Scientifically reviewed by Dr Stephan Hansberg
Peptide Half-Life Chart: BPC-157 5-15 Minutes in Animals, Most With No Human Data (2026)
Reported half-lives for 10 research compounds, each with species, route and PubMed source. BPC-157: 15.2 minutes in rats and 5.3 minutes in dogs after IV dosing. Recombinant thymosin beta-4: 0.5 to 2.08 hours in healthy volunteers. No published half-life for GHK-Cu, KPV, epitalon or LL-37, and no human half-life for BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c or epitalon.
Key takeaways
- •Only one compound in this chart has a published human half-life: recombinant thymosin beta-4, 0.5 to 2.08 hours after IV dosing in healthy volunteers. Elamipretide's FDA label gives human data (peak at 0.5 to 1 hour, about 100% urinary recovery within 48 hours) but no half-life figure.
- •BPC-157's only measured half-life is in animals: 15.2 minutes in rats and 5.3 minutes in dogs after a single IV dose, and under 30 minutes after IV or intramuscular dosing in both species.
- •TB-500 has horse data only: plasma levels peaked 60 to 120 minutes after subcutaneous dosing and were unquantifiable 6 to 10 hours later; no half-life was reported.
- •The FDA's July 2026 reviews found no human pharmacokinetic studies for TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c or epitalon, and no published half-life for KPV or epitalon in any species.
- •A half-life describes how fast a substance is cleared in one species, route and matrix. It is not a guide to use, and none of these figures should be read that way.
The short answer
Most research peptides have no measured half-life in humans. BPC-157 has been measured only in rats and dogs, at well under 30 minutes. Thymosin beta-4 has a human figure from a recombinant product given intravenously in a Phase 1 study. For GHK-Cu, KPV, epitalon and LL-37 we found no published half-life at all, and for MOTS-c only an in vitro blood study showing rapid breakdown.
Half-life figures quoted online for these compounds, often without a source, frequently come from a different species, a different route or a related molecule. The chart gives only values we could trace to a primary record, with the species and matrix next to each one.
Half-life chart by compound
IV means intravenous; SC, subcutaneous; IM, intramuscular. "In vitro" means a test-tube or tissue experiment, not a living animal.
| Compound | Reported half-life | Species | Route or matrix | Human data | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPC-157 | 15.2 min (rats), 5.3 min (dogs); under 30 min in both | Rat, beagle dog | Single IV dose; also IM | None. In rectal enema studies BPC-157 was not detected in plasma (FDA) | He 2022, PMID 36588717; FDA BPC-157 briefing, Jul 2026 |
| TB-500 (Ac-LKKTETQ) | Not reported. Plasma peaked at 60-120 min and was unquantifiable at 6-10 h | Horse (thoroughbred geldings) | Single SC dose; plasma and urine | None identified by the FDA | Ho 2012, PMID 23084823; FDA TB-500 briefing, Jul 2026 |
| Thymosin beta-4 (full length) | 0.5 to 2.08 h (terminal), across dose groups | Human, healthy volunteers | IV, recombinant thymosin beta-4 (NL005) | Yes, Phase 1. A separate synthetic thymosin beta-4 IV study reported half-life rising with dose; its abstract gives no values | Wang 2021, PMID 34346165; Ruff 2010, PMID 20536472 |
| GHK-Cu | No published half-life data | - | - | None found | None found |
| KPV | No published half-life data | - | - | None identified by the FDA | FDA KPV briefing, Jul 2026 |
| MOTS-c | No half-life reported. Rapidly broken down into shorter fragments in human whole blood | Human blood, in vitro | Whole blood at 37 °C | No in vivo human data identified by the FDA | Knoop 2019, PMID 30394592; FDA MOTS-c briefing, Jul 2026 |
| Epitalon | No published half-life data. One rabbit study looked only at tissue distribution | Rabbit (distribution only) | Single IV dose, fluorescent label | None found by the FDA | Lapina 2005, PMID 16224563; FDA epitalon briefing, Jul 2026 |
| SS-31 (elamipretide) | No half-life value in the label. Peak at 0.5-1 h; about 100% of the dose recovered in urine within 48 h | Human | SC, approved product (Forzinity) | Yes, in the FDA label | Forzinity prescribing information, Sep 2025 |
| LL-37 | No published half-life data. Not cleaved in diluted chronic wound fluid for up to 24 h at 37 °C | Human wound fluid, ex vivo | Wound fluid, in vitro | None found | Gronberg 2011, PMID 21547341 |
| NAD+ | No half-life reported. During a 6 h IV infusion, plasma NAD+ did not rise for the first 2 h | Human (pilot study) | IV infusion; plasma and urine | Yes, one pilot study | Grant 2019, PMID 31572171 |
Why so many cells are empty
Measuring a half-life needs a validated assay for the peptide in blood and a controlled pharmacokinetic study. For most of these compounds nobody has published one. In its July 2026 briefing documents the FDA searched the literature for pharmacokinetic data on BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c and epitalon: it found animal data for BPC-157, horse data for TB-500, a rabbit distribution study for epitalon, an in vitro blood study for MOTS-c, and no pharmacokinetic studies for KPV.
Short peptides are generally cleared quickly because peptidases in blood and tissue cut them into smaller fragments and amino acids. The BPC-157, TB-500, MOTS-c and elamipretide sources all describe stepwise breakdown into shorter fragments. That general pattern is not a substitute for a measurement, and we have not filled any gap with an estimate.
Blends
We found no published pharmacokinetic data for any combination of these compounds, including BPC-157 with TB-500 (as in WOLVERINE) or the GHK-Cu, BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV combinations (GLOW and KLOW). Figures for single compounds in the chart do not describe a blend.
Where Celyfe fits
Celyfe's pens contain NAD+, BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu and KPV as pre-filled research cartridges. Celyfe does not sell thymosin beta-4, MOTS-c, epitalon, SS-31 or LL-37. This chart is a literature reference; it says nothing about how any product behaves, and it is not guidance on use.
Sources
Primary sources, checked 24 October 2026. PubMed IDs confirmed against NCBI records:
- He L, Feng D, Guo H et al. Pharmacokinetics, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of body-protective compound 157, a potential drug for treating various wounds, in rats and dogs. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022. PMID 36588717
- Ho EN, Kwok WH, Lau MY et al. Doping control analysis of TB-500, a synthetic version of an active region of thymosin beta 4, in equine urine and plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography A, 2012. PMID 23084823
- Wang X, Liu L, Qi L et al. A first-in-human, randomized, double-blind, single- and multiple-dose, phase I study of recombinant human thymosin beta 4 in healthy Chinese volunteers. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 2021. PMID 34346165
- Ruff D, Crockford D, Girardi G, Zhang Y. A randomized, placebo-controlled, single and multiple dose study of intravenous thymosin beta4 in healthy volunteers. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2010. PMID 20536472
- Knoop A, Thomas A, Thevis M. Development of a mass spectrometry based detection method for the mitochondrion-derived peptide MOTS-c in plasma samples for doping control purposes. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2019. PMID 30394592
- Lapina EA et al. Fluorescent microscopic study of epithalon binding in maternal and fetal rabbit tissues in health and under conditions of placental insufficiency. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2005. PMID 16224563
- Gronberg A, Zettergren L, Agren MS. Stability of the cathelicidin peptide LL-37 in a non-healing wound environment. Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 2011. PMID 21547341
- Grant R, Berg J, Mestayer R et al. A Pilot Study Investigating Changes in the Human Plasma and Urine NAD+ Metabolome During a 6 Hour Intravenous Infusion of NAD. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2019. PMID 31572171
- FDA: Forzinity (elamipretide) injection prescribing information, revised September 2025, section 12.3 Pharmacokinetics, accessdata.fda.gov
- FDA: Briefing document for BPC-157-related bulk drug substances, July 2026 (pharmacokinetics sections), fda.gov
- FDA: Briefing document for TB-500-related bulk drug substances, July 2026, fda.gov
- FDA: Briefing document for KPV-related bulk drug substances, July 2026, fda.gov
- FDA: Briefing document for MOTS-c-related bulk drug substances, July 2026, fda.gov
- FDA: Briefing document for epitalon-related bulk drug substances, July 2026, fda.gov
Research use only
Celyfe supplies research peptides for laboratory and research use only. Nothing on this page is guidance on use in humans or animals.
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