Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (PL 14736) improves ligament healing in the rat
Cerovecki et al./PubMed/2010
Why It Matters
This paper caught my attention because BPC-157 has become popular in fitness and biohacking circles for injury recovery, but most people don't realize the evidence is exclusively from rat studies. This 2010 study shows consistent healing improvements across different delivery methods, but there's a massive gap between cutting a rat ligament and treating a human ACL tear. Not a doctor. Just a guy who reads the papers.
Key Findings
- BPC-157 improved ligament healing when given three different ways: injected (10 micrograms or 10 nanograms per kg), applied topically as cream (1 microgram per gram), or in drinking water (0.16 micrograms per ml)
- Treatment started 30 minutes after surgical ligament transection and continued daily for up to 90 days, showing improvements in functional recovery, biomechanical strength, and tissue appearance
- The peptide worked at extremely different doses depending on delivery method — injection doses ranged 1000-fold (10 micrograms vs 10 nanograms per kg) yet both showed effects
- Previous studies from this research group showed BPC-157 improved healing of cut tendons, muscles, and wounds, and affected expression of the egr-1 gene involved in tissue growth
- The peptide is derived from a naturally occurring stomach protein and was originally developed as an anti-ulcer treatment, then tested for inflammatory bowel disease
Read the Paper↗PMID: 20225319