BPC-157 research reference: CAS, molecular weight, sequence, solubility and handling

BPC-157 is a linear pentadecapeptide. The name comes from "body protection compound", a label given by the Zagreb group that described it from a larger protein fraction of gastric juice. What is sold for research is a fully synthetic peptide made by solid-phase synthesis, with the sequence GEPPPGKPADDAGLV and no modifications on either terminus.

Three things about that sequence matter at the bench. The run of three prolines near the N-terminus makes the backbone stiff and limits ordered secondary structure in solution. The Asp-Asp pair in the middle is the most chemically reactive spot, because aspartate residues can cyclize to a succinimide and reopen as isoaspartate during long storage in solution. Last, the peptide has no cysteine, methionine or tryptophan, so it is not especially prone to oxidation compared with many peptides of similar size.

Search results often blur BPC-157 and its acetate salt. A vial labeled "BPC-157 acetate" holds the same peptide plus acetate counter-ions bound to the basic groups. The salt adds mass to the powder, which is why the weighed amount and the peptide amount are not the same number. More on that gap below.

General peptide solubility guidance from suppliers such as GenScript starts with net charge. Count the acidic residues (Asp, Glu and the free C-terminus) against the basic ones (Lys, Arg, His and the free N-terminus). BPC-157 has three acidic side chains and one lysine, which leaves it net negative at neutral pH. Acidic peptides of this length usually go into water without help, and if they resist, a small amount of dilute ammonium bicarbonate or a pH 7 to 8 buffer is the standard next step.

Its hydrophobic content is modest (Leu, Val, two Ala and several Pro), so organic co-solvents are rarely needed. If a lab needs one for a specific assay, the usual order is to wet the powder with a small volume of the co-solvent and then add the aqueous phase, never the reverse.

1. Let the closed vial reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on the cold powder.
2. Add solvent down the side of the vial and swirl gently. Vigorous shaking can foam peptide solutions and trap material at the air-water surface.
3. A clear, colorless solution is the expected result. Persistent haze is worth recording, since it can mean incomplete dissolution, a counter-ion effect or contamination.
4. Record the solvent, volume, pH and date on the vial and in the notebook. Those four facts are what make a later result reproducible.

Lyophilized peptide is far more stable than peptide in solution, because most degradation routes need water. For long storage, keep the sealed vial at -20 C or colder, with desiccant, away from light. Short periods at room temperature in transit are normal for lyophilized material and are not the same as months on a shelf.

Once dissolved, BPC-157 becomes subject to the reactions that need water: Asp isomerization at the Asp-Asp pair and slow hydrolysis. The practical response is the one used for any peptide stock. Make a concentrated stock, split it into single-use aliquots, freeze them, and thaw each aliquot once. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are the most common avoidable cause of drift between experiments.

The group that described BPC-157 calls it a stable gastric pentadecapeptide and describes it as native in human gastric juice (Sikiric et al., 2018). That description is about one biological matrix. It is not a shelf-life claim for a solution in a lab fridge, and it should not replace your own storage records.

HPLC purity tells you what fraction of the UV signal sits in the main peak. It does not tell you that the main peak is BPC-157. Identity comes from mass spectrometry, and for this peptide the numbers are easy to check: a singly charged ion near m/z 1419.7 and a doubly charged ion near m/z 710.4. Doping-control laboratories use exactly these LC-MS approaches to detect BPC-157 and its breakdown products (Cox et al., 2017; Tian et al., 2023), which is a good sign that identity by mass is a reasonable thing to ask a vendor for.

1. A lot number on the report that matches the vial.
2. The testing lab's name and a way to look the report up at the lab.
3. HPLC purity, ideally with the chromatogram rather than a bare number.
4. A measured quantity for the vial, since purity is not content.
5. Mass data near m/z 1419.7 or 710.4 if identity is claimed. A mass near 889 or 445 would point to TB-500, not BPC-157.

Most of the BPC-157 literature comes from one research group in Zagreb and is preclinical: cell culture and rodent work. Reviews by Sikiric and Seiwerth summarize studies on gastrointestinal tissue, blood vessels and connective tissue models (Sikiric et al., 2018; Seiwerth et al., 2018). An independent in vitro study from Taiwan looked at tendon fibroblast outgrowth, survival and migration in culture (Chang et al., 2011). Doping-control chemists have published detection and in vitro metabolism methods (Cox et al., 2017; Tian et al., 2023).

Put plainly, the evidence is mostly animal and cell work, much of it from a single group, and none of it makes BPC-157 an approved medicine. We list the studies so researchers can find the primary sources, not as claims about any effect.

We list BPC-157 in 5 mg and 10 mg vials for laboratory research. One lot has a published third-party report: Vanguard Laboratory tested a sample of lot BC10051926 on 2026-06-01 by HPLC-UV/VIS and reported purity of >99.80% ± 0.18% and a measured 11.21 mg. That result applies to the tested sample of that lot. The report, and the lab's own verify link, are on the lot page and in the open COA dataset.