Regeneration or Risk? A Narrative Review of BPC-157 for Musculoskeletal Healing
/PMC/2026
Why It Matters
This paper caught my attention because BPC-157 is widely available online and heavily marketed in biohacking communities despite having no human data. The authors systematically reviewed what we actually know — which is entirely from rats and cell cultures. If you're considering this peptide, understand you're essentially self-experimenting with a substance that's never been through formal human testing.
Key Findings
- All existing evidence comes from rodent studies and in vitro experiments — no published human clinical trials exist as of 2026
- Animal studies show accelerated healing of tendons, ligaments, and muscle injuries through increased growth factor expression and angiogenesis
- Optimal dosing, administration routes, and safety profiles in humans remain completely unknown
- The peptide is not FDA-approved and is sold by unregulated online vendors with unknown purity or quality control
- Theoretical concerns include potential tumor growth promotion and cardiovascular effects due to increased angiogenesis, though no long-term safety studies exist
Read the Paper↗PMC12446177