes, none of which has been definitively established as the unique mechanism of action. The principal proposed mechanisms include:

Vascular and angiogenic effects. Published in-vitro and in-vivo work has reported effects of BPC-157 on endothelial cell behavior, on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, and on the formation of granulation tissue and microvascular networks during wound healing. The pro-angiogenic hypothesis is one of the more frequently invoked mechanisms in the BPC-157 literature.

Nitric oxide (NO) system modulation. The Sikiric group has reported effects of BPC-157 on NO synthesis, NO synthase expression, and NO-system biomarkers in various rodent models. The NO-modulation hypothesis is proposed as part of the vascular and protective-effect mechanism.

Growth factor receptor and signaling effects. Published work has reported effects on growth-hormone receptor expression, EGR-1 pathway signaling, FGF-2 expression, and other growth-factor-related signaling endpoints in tissue-repair models.

Gastrointestinal-mucosal protection. The original research context for BPC-157 — gastric and intestinal mucosal injury models — is the most extensively published and arguably best-characterized application area. Effects on mucosal integrity, ulcer healing kinetics, and inflammatory biomarkers have been reported across multiple models including ethanol-induced, NSAID-induced, and stress-induced gastric injury.

Neural / CNS effects. Effects on dopaminergic-system biomarkers, on serotonergic-system biomarkers, and on protection in models of central-nervous-system injury and seizure have been reported. The mechanistic basis is not as well-characterized as the GI mucosal application.

The oral / enteric research context for BPC-157 capsules is distinct from the systemic injectable context. Pharmacokinetic studies of BPC-157 indicate that the intact pentadecapeptide is not significantly absorbed into systemic circulation after oral administration — the peptide is susceptible to gastric and pancreatic proteolysis. The proposed rationale for oral / enteric research therefore centers on local exposure of the gastrointestinal mucosa to the peptide, where the original mucosal-protective hypothesis was developed. Whether systemic effects observed after oral administration in some published rodent studies reflect intact-peptide absorption, fragment-mediated effects, vagal afferent signaling, or other mechanisms remains an active area of investigation in the published literature.

It is important to distinguish what the published literature does establish (preclinical activity in well-characterized rodent models, with reasonably consistent reports across multiple research groups for GI mucosal applications) from what it does not establish (mechanistic certainty, definitive pharmacokinetic characterization of oral exposure, clinical efficacy or safety in human use). The compound has not advanced to human clinical-trial-based approval for any indication.

BPC-157 is a linear 15-amino-acid peptide with the sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val. The unmodified peptide has a molecular weight of approximately 1,419 Da and contains no cysteine residues (therefore no internal disulfide bonds) and no post-translational modifications other than typical N-terminal and C-terminal handling. The sequence contains four proline residues, which contribute to its relative protease resistance compared with linear peptides of less proline-rich composition.

The compound is produced by solid-phase peptide synthesis (Fmoc chemistry) and purified to research-grade specifications by HPLC. Research-grade BPC-157 is verified by mass spectrometry and HPLC purity analysis, with certificate of analysis specifications typically including peptide content, HPLC purity, mass-spectrometric identity confirmation, and residual TFA / acetate counterion content from the synthesis and purification process.

The lyophilized peptide is highly stable at appropriate storage conditions (typically -20°C for long-term storage). For the oral capsule format, the peptide is typically formulated with a vegetable-derived or gelatin capsule shell and may include excipients (typically microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, or similar) appropriate to the capsule format. The specific excipient profile appears on the supplier's certificate of analysis or product specification documentation. The capsule format does not typically include enteric coating unless specifically labeled; standard hard-shell capsule formats disintegrate in gastric conditions, exposing the peptide to gastric and subsequent intestinal contents.

The structural simplicity of BPC-157 (linear, 15 residues, no disulfide constraints, no modifications) supports straightforward synthesis and characterization; the proline-rich composition supports relative protease resistance; the overall hydrophilic character supports aqueous solubility but limits passive permeability across intact intestinal epithelium.

Published preclinical research using oral / enteric BPC-157 (and the analogous research-context applications for capsule formats) includes:

Gastric-mucosal injury models. Ethanol-induced, NSAID-induced, stress-induced, and acid-induced gastric injury models in rats and mice have been used extensively in the published literature to characterize the apparent mucosal-protective and ulcer-healing effects of BPC-157. Oral administration (typically in drinking water or by gavage) and intraperitoneal administration produce overlapping but not identical phenotypes in these models.

Intestinal injury models. Models of inflammatory bowel disease (DSS-induced colitis, TNBS-induced colitis), short-bowel research, intestinal anastomosis and fistula healing, and intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury have been studied with BPC-157 administration via various routes including oral.

Hepatic and pancreatic research. Limited published work has examined BPC-157 effects in models of hepatic and pancreatic injury, with administration routes including oral.

Oral pharmacokinetic and absorption research. The oral pharmacokinetics of BPC-157 — extent of intact-peptide absorption, fragment formation, and systemic exposure — is an active area of research-supply application. The oral capsule format is well-suited to this category of research where reproducible per-dose exposure of a defined research-supply preparation is the relevant experimental variable.

Comparative oral-versus-injectable research. Studies comparing oral and parenteral administration of BPC-157 in matched rodent models are a research category where the capsule format provides standardized oral exposure for direct comparison with injectable preparations.

Microbiome and enteric-axis research. The gastrointestinal microbiome and enteric nervous system are emerging research contexts in which local enteric peptide exposure is mechanistically relevant; oral BPC-157 capsule research in such contexts is an area of growing literature.

All applications described are preclinical research-supply contexts. The capsule format is supplied for laboratory and research-supply use and is not intended for human consumption. Nothing on this page describes a clinical protocol or therapeutic use.

BPC-157 oral capsules are best understood by comparison with the lyophilized injectable BPC-157 research format and with related research-context peptide formats.

BPC-157 oral capsules (1000 mcg per capsule, 120 capsules per container) are an oral / enteric research format of the pentadecapeptide BPC-157, a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide derived from a sequence within human gastric juice 'body protection compound'. The peptide has been studied in preclinical literature for three decades in models of gastric and intestinal mucosal injury, tendon and ligament repair, vascular biology, and central-nervous-system protection, principally by the Sikiric laboratory in Zagreb and collaborators.

The oral capsule format is studied in the context of enteric / gastrointestinal-tract research, where local exposure of the GI mucosa to the peptide is the mechanistically relevant variable. The injectable lyophilized format provides systemic exposure and is the dominant format in the published research literature for non-enteric applications. Oral capsules and injectable vials are distinct research formats with overlapping but not identical research applications.

BPC-157 is not an approved medicine for any indication. The oral capsule preparation is supplied for laboratory and research-supply use, not as a dietary supplement and not for human consumption. The educational content on this page provides scientific and historical context for the research-supply application only.