This is a working overview of pentadecapeptide, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2025-08-04 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide with the sequence GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, corresponding to a partial fragment of a larger protein detected in human gastric juice. The name derives from the parent protein designation BPC, an abbreviation of body protection compound, with 157 acting as a fraction or batch identifier used by the original investigators. Its molecular weight is approximately 1419 daltons, and the chain contains no unusual residues or disulfide bridges. In the literature it is described as a short, water-soluble fragment rather than a complete natural protein.
Most early work on this peptide originated in the 1990s from a research group in Zagreb, Croatia, relying on animal models and cell cultures. Reported observations included effects on gastrointestinal lesion healing, tendon fibroblast migration, and blood vessel formation under controlled laboratory conditions. These findings come predominantly from rodent studies and in vitro assays rather than from human trials. Controlled human data remain limited, and the degree to which animal results translate to human physiology is an open question rather than a settled fact.
Laboratory research on this peptide has examined a wide and heterogeneous set of endpoints, including gastric ulcer models, tendon and ligament injury, wound closure, and intestinal inflammation. Most published findings come from rodent studies, and reported effect sizes are often large relative to controls. Because the compound has been tested across many unrelated injury models, the literature is frequently described as unusually broad for a single peptide. A substantial share of this work originates from a small number of research groups, which matters when assessing how widely results have been reproduced.
Evidence in humans is limited. Small clinical studies have examined the peptide in contexts such as ulcerative colitis and wound healing, but participant numbers are small and independent replication is scarce. It is not approved as a medicine by major regulatory agencies and is distributed mainly as a research material or compounded preparation. Long-term human safety data are not established, and questions about absorption through non-injected routes remain open rather than resolved. Claims about its effects are best read against these gaps.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C62H98N16O22 | computed for the free peptide |
| Molecular weight | about 1419 Da | monoisotopic mass near 1418.7 |
| Amino acid count | 15 | single chain, no disulfide bonds |
| Solubility | freely soluble in water | also dissolves in saline and phosphate buffer |
| Common synonyms | pentadecapeptide BPC, BPC 157 | fragment notation varies by source |
BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide built from fifteen amino acid residues. Its sequence comes from a larger protein fragment that researchers isolated from human gastric juice and described as a body protection compound. The fragment contains glycine, glutamic acid, five prolines, lysine, alanine, two aspartic acids, leucine, and valine. The number 157 in the name refers to the position of the stretch within the parent protein. Material used in laboratories is manufactured rather than extracted from stomach fluid.
The molecule carries 15 residues, a molar mass near 1419.5 g/mol, and the formula C62H98N16O22. Its structure features a proline-rich central region, a pair of adjacent aspartic acid residues, and no cysteine. The absence of cysteine means no disulfide bonds can form, which simplifies refolding and reconstitution. Suppliers usually ship the material as a freeze-dried powder that appears white to off-white. It dissolves readily in water and in saline solutions.
Published storage guidance follows general peptide practice rather than product-specific studies. The dry powder is typically kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius, away from light and moisture. Once reconstituted, solutions are generally refrigerated and used over days to weeks, because the aqueous environment slowly promotes hydrolysis and oxidation. Long-term data on degradation rates or breakdown products are sparse. Stated shelf lives from different producers vary widely, reflecting the absence of a shared reference standard.
BPC-157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide whose sequence is commonly given as Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val. It is described in the literature as a fragment of a larger protein found in human gastric juice, referred to as body protection compound. The peptide was first characterized in the early 1990s by a research group in Zagreb, Croatia. Its molecular formula is C62H98N16O22 and its monoisotopic mass is approximately 1419 daltons.
Supplied material is typically a lyophilized white to off-white powder. The peptide is freely soluble in water and in common aqueous buffers, which allows it to be handled as a stock solution. Because the sequence contains no cysteine, disulfide cross-linking is not a route of degradation. The absence of aromatic residues means ultraviolet absorbance at 280 nm is minimal, so quantification usually relies on peptide bond absorbance near 214 nm or on amino acid analysis.
Common synonyms in catalogs include pentadecapeptide BPC 157, BPC157, and the full sequence name. A CAS registry number in the 137525-51-0 range is frequently listed, though the assignment should be verified against the supplier certificate of analysis. The name itself is not a pharmacopoeial designation, and there is no standardized international nonproprietary name. Distinguishing genuine material from related fragments generally requires mass spectrometry, since several truncated sequences share similar chromatographic behavior.
== Further reading == Albert, A.; Serjeant, E.P. (1971). The Determination of Ionization Constants: A Laboratory Manual. Chapman & Hall. ISBN 0-412-10300-1. (Previous edition published as Ionization constants of acids and bases. London (UK): Methuen. 1962.) Atkins, P.W.; Jones, L. (2008). Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight (4th ed.). W.H. Freeman. ISBN 978-1-4292-0965-6. Housecroft, C. E.; Sharpe, A. G. (2008). Inorganic Chemistry (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-175553-6. (Non-aqueous solvents) Hulanicki, A. (1987). Reactions of Acids and Bases in Analytical Chemistry. Horwood. ISBN 0-85312-330-6. (translation editor: Mary R. Masson) Perrin, D.D.; Dempsey, B.; Serjeant, E.P. (1981). pKa Prediction for Organic Acids and Bases. Chapman & Hall. ISBN 0-412-22190-X. Reichardt, C. (2003). Solvents and Solvent Effects in Organic Chemistry (3rd ed.). Wiley-VCH. ISBN 3-527-30618-8. Chapter 4: Solvent Effects on the Position of Homogeneous Chemical Equilibria. Skoog, D.A.; West, D.M.; Holler, J.F.; Crouch, S.R. (2004). Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry (8th ed.). Thomson Brooks/Cole. ISBN 0-03-035523-0.
=== Etymology === Proprioception is from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own", "individual", and capio, capere, to take or grasp. Thus to grasp one's own position in space, including the position of the limbs in relation to each other and the body as a whole. The word kinesthesia or kinæsthesia (kinesthetic sense) refers to movement sense, but has been used inconsistently to refer either to proprioception alone or to the brain's integration of proprioceptive and vestibular inputs. Kinesthesia is a modern medical term composed of elements from Greek; kinein "to set in motion; to move" (from PIE root *keie- "to set in motion") + aisthesis "perception, feeling" (from PIE root *au- "to perceive").
===== Structural defects ===== Structural defects also play an important role in the performance of MOFs. Room-temperature hydrogen uptake via bridged spillover is mainly governed by structural defects, which can have two effects:
A third, only marginally related concept was proposed in 1923 by Gilbert N. Lewis, which includes reactions with acid–base characteristics that do not involve a proton transfer. A Lewis acid is a species that accepts a pair of electrons from another species; in other words, it is an electron pair acceptor. Brønsted acid–base reactions are proton transfer reactions while Lewis acid–base reactions are electron pair transfers. Many Lewis acids are not Brønsted–Lowry acids. Contrast how the following reactions are described in terms of acid–base chemistry:
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Reactions == 2-Mercaptoethanol cleaves disulfide bonds. 2-Mercaptoethanol reacts with aldehydes and ketones to give the corresponding oxathiolanes. This makes 2-mercaptoethanol useful as a protecting group, giving a derivative whose stability is between that of a dioxolane and a dithiolane.
== References == Chan, E.W.C; S.K. Wong (2009). "Chemical constituents of leaves of Rhizophora x lamarckii, R. apiculata and R. stylosa" (PDF). ISME/GLOMIS Electronic Journal. 7 (1): 1–2. Chan, H.T. (1996). "A note on the discovery of Rhizophora x lamarckii in Peninsular Malaysia" (PDF). Journal of Tropical Forest Science. 9: 128–130. Duke, N.C. (2006). “Australia’s Mangroves: The Authoritative Guide to Australia’s Mangrove Plants”. University of Queensland, Brisbane, 200 p. ISBN 0-646-46196-6. Tomlinson, P.B. (1986). “The Botany of Mangroves”. Cambridge University Press, 413 p. ISBN 0-521-25567-8.
=== Autocatalysis === Autocatalysts are substances that catalyze the production of themselves and therefore are "molecular replicators." The simplest self-replicating chemical systems are autocatalytic, and typically contain three components: a product molecule and two precursor molecules. The product molecule joins the precursor molecules, which in turn produce more product molecules from more precursor molecules. The product molecule catalyzes the reaction by providing a complementary template that binds to the precursors, thus bringing them together. Such systems have been demonstrated both in biological macromolecules and in small organic molecules. It has been proposed that life initially arose as autocatalytic chemical networks. Julius Rebek and colleagues combined amino adenosine and pentafluorophenyl esters with the autocatalyst amino adenosine triacid ester (AATE). One product was a variant of AATE which catalyzed its own synthesis. This demonstrated that autocatalysts could compete within a population of entities with heredity, a rudimentary form of natural selection.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The sequence corresponds to a fragment of a protein found in human gastric juice, so related sequences are natural. The isolated fifteen-amino-acid peptide supplied for research is produced synthetically. Whether the free fragment circulates naturally in humans has not been settled.
In most jurisdictions it is not an approved medicine and is handled as a research material. Import and sale rules differ by country, and some regulators have placed it in categories that restrict human use. Status can change, so current local rules apply.
Rodent models dominate, particularly rats with induced gastric lesions, tendon injury, or vascular disruption. These designs allow controlled comparison but differ anatomically and metabolically from humans. Results from such models are commonly cited as preliminary.
It is a synthetic fifteen-amino-acid peptide whose sequence matches part of a protein found in human gastric juice. It is made by chemical synthesis, not purified from tissue. The name derives from an early fragment label, not from a molecular weight.