Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC-157 (also known as PL 14736, Body Protection Compound 157, or Bepecin) is a fifteen amino acid long
oligopeptide
An oligopeptide ('' oligo-'', "a few"), is a peptide consisting of two to twenty amino acids, including dipeptides, tripeptides, tetrapeptides, and other polypeptides. Some of the major classes of naturally occurring oligopeptides include aerugi ...
that was discovered during research on human
gastric juice
Gastric glands are glands in the lining of the stomach that play an essential role in the digestion, process of digestion. Their secretions make up the gastric acid, digestive gastric juice. The gastric glands open into gastric pits in the gastri ...
.
The amino acid sequence is as follows:
Gly-
Glu-
Pro
Pro is an abbreviation meaning "professional".
Pro, PRO or variants thereof might also refer to:
People
* Miguel Pro (1891–1927), Mexican priest
* Pro Hart (1928–2006), Australian painter
* Mlungisi Mdluli (born 1980), South African ret ...
-Pro-Pro-Gly-
Lys-Pro-
Ala-
Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-
Leu-
Val.
BPC-157 is stable at room temperature and bioavailable in rodent models when administered IM or IV.
Research
Pre-clinical research
In drug development, preclinical development (also termed preclinical studies or nonclinical studies) is a stage of research that begins before clinical trials (testing in humans) and during which important feasibility, iterative testing and dr ...
has indicated that BPC-157 may have cytoprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory effects, and may also accelerate tissue and organ healing.
This substance is sometimes used in
functional medicine
Functional medicine (FM) is a form of alternative medicine that encompasses many unproven and disproven methods and treatments. At its essence, it is a rebranding of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and as such is pseudoscientific, ...
despite not being approved by any drug regulatory agency.
As of 2022, the peptide is banned by the
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; , AMA) is an international organization co-founded by the governments of over 140 nations along with the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against d ...
under the S0 category of non-exempt substances.
Detection
BPC-157 is detected in urine using a weak cation exchange solid phase extraction and was found to be stable in urine for 4 days.
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Peptide therapeutics
Experimental drugs