BPC-157 Capsule

Also known as: BPC-157 Oral, PL 14736, Bepecin, 137525-51-0

Evidence: Preclinical

PeptideLab is an educational platform for learning about peptides. The information here is for educational and research purposes only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and PeptideLab does not claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition. Many peptides discussed have not been approved for human use by the FDA or other regulatory bodies. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decision.

Overview

Oral capsule form of the gastric pentadecapeptide BPC-157, studied mainly in rodent models for gastrointestinal mucosal repair and systemic tissue healing.

An oral capsule of the same 15-residue peptide as injectable BPC-157 (id 9). Oral activity is supported in rodents, not humans: rats with a transected medial collateral ligament healed as well on BPC-157 in drinking water (0.16 mcg/mL, about 2 mcg/day per rat) as on intraperitoneal injection (Cerovecki 2010). No study in any species has measured absolute oral bioavailability or plasma levels after oral dosing, and the only published pharmacokinetics are IV and IM (He 2022). A 2015 randomized oral phase 1 in healthy volunteers using 1 mg tablets (NCT02637284) has a status of unknown and no posted results. FDA placed BPC-157 in category 2 of its 503A compounding interim policy, the significant-safety-risk list, citing possible immunogenicity and impurity-characterization problems; the nomination was later withdrawn and the entry now sits in the withdrawn table on that page.

Benefits

Gut health, tissue repair, anti-inflammatory

Dosing reference

Research dose: 250 to 500 mcg daily: research-community range, no published human oral dose-finding study. The one registered oral phase 1 used 1 to 6 mg tablets
Range: 250 to 500 mcg, 1-2x daily

Oral capsule. BPC-157 is unusually stable in gastric juice and was active per-orally in rats given 0.16 mcg/mL in drinking water (Cerovecki 2010), but absolute oral bioavailability has not been measured in any species and no human oral pharmacokinetic data are published (Mateescu 2026). Empty-stomach timing is community practice with no published comparison.

Mechanism

Same peptide as injectable BPC-157, so the same proposed mechanisms apply: increased VEGFR2 expression and internalization with VEGFR2-Akt-eNOS activation in endothelial cells and rat hindlimb ischemia (Hsieh 2017), raised growth hormone receptor expression in rat tendon fibroblasts (Chang 2014), and dose-dependent FAK and paxillin phosphorylation with increased fibroblast migration (Chang 2011). For the oral route specifically, the peptide resists gastric degradation and was effective in drinking water in rats, but whether intact peptide reaches the circulation in humans has not been shown; local action on gut epithelium and systemic action are not distinguished by any published study.

Evidence

Preclinical: animal or in vitro data only

Rat medial collateral ligament healing improved over 90 days when BPC-157 was given per-orally in drinking water at 0.16 mcg/mL, matching intraperitoneal dosing (Cerovecki et al., 2010)
BPC-157 is unusually stable in gastric juice and shows activity by oral, parenteral and topical routes, but has no validated formulation and no measured oral bioavailability in any species (Mateescu et al., 2026)
Published pharmacokinetics cover IV and IM routes only: half-life under 30 min in rat and dog, IM bioavailability 14 to 19% and 45 to 51% (He et al., 2022)
Mechanistic work behind the oral and injectable forms is the same rodent and cell literature: VEGFR2-Akt-eNOS activation (Hsieh et al., 2017) and growth hormone receptor upregulation in tendon fibroblasts (Chang et al., 2014)
Human-trial status: none completed. A randomized oral phase 1 in healthy volunteers with 1 mg tablets was registered in 2015 (NCT02637284) and remains status unknown with no posted results; no oral human data have been published

References

Side effects

No controlled human safety data exist for any route, and oral absorption in humans is unproven. Occasional nausea or GI upset is reported by users. FDA placed BPC-157 in category 2 of the 503A compounding interim policy, citing possible immunogenicity by some routes and peptide impurity and characterization problems; that nomination was later withdrawn and the substance now appears in the withdrawn table of the same FDA page.

Storage

Storage: Room temperature
Lyophilized: 12+ months

Pharmacology

Half-life: Under 30 min after IV or IM dosing in rat and dog (He 2022). No oral pharmacokinetic data in any species
Bioavailability: Oral: not measured in any species, although per-oral dosing was effective in rats (Cerovecki 2010). IM: 14 to 19% (rat), 45 to 51% (dog)
Molecular weight: 1419.53 Da
Sequence: Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val