What is BPC-157?

BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound 157, Laboratory Cipher PL 14736)- synthetic peptide consisting of 15 amino acids. BPC-157 has a wide range of organoprotective effects in conditions of stress. Proteins and peptides of this type are released in the stomach along with gastric juice when exposed to stress factors, including injuries and various diseases and acts as a regulator of anti-adoase protective mechanisms of the digestive system.

Scientists conducted numerous BPC-157 studies on animals, which showed that it has a protective effect that goes beyond the gastric and intestinal tract: BPC-157 helps with stomach ulcers, intestinal damage, such as fistulas and inflammatory diseases, healing of bones and joints, joints, joints sovereigns, as well as with injuries of organs, such as pancreas. Current studies show that the BPC-157 affects several growth factors usually involved in andiogenesis (blood vessel growth) and other processes involved in regeneration after damage. The crucial importance of gastroprotection under the action of BPC-157 in conditions of tissue inflammation, especially in the formation of stress-induced gastric and duodenal ulcers is emphasized.

Pentadecapeptide BPC-157 has shown many potential health benefits. BPC-157 promotes the healing of various injuries and wounds, demonstrating high cytoprotective activity. BPC-157 may prevent, attenuate or reverse the effects of injury, thus counteracting both arterial and venous thrombosis. BPC-157 can balance collagen synthesis and affect hepatic fibrosis in chronic liver injury. The effects of BPC-157 also attenuate dermal, muscle, tendon and ligament fibrosis, scarring and promote function recovery. There is an evidence that BPC-157generates NO under ex vivo conditions. BPC-157 has beneficial effects in animals with stroke, schizophrenia, depression and spinal cord injury within the gut-brain axis. In studies on rats, persistent damage to brain neurons, as well as memory and coordination impairments, were eliminated after the carotid artery occlusion experiment.

Researchers have consistently shown that BPC-157 has a huge number of beneficial effects throughout the body. Theoretically, in the early stages of infection, BPC-157 could interfere with viral replication, improve blood vessel integrity and suppress the onset of virus- induced cytokine cascades.

Human clinical trials are needed to confirm the potential therapeutic use of BPC-157 in patients, as most of the studies talking about the effectiveness of the drug have been done on animals. Below is the list all the most potentially beneficial effects of this peptide.

Mechanism of action

BPC-157 interacts directly with the nitric oxide (NO) pathway to regulate blood vessel function as well as stimulating key growth factors. The main mechanism of NO-mediated wound healing is the formation of new blood vessels in a process called angiogenic repair. This means that more oxygen and energy can be delivered to the damaged site and recovery is faster.

BPC-157 is responsible for stimulating the production of angiogenic cytokines such as VEGF, TGF-b and FGF. However, it does much more than these growth factors alone, and its full regenerative potential is extraordinary. It also upregulates the anti-inflammatory gene transcription factor and growth hormone receptors, resulting in an improved systemic recovery response. BPC-157 also stimulates the growth and proliferation of fibroblasts, which are vital for the formation of a structural protein in your skin, bones, and connective tissue called collagen.

During the experiments held on animals, BPC-157 has shown wound healing and cytoprotective activity. BPC-157 facilitates wound healing through accelerated angiogenesis (the process of new blood vessel formation). The wound healing effect affects damage of muscles and tendons, affected vessels of the caecum, spinal cord injuries, portal fibrosis and hemorrhagic cystitis.

Healing of tendons and ligaments

Due to the limited blood supply, spontaneous healing of tendon and ligaments is inherently poor. These soft tissues are very common targets in BPC-157 studies. In 2003, it was found that compared to the severely impaired healing seen in control rats, systemic administration of BPC-157 significantly improved recovery of rats. This has been confirmed biochemically, micro-and macroscopically. Biomechanically, healed tendons (within 14 days) showed increased load to tendon failure and higher functionality. Microscopic analysis showed more mononuclear cells, fewer granulocytes, an increase in fibroblasts and good formation of reticulin and collagen fibers. Macroscopically, the defects were smaller in size and depth, and the overall integrity of the tendon subsequently recovered. Similar results were also shown in 2010 on rat models studying the healing of the medical collateral ligament after surgical incision. The results showed that BPC-157 significantly accelerated the growth of tendon explants; in addition, the migration and propagation rate of tendon fibroblasts in vitro is increased.

Skeletal muscle healing

The positive therapeutic effect of BPC-157 has also been applied to models of traumatic and systemic muscle injury. In 2006 it was reported that the use of BPC-157 promoted the healing of injured muscles. More importantly, healing continued for an extended period (72 days) while maintaining functional recovery. We continued to compare the effectiveness of systemic (intraperitoneal) and tropical treatment (in the form of a thin layer of cream) for 14 days in continued gastrocnemius muscle in rats. BPC-157 significantly improved healing macroscopically, microscopically and functionally, with reduced muscle proteolysis. The authors concluded that BPC-157 accelerates skeletal muscle healing after injury. The paper proposed BPC-157 as an effective agent that can improve calf muscle healing when given after injury.

In addition to muscle damage caused by direct injury, a number of studies have shown that BPC-157 may have the ability to restore systemic muscle disorders in response to induced nerve, electrolyte disturbances and/or skeletal muscle wasting, as noted in a 2019 review. Because systemic muscle pain is attributed to infection, autoimmune conditions, disease or drug side effects, it is considered more serios than stresss or exercise-related muscle injury.

Long-term therapeutic effect on injuries

In 2017 study, the authors sought to explore the pro-angiogenic and therapeutic effects of BPC-157. BPC-157 has been shown to increase vascular density and accelerate blood flow recovery in ischemic muscle, indicating a stimulatory effect on angiogenesis.

Skin wounds

A balanced modulating effect on the healing of skin lesions was noted in a 1997 article. This study found that the combined collagen/inflammatory cell/angiogenesis triad was respectively improved and progressed faster with BPC-157 administration. Subsequent studies in the early 2000s were conducted on burns covering 20% of the total body area on the back of mice. Accelerated burn healing in treated mice was observed with BPC-157 administered topically (as a cream) or systemically (intravenously).

The peptide also attenuated burn stress lesions of the stomach. A further positive result appears with animals with severe burns treated with corticosteroids. At the same time, BPC-157 pentadecapeptide healed burn wounds and counteracted corticosteroids, which cause worsening of burn healing. Administration of BPC-157 cured alkali burn-induced skin damage as shown in 2015. Similar results (i.e. skin wound repair and maturation of granulation tissue), which was greatly facilitated by BPC-157, were obtained in small pigs.

Fistula healing

BPC-157 has successfully treated various fistulas (2020 review): anastomoses between two defects in the respective tissues (e.g. esophagus and skin, stomach and skin, duodenum and skin, colon and skin, bladder and rectum; intestines and vagina).

Therapy for circulatory disorders

Therapy of circulatory disorders with BPC-157 can be considered as the realization of its wound-healing effect. The modulating effect in wound healing may be even more interesting and effective due to the fact that BPC-157 reduces bleeding in wounds. Wound healing includes vasoconstriction, primary and secondary platelet plugging and thrombus resolution. This is seen along with maintenance of the endothelium as a continuation of the ability to cytoprotect, along with evidence that BPC-157 can counteract both developing and already formed arterial and venous thrombosis. In studies, direct vein injury, thrombosis, thrombocytopenia and prolonged bleeding were negated with this peptide.

BPC-157 and brain lesions

As per 2020 review concluded that BPC-157 has a direct therapeutic effect in post-stroke rats (i.e., it counteracts damage caused by ischemia/reperfusion of the hippocampus). In addition, the BPC-157 contributed to a full functional recovery. BPC-157 also counteracts various encephalopathies. BPC-157 treatment regimens markedly attenuate brain damage caused by traumatic brain injury (weight loss); there is an improvement in early outcome and minimal delayed mortality within the 24-hour period after injury in mice. In addition, BPC-157 promoted recovery from severe muscle weakness that occurs with brain damage. These effects have the potential to be a new therapeutic solution for the treatment of stroke, providing a specific beneficial effect on the central nervous system.

BPC-157 and ethanol (alcohol)

In acute ethanol intoxication, mice show sustained anesthesia, hypothermia, elevated blood counts from ethanol, and a 25% mortality rate over a 90-minute elevation period. BPC-157, whether given before or after ethanol intoxication, quickly reverses the aforementioned negative effects. Moreover, BPC-157 after an abrupt cessation of ethanol use (continuous consumption of 20% alcohol for 13 days) reduces withdrawal symptoms (hangover). BPC-157 maintains vascular integrity by counteracting the leakage of alcohol into tissues. Researchers have consistently shown that BPC-157 strongly counteracts the effects of alcohol injected into the rat stomach, namely rapid endothelial damage.

BPC-157 is a potential treatment for COVID-19

COVID-19 is primarily viewed as a thrombotic and vascular disease targeting andothelian cells throughout the body that can cause central vascular dysfunction. This explains the complications and multiple organ failure seen in patients with COVID-19, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiovascular complications, liver damage and neurological damage. Therefore, the management of comorbidities and potential organ damage is critical to the clinical management of patients. BPC-157, based primarily on data from animal models, may improve the clinical management of COVID-19 through anti-inflammatory, cytoprotective and endothelioprotective effects in various organ systems in various animal species. As a result, discussion of its use is as a potential prophylactic and adjunctive treatment is critical. The hypothetical applicability of BPC-157 in COVID-19 is considered in the article. The authors concluded that clinical studies of BPC-157 were needed.

Biological properties

Promotes healing of various tissues including skin, mucous membrane, cornea, muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones
Increases the expression of growth hormone receptor, which increases the effectiveness of growth hormone for tendon healing
Promotes the growth of new blood vessels
Therapeutic effect of various gastrointestinal diseases
Protects the endothelium and prevents scar tissue formation
Positive effect on blood vessels
Improved body response to viruses
Increases the body’s anti-inflammatory properties
beneficial effect on the central nervous system
May reduce gastrointestinal toxicity of other drugs

Side effects

Despite the abundance of experimental data confirming the activity and safety of BPC-157 obtained in vivo and in vitro, very few clinical trials of the peptide are known. Scientific studies and clinical trials to date have not shown any significant side, unwanted or toxic effects in the study of the BPC-157 peptide. However, it is possible that further research in the future may reveal risk factors that are currently unknown.

There may be redness and pain at the injection site
It is important to consider that the peptide has the ability to form new blood vessels, which can negatively affect metastases, cancer cells will be able to receive more blood with the help of newly formed vessels.

How to use

BPC-157 injections are given subcutaneously or intramuscularly. The injection is carried out once per day. The dosage of the drug is 5-10 mcg/1 kg of body weight. The duration of the cycle is an average of 4-6 weeks or based on the effect achieved. Please note that the scheme of application is individual and depends on the injury, load, age of the athlete.

Combination with other drugs

BPC-157 will have a synergistic effect for healing tendon injuries with drugs such as TB-500 as well as anabolic steroids for healing muscle tissue injuries due to the synergistic effect. As a result of reaserch, growth hormone receptor was found to be one of the most widely regulated genes in tendon fibroblasts by BPC-157. BPC-157 increased growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts. The addition of growth hormone to tendon fibroblasts treated with BPC-157 increased cell proliferation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In conclusion, BPC-157- induced increased in growth hormone receptor in tendon fibroblasts may enhance the proliferation-stimulating effect of growth hormone and promote tendon healing. Based on these studies, we can conclude that the use of BPC-157 along with growth hormone will have a much greater clinical effect.

How to prepare a solution

In order to prepare a solution for injection, you take a syringe already containing a diluent and inject it into a vial containing a lyophilized powder. Tilt the vial so that the needle touches the vial wall. Avoiding injecting the diluent directly into the lyophilized powder. The solvent should slowly flow down the wall of the bottle (do not fill everything at once and take your time).

Once all the diluent has been added to the peptide vial, mix gently (but dot agitate or shake the vial) until lyophilized powder has dissolved and you are left with a clear liquid. Now the drug is ready for use.

Never mix one peptide with another in the same syringe. This creates risks that fragile peptide molecules will be destroyed.

Usage

The injection can be subcutaneous or intramuscular depending on personal preferences.

Storage

The resulting solution can be stored for approximately 21 days in a refrigerator at a temperature of 2-8C. The storage time increases if the solution was prepared using bacteriostatic water.