# BPC-157 - Canonical: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/ - Also called: Body Protection Compound 157, PL 14736, Bepecin, PL-10 - Evidence grade: C (Limited / early human data). Three small, uncontrolled human pilot reports exist; no randomized controlled human trial has been published. Nearly all evidence is preclinical. - Status: Not FDA-approved · FDA compounding nomination withdrawn - PubChem CID: 9941957 - Updated: 2026-10-19 · Reviewed by: Residue Editorial Team BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide derived from a gastric-juice protein. A 2025 systematic review found 35 of 36 eligible orthopedic studies were preclinical, and no clinical safety data [1]. Only three small human pilot studies have been reported [2]. It is not FDA-approved; FDA says it lacks information to know whether it would cause harm in humans [3]. ## Key findings - A 2025 systematic review screened 544 articles and included 36 studies: 35 preclinical and 1 clinical. It found no clinical safety data [1]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#kf-pmid-40756949) - The same review reports BPC-157 is metabolized in the liver with a half-life of less than 30 minutes, and cleared by the kidneys [1]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#kf-pmid-40756949-2) - A narrative review counted three human pilot studies — knee pain, interstitial cystitis and an intravenous safety/pharmacokinetics study — none large or controlled [2]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#kf-pmid-40789979) - In a retrospective phone survey of 16 knee-pain patients, 14 reported relief after intra-articular BPC-157 alone or with thymosin β4; no standardized outcome tools were used [4]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#kf-pmid-34324435) - ClinicalTrials.gov lists a small number of registered studies, including a recruiting phase 2 hamstring trial and a phase 1 rotator-cuff study not yet recruiting [5][6]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#kf-nct-nct07437547) ## Effects by system - Tendon, ligament, muscle, bone (grade D): Improved functional, structural and biomechanical outcomes in preclinical injury models [1][7]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#effect-tendon-ligament-muscle-bone) - Skin and fistula healing (grade D): Wound and fistula healing across rat models, reviewed by the originating group [8]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#effect-skin-and-fistula-healing) - Knee pain (grade C): Self-reported relief in an uncontrolled retrospective series of 16 patients [4]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#effect-knee-pain) - Interstitial cystitis (grade C): Symptom resolution reported in 10 of 12 women after a single intravesical injection, without a control group [9]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#effect-interstitial-cystitis) - Safety in humans (grade C): No clinical safety data found by the 2025 systematic review [1]; FDA cites immunogenicity and impurity concerns [3]. (anchor: https://residue.info/c/bpc-157/#effect-safety-in-humans) ## What is BPC-157? BPC-157 is a pentadecapeptide — 15 amino acids — originally isolated from gastric juice, which is why it is often called a "stable gastric pentadecapeptide" [2][8]. PubChem's record gives the sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val, shown residue by residue in Figure 1 [10]. It is synthetic; the full-length parent protein is not what is studied. ## How is BPC-157 thought to work? No single receptor for BPC-157 has been established. Preclinical work summarized in a 2025 narrative review implicates several overlapping pathways: activation of VEGFR2 and nitric oxide synthesis via the Akt–eNOS axis, promoting new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis); ERK1/2 signaling, supporting endothelial and muscle repair; and anti-inflammatory effects. The authors note these may matter most in poorly vascularized tissues like tendons [2]. The 2025 systematic review adds reports that BPC-157 increases growth hormone receptor expression in some models [1]. ## How long does BPC-157 last in the body? The systematic review reports that BPC-157 is metabolized in the liver, has a half-life of less than 30 minutes and is cleared by the kidneys [1]. That short half-life sits awkwardly with the multi-week healing effects described in animal studies, and is one of the open questions about how it works. ## What do animal studies show? The animal literature is large and consistently positive. A 2019 review of musculoskeletal soft-tissue healing found that all studies to date had shown positive and prompt healing for tendon, ligament and muscle injuries — but that the majority were in small rodent models and efficacy was yet to be confirmed in humans [7]. A 2021 review from the group that developed the peptide summarized healing of skin wounds, burns and several kinds of fistula in rats, and described no reported toxicity in its studies [8]. One caution applies: of the PubMed records matching BPC-157, 105 are tagged as animal-only and none as a clinical trial [11] — the composition is charted on the research page. ## Is there evidence in humans? **The 2025 systematic review.** Searching PubMed, Cochrane and Embase to June 2024, reviewers identified 544 articles and, after screening, included 36: 35 preclinical and one clinical. The one clinical study was a retrospective report of intra-articular injection for chronic knee pain, which the review summarized as 7 of 12 patients reporting relief for more than six months. The review rated the whole body of evidence as level IV and V and found no clinical safety data [1]. **Knee pain.** The original knee paper was a one-year chart review at a single clinic, with patients contacted by phone 6–12 months after injection. Of 16 reached, 12 had received BPC-157 alone (11 reported significant improvement) and 4 had received it with thymosin β4 (3 improved). No specific tools measured function, stiffness or quality of life [4]. The difference between the paper's figures and the systematic review's summary illustrates how fragile a single uncontrolled retrospective series is. **Interstitial cystitis.** Twelve women whose interstitial cystitis had not responded to pentosan polysulfate received a single 10 mg injection of compounded BPC-157 around inflamed areas of the bladder during cystoscopy. Ten reported complete resolution and two reported 80% improvement, with no adverse events [9]. There was no control group, and outcomes were self-rated. **Intravenous safety and pharmacokinetics.** The narrative review counts a third human pilot of intravenous safety and pharmacokinetics among the three human studies [2]. ClinicalTrials.gov holds an older phase 1 safety and pharmacokinetic study of a BPC-157 product (PCO-02) whose status is listed as unknown [12]. **Registered trials.** At our fetch, ClinicalTrials.gov listed a recruiting phase 2 trial in acute hamstring strain [5] and a phase 1 study after rotator-cuff repair not yet recruiting [6]. Registration is not evidence; results, if published, will be added here. ## What is known about safety? No randomized human trial has measured BPC-157's safety. The pilots reported no adverse events [2], but with 12–16 participants and no comparators they cannot detect anything but very common harms. The 2025 systematic review specifically warns that adverse effects are possible because of unregulated manufacturing, contamination or unknown clinical safety [1]. BPC-157 is on FDA's list of bulk drug substances whose nominations for compounding were withdrawn. FDA's note says compounded BPC-157 may pose risk for immunogenicity for certain routes and may have complexities with peptide-related impurities and API characterization, and that FDA has identified no, or only limited, safety-related information for the proposed routes — so it lacks sufficient information to know whether the drug would cause harm in humans [3]. ## What is still unknown? - **Controlled human trials.** The single most important gap; the registered phase 2 hamstring trial is the first of its kind we found [5]. - **Mechanism vs half-life.** How a peptide cleared in under 30 minutes produces sustained tissue effects is unexplained [1]. - **Replication in humans** of the consistent preclinical findings [7]. ## Frequently asked questions **Is BPC-157 FDA-approved?** No. Drugs@FDA has no application for BPC-157. FDA lists it among bulk substances whose compounding nominations were withdrawn, citing immunogenicity risk and impurity concerns, and says it lacks sufficient information to know whether the drug would cause harm when administered to humans [3]. **Has BPC-157 been tested in humans?** Only in small pilot studies: a retrospective knee-pain series [4], a 12-patient interstitial cystitis pilot [9] and an intravenous safety and pharmacokinetics study [2]. No randomized controlled trial results are published. **What are the side effects of BPC-157?** The human pilots reported no adverse events [2], but they were too small and uncontrolled to establish safety, and a 2025 systematic review found no clinical safety data. That review notes possible harms from unregulated manufacturing and contamination [1]. **What is the half-life of BPC-157?** Under 30 minutes, with hepatic metabolism and renal clearance, according to a 2025 systematic review [1]. **How does BPC-157 work?** Animal and cell studies point to VEGFR2 activation, nitric oxide signaling through the Akt–eNOS axis, ERK1/2 signaling and anti-inflammatory effects, which promote angiogenesis and fibroblast activity [2]. These mechanisms have not been confirmed in human tissue studies. **Is BPC-157 banned in sport?** The 2025 systematic review notes its use is banned in professional sports and recommends clinicians counsel athletes on their organizations' rules [1]. ## Sources [1] Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review. Vasireddi N et al. HSS J. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40756949/ [2] Regeneration or Risk? A Narrative Review of BPC-157 for Musculoskeletal Healing. McGuire FP et al. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40789979/ [3] Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. U.S. FDA, content current as of 04/22/2026. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks [4] Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain. Lee E & Padgett B Altern Ther Health Med. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34324435/ [5] BPC 157 for Acute Hamstring Muscle Strain Repair. Hudson Biotech · PHASE2 · recruiting. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07437547 [6] Impact of BPC-157 on Recovery Following Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery. University of Arkansas · PHASE1 · not yet recruiting. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07803250 [7] Gastric pentadecapeptide body protection compound BPC 157 and its role in accelerating musculoskeletal soft tissue healing. Gwyer D et al. Cell Tissue Res. 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30915550/ [8] Stable Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and Wound Healing. Seiwerth S et al. Front Pharmacol. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34267654/ [9] Effect of BPC-157 on Symptoms in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot Study. Lee E et al. Altern Ther Health Med. 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39325560/ [10] PubChem compound record: Bpc-157. C62H98N16O22 · MW 1419.5 g/mol. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/9941957 [11] PubMed search: ("BPC 157"[tiab] OR "BPC-157"[tiab] OR "PL 14736"[tiab]). 225 records at fetch. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=(%22BPC%20157%22%5Btiab%5D%20OR%20%22BPC-157%22%5Btiab%5D%20OR%20%22PL%2014736%22%5Btiab%5D) [12] PCO-02 - Safety and Pharmacokinetics Trial. PharmaCotherapia d.o.o. · PHASE1 · unknown. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02637284 --- From Residue. Research and education only; not medical advice. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical page.