Is BPC-157 in clinical trials?

Yes. NCT07437547 is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial in acute hamstring strain, recruiting since February 2026 with 120 participants. A Phase 1 study was registered as NCT02637284.

Is BPC-157 found in the stomach?

It corresponds to a partial sequence of a protein identified in human gastric juice. The peptide itself is synthesised, not isolated.

Is it approved anywhere?

No. It holds no marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction, and an ongoing trial is not an approval.

What Is BPC-157? The 15-Residue Gastric Peptide

The short answer

BPC-157 (also written BPC157, BPC 157 or "BPC 157 peptide", and frequently mistyped as BCP157 or BP157) is a synthetic pentadecapeptide of fifteen residues, GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, 1419.5 Da, corresponding to a partial sequence of a protein found in human gastric juice. Unusually among research peptides, it has entered registered clinical development and a placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial is currently recruiting.

Key facts

Sequence: Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val
Single-letter: GEPPPGKPADDAGLV
Length: 15 residues (pentadecapeptide)
Molecular weight: 1419.5 Da
Formula: C62H98N16O22
CAS number: 137525-51-0
PubChem CID: 9941957
Development codes: PL-14736, PLD-116, PL-10
Current trial: NCT07437547 (Phase 2, recruiting)

Where it comes from

BPC-157 corresponds to a partial sequence of body protection compound, a protein identified in human gastric juice by the research group at the University of Zagreb. The synthetic fifteen-residue peptide is not itself isolated from the stomach. It is a fragment of that protein's sequence, made by solid-phase synthesis.

What makes it structurally distinctive

Four of its fifteen residues are proline, three are glycine. That is an unusually high proportion of the two residues that most affect backbone flexibility: proline rigidifies, glycine liberates. The result is a peptide with alternating constrained and flexible regions and considerable resistance to peptidases, since proline-adjacent bonds are poor substrates for most of them.

Research material referenced

BPC-157 5mg, third-party HPLC tested

Buy BPC-157 · £15.99

The stability claim in its name

The literature routinely calls it the stable gastric pentadecapeptide. That is a specific claim: the Zagreb group reported it as stable in human gastric juice, which is an environment that destroys most peptides within minutes. If correct it is the compound's most unusual property, and the proline content is a plausible structural reason for it.

The clinical development most coverage omits

BPC-157 entered clinical development as PL-14736 for inflammatory bowel disease, reported by Sikirić and colleagues in Inflammopharmacology in 2006. A Phase 1 safety and pharmacokinetics study in 42 healthy volunteers was registered as NCT02637284. And a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial in acute hamstring muscle strain, NCT07437547, began recruiting on 2 February 2026 with 120 participants and primary completion due 14 February 2027.

Why that matters for how the evidence reads

Most research peptides have no registered interventional trials at all; DSIP has none, Selank and Semax have none in the West. BPC-157 having entered formal clinical development, and having a placebo-controlled Phase 2 underway now, puts it in a different evidential position. It does not make it a treatment for anything, and no result exists yet, but the distinction is real.

Regulatory position

BPC-157 holds no marketing authorisation from the MHRA, EMA or FDA. A recruiting trial is not an approval and says nothing about outcome. It is supplied here for laboratory research only, and material supplied for research has no relationship to any registered trial.

Frequently asked questions

Is BPC-157 in clinical trials?: Yes. NCT07437547 is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial in acute hamstring strain, recruiting since February 2026 with 120 participants. A Phase 1 study was registered as NCT02637284.
Is BPC-157 found in the stomach?: It corresponds to a partial sequence of a protein identified in human gastric juice. The peptide itself is synthesised, not isolated.
Is it approved anywhere?: No. It holds no marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction, and an ongoing trial is not an approval.

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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What Is BPC-157? Origin, Sequence and Evidence