Does 157 mean anything chemically?

No. It is a series designation. The molecular weight is 1419.5 Da and the length is fifteen residues.

Is PL-14736 the same compound?

Yes. It is the development code used in clinical trials, and the clinical literature is indexed under it.

What Does BPC-157 Stand For?

The short answer

BPC stands for body protection compound, the name given to a protein identified in human gastric juice. The 157 is a series designation carrying no chemical information, not a molecular weight, not a dose, not a residue count.

Key facts

BPC: Body protection compound
157: Series designation
Chemical meaning of 157: None
Actual MW: 1419.5 Da
Actual length: 15 residues
Other codes: PL-14736, PLD-116, PL-10, Bepecin

Where the name came from

The Zagreb group identified a protein in human gastric juice and named it body protection compound, reflecting a hypothesis about its role rather than a demonstrated function. BPC-157 is a fifteen-residue partial sequence of that protein, and it inherited the name.

The name is a hypothesis

Body protection compound asserts a protective function. Like delta sleep-inducing peptide, that is a claim embedded in a label, and a reader encountering it absorbs the claim without evaluating it. The difference here is that BPC-157 has more behind the name than DSIP does (a substantial preclinical literature and registered clinical trials) but the naming pattern is the same and deserves the same scepticism.

Research material referenced

BPC-157 5mg, third-party HPLC tested

Buy BPC-157 · £15.99

What 157 does not mean

It is not a molecular weight, which is 1419.5. It is not a residue count, which is fifteen. It is not a dose. It is a designation from a research series, in the same way that 500 in TB-500 and 1295 in CJC-1295 are. Numbers in these names almost never carry chemical information, and assuming they do is a recurring error.

The development codes

PL-14736 is the code used in clinical development for inflammatory bowel disease and is the term the clinical literature uses. PLD-116 and PL-10 also appear, and the compound is indexed under the name Bepecin. Each surfaces different records, and the clinical work in particular sits under PL-14736.

Why the naming matters practically

Unlike TB-500, where one name covers two chemically distinct compounds, BPC-157's names all refer to the same molecule. The multiplicity here is a search problem rather than an identity problem, annoying, but not a source of the mass-confusion that afflicts its neighbours.

Frequently asked questions

What does BPC stand for?: Body protection compound. The name given to a protein identified in human gastric juice.
Does 157 mean anything chemically?: No. It is a series designation. The molecular weight is 1419.5 Da and the length is fifteen residues.
Is PL-14736 the same compound?: Yes. It is the development code used in clinical trials, and the clinical literature is indexed under it.

Extended research context

The BPC-157 (Pentadecapeptide) deep dive

Deep dive: the pentadecapeptide sequence

BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide with the sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val. It is derived from a fragment identified in human gastric juice by the Zagreb research group (Sikirić and colleagues), whose body of published work spans three decades and covers models ranging from tendon repair to gut integrity. The 'BPC' initials stand for 'body protection compound', the group's original characterisation term.

Two forms: acetate salt vs arginate

BPC-157 is supplied most commonly as an acetate salt; a small subset of suppliers offer the arginate form, which has slightly different solubility and stability properties. For research reproducibility, keep the salt form consistent across a study and confirm which form the CoA specifies (mass ± counterion changes the reading).

Reading a BPC-157 CoA

A trustworthy BPC-157 CoA lists HPLC purity (target ≥98% area), mass-spec confirmation (~1,419 Da for the free peptide), water content (Karl Fischer), acetate content, and residual solvents. Some batches also include endotoxin data. Any missing category is a red flag for a compromised supply chain.

Research applications

▸Cell-culture models of gut epithelial integrity
▸Tendon fibroblast migration and collagen-synthesis assays
▸Angiogenesis models involving VEGF and NO signalling
▸Stability studies comparing acetate vs arginate salt forms
▸Analytical reference for pentadecapeptide HPLC methods

Handling checklist

✓Store lyophilised vial at −20 °C long-term (2–8 °C short-term)
✓Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water; a 5 mg vial dissolves cleanly
✓Aliquot reconstituted solution; keep refrigerated 2–8 °C, use within 28 days
✓Protect from light and repeated warming
✓Verify CoA: HPLC ≥98%, mass ~1,419 Da, salt form declared

Common research-handling mistakes

Learnt from thousands of researcher orders across our UK labs.

✗ Mixing acetate and arginate BPC-157 across a study

Fix: Choose one salt form and stay with it. Different masses and solubility.

✗ Assuming stability at room temperature

Fix: Refrigerate reconstituted solution; discard after 28 days.

✗ Buying without a CoA

Fix: Only source from suppliers that publish batch HPLC + mass-spec data.

Continue researching

Peer-reviewed guides, comparators and matched reference materials.

Primary sources & clinical trials

Peer-reviewed research and registered trials from PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubChem, FDA and NIH. All links open in a new tab and point to the primary source, so every claim can be verified at origin.

UKP

Written and reviewed by

The UK Peptides Editorial Team · Research library, UK Peptides

The editorial team is responsible for supplier selection, batch release decisions and the content published in this research library. Every article here is sourced to primary literature and every product page to a signed third-party certificate. Corrections are made in place and the review date updated.

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