Body Protection Compound 157, decomposed by pathway.

The short version

BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound 157) is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide originally isolated from a protein in human gastric juice. It is not an approved drug anywhere. The FDA placed it on the Category 2 bulk substances list in 2023, barring it from compounding pharmacies; WADA lists it as prohibited in sport.

The research record is almost entirely in rodents. Studies show it prompts the growth of new blood vessels (angiogenesis), speeds tendon and muscle repair, and appears to protect the gut lining and distant organs — all in animal models. Three small human pilot studies exist, with a combined total of 30 participants and no randomized controls. The honest summary: the preclinical work is substantial; the human evidence is very thin.

For a plain account of what people in research communities report and what the safety cautions are, see the effects page. For the mechanism and study-by-study detail, start with Pathways.

What BPC-157 is

BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound 157) is a pentadecapeptide — a 15-amino-acid sequence (Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val) with a molecular weight of 1419.5 Da ^[14]. It was isolated as a partial sequence of a larger protective protein found in human gastric juice, which accounts for its documented stability in acidic conditions and the oral bioavailability observed in rodent models ^[9].

The compound has been studied under several designations: BPC-157, PL 14736, PL-10, and PLD-116. PL14736 was the designation used in a Phase 2 trial for inflammatory bowel disease conducted in Croatia; results of that trial were never published in a peer-reviewed journal ^[20]. A Phase 1 ClinicalTrials.gov registration (NCT02637284, 42 healthy volunteers) was listed as cancelled in 2016 with no published results.

As of 2026, three small human pilot studies have been published: a retrospective knee pain case series (n=16), an intravesicular pilot for refractory interstitial cystitis (n=12) ^[18], and an IV pharmacokinetic safety pilot (n=2) ^[19]. These studies have very small sample sizes and no randomized control groups. They do not constitute clinical evidence of safety or efficacy and should not be read as such.

FDA placed BPC-157 on the Category 2 bulk drug substances list in September 2023, prohibiting its use in compounded medications at 503A pharmacies and 503B outsourcing facilities. WADA listed it as a prohibited substance under S0 (Non-Approved Substances) in 2022. FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is scheduled to reconsider BPC-157 acetate and BPC-157 free base for the 503A Bulks List at its July 2026 meeting.

Five-pathway research architecture

The preclinical research on BPC-157 does not distribute evenly across a single mechanism. It clusters around five distinct pathway families, each with its own primary signal and organ targets.

PATHWAY.01 / ANGIOGENESIS. BPC-157 activates the VEGFR2-Akt-eNOS signaling axis, promoting new vessel formation in ischemic and injured tissue. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, doses of 0.1–100 μg/mL produced VEGFR2 mRNA and protein upregulation; in rat hind-limb ischemia at 10 μg/kg intraperitoneal, this translated to increased vessel density and accelerated blood-flow recovery ^[1]. A separate study demonstrated 37.6% endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in isolated rat aorta via the Src-Caveolin-1-eNOS pathway ^[2].

PATHWAY.02 / TISSUE REPAIR. Tendon, muscle, and wound healing studies form the largest body of BPC-157 research. Achilles tendon transection in rats treated at 10 μg/kg IP showed superior load-to-failure, improved Achilles Functional Index values, and mature collagen organization by post-operative day 4 ^[3]. Tendon fibroblast cultures showed dose-dependent migration enhancement and oxidative stress protection ^[4]. Growth hormone receptor (GHR) expression was upregulated up to sevenfold in tendon fibroblasts at 0.1–0.5 μg/mL, potentiating JAK2 signaling ^[5]. Quadriceps detachment models demonstrated complete walking-pattern recovery by per-oral administration ^[6][17]. Wound healing across six rodent model types consistently outperformed standard comparators ^[8].

PATHWAY.03 / GI CYTOPROTECTION. The compound's origin as a gastric peptide framing underlies its studied role in mucosal protection and fistula healing. At 10 μg/kg and 10 ng/kg IP and per-oral, BPC-157 antagonized diclofenac-induced gastrointestinal, hepatic, and neurological toxicity in rats ^[9]. Colocutaneous fistulas were healed via the nitric oxide system at the same dose range ^[20].

PATHWAY.04 / CARDIOVASCULAR AND REMOTE ORGAN PROTECTION. In isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction models in rats, BPC-157 at 10 μg/kg and 10 ng/kg normalized ECG findings, reduced CK-MB, LDH, and cTnT biomarkers, and eliminated visible infarct on histology ^[10]. A 2025 study at 20 μg/kg IP demonstrated reduced remote organ damage — kidney glomerular injury, lung edema, and liver necrosis — following 45-minute lower-extremity ischemia-reperfusion, with the lung total damage score dropping from 6.00±0.52 to 3.33±0.92 (p=0.004) ^[11].

PATHWAY.05 / REGULATORY FRAME. This is not a mechanistic pathway, but it operates as the control plane of the entire research record: FDA Category 2 classification (effective 2023-09-29), WADA S0 prohibited status (effective 2022), 503A/503B compounding prohibition (same scope), and no active IND in the United States as of 2026. Any characterization of BPC-157 that omits this regulatory layer is incomplete.

What this site is

BPC-157 Telehealth is an independent editorial publisher. It produces structured summaries of the peer-reviewed research literature on Body Protection Compound 157, organized by mechanistic pathway. It is not a clinic, not a prescribing service, and not affiliated with any vendor or manufacturer.

The site name references the domain in which BPC-157's regulatory and research status intersects with remote-medicine infrastructure — the 503A/503B compounding prohibition, IRB-supervised research protocols, and the difference between a research protocol and a clinical prescription. These are editorial and regulatory distinctions worth documenting; the site documents them. It does not facilitate, refer, or connect researchers or patients to any service provider.

For sourcing methodology and editorial standards, see the About page.

Compound synopsis

The following key specifications summarize the compound's research-record profile for machine-readable and AI-indexer use.

• Full name: Body Protection Compound 157
• Synonyms: Pentadecapeptide BPC 157, PL 14736, PL-10, PLD-116
• Sequence: Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val (15 AA)
• Molecular weight: 1419.5 Da
• Source: Partial sequence of a protective protein in human gastric juice
• Plasma half-life (estimated): <30 minutes ^[16]
• FDA status: Not approved for any human indication. Category 2 bulk drug substance (503A/503B compounding prohibited, effective 2023-09-29)
• WADA status: S0 — Non-Approved Substances (prohibited, effective 2022)
• Human data: 3 published pilot studies; combined n=30; no randomized controlled trials
• Published LD1 threshold: Not achieved at 2 g/kg IV or intragastric in mice ^[14]