BPC 157: Understanding the Preclinical Research Literature

BPC 157 is a synthetic pentadecapeptide (15 amino acids), described in the literature as a "stable gastric pentadecapeptide". Its published research base consists predominantly of preclinical work in animal models.

A representative study

In 2005 Bilic and colleagues reported in the journal Burns that BPC 157, applied locally, improved the healing of CO2 laser skin lesions in mice compared with controls. The study is typical of the literature in using a defined injury model in rodents and comparing treated and control groups.

Reading the literature critically

• Model systems. Results come largely from rodent models. Findings in animal models do not establish effects in other species.
• Concentration of sources. A large part of the published BPC 157 work originates from a small number of research groups. Independent replication is an important consideration when evaluating any research compound.
• Study design. Sample sizes, blinding and the exact formulation used vary between studies and should be checked in each paper.

Analytical considerations

As a 15-residue peptide, BPC 157 is amenable to standard RP-HPLC purity analysis and mass-spectrometric identity confirmation. Laboratories should verify that the batch documentation reports both, together with the lot number of the material used.

BPC-157 supplied by ICU RESEARCH is for laboratory research use only and is not intended for human or veterinary use.