The short answer
Of the peptides in our encyclopedia whose research covers healing, one is FDA-approved: teduglutide (Gattex), and only for short bowel syndrome. Two have human studies on skin wounds, both with the peptide applied topically: LL-37, whose larger randomized trial found no significant benefit overall, and GHK-Cu.
The two names most often discussed for injuries, BPC-157 and TB-500, rest mostly on animal and laboratory research, and human data on both is limited.
Healing peptides by evidence tier
Tiers come from our peptide tier list, where S means FDA-approved and D means the evidence is mostly animal and laboratory studies. Within a tier, the order carries no meaning.
| Peptide and evidence tier | What the research is | Route studied | Key source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teduglutide (GLP-2)Tier S · FDA-approved | Approved as Gattex for short bowel syndrome in people who depend on parenteral support. Its prescribing information reports increased villus height and crypt depth of the intestinal lining in a study of 17 adults with the condition. | Injected (subcutaneous) | Fda label, 2025 |
| LL-37Tier B · Some human evidence | Applied to hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers. A first-in-man trial in 34 people found higher healing rate constants than placebo at the two lower concentrations; a later phase IIb trial in 148 people found no significant improvement overall. | Topical, on the wound | Human trial, 2021 |
| GHK-CuTier B · Some human evidence | Human studies support topical use for skin healing. Injected use has been studied far less formally. | Topical in human studies; injected use studied less | Review, 2008 |
| BPC-157Tier D · Mostly preclinical | Extensive animal and laboratory research showing accelerated tissue repair. Human clinical trials are limited, and it is not FDA-approved for any human use. | Animal and laboratory studies | Review, 2019 |
| TB-500Tier D · Mostly preclinical | Tissue-repair and anti-inflammatory findings come from animal and laboratory research. Human data on the compound is limited. | Animal and laboratory studies | Human trial, 2010 |
| PEG-MGFTier D · Mostly preclinical | In rats, the MGF splice variant was expressed rapidly after muscle damage, a pattern linked to muscle repair. A study at two pharmaceutical companies could not reproduce the reported peptide effects in muscle cells. There are no human clinical trials. | Rat and cell-culture studies | Preclinical, 2003 |
Filed under healing, but studied for something else
These peptides sit in the healing category of the PeptidesAI encyclopedia, but the research on them is not on wound or tissue repair, so they are not in the table above.
- Larazotide (tier B). Its trials are in celiac disease, with mixed results, and the phase 3 trial was stopped in 2022.
- ARA-290 (Cibinetide) (tier C). Its human studies are small trials in neuropathy linked to sarcoidosis and type 2 diabetes, with mixed measures of benefit.
- KPV (tier D). Anti-inflammatory effects have been reported in animal models of colitis and skin inflammation. Human clinical data is limited.
What this doesn’t tell you
A tier is not a result. A higher tier means more published human research exists, not that a peptide heals anything faster. A lower tier means the human research has not been done, not that the compound has been shown not to work.
Evidence belongs to one use and one route. Teduglutide's approval covers the intestine in short bowel syndrome, not tendons, muscle or general gut health. LL-37 and GHK-Cu were studied applied to the skin; injecting a compound is a different question that those trials do not answer.
Animal findings often do not carry over. Most of what is said about BPC-157, TB-500 and PEG-MGF comes from rats and cell cultures. Results in animals regularly fail to repeat in people, which is why human trials exist.
Sport and quality. BPC-157 and TB-500 are on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list. Outside approved products such as Gattex, nobody independently checks what is in a research-chemical vial or how pure it is.
Sources
- GATTEX (teduglutide) for injection, for subcutaneous use - Prescribing Information. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2025. Fda label
- Evaluation of LL-37 in healing of hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers: A multicentric prospective randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.. Mahlapuu M et al. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 2021. Human trial
- The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. Pickart L et al. Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 2008. Review
- Gastric pentadecapeptide body protection compound BPC 157 and its role in accelerating musculoskeletal soft tissue healing. Gwyer D et al. Cell and Tissue Research, 2019. Review
- The effect of thymosin treatment of venous ulcers. Guarnera G et al. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2010. Human trial
- Expression and splicing of the insulin-like growth factor gene in rodent muscle is associated with muscle satellite (stem) cell activation following local tissue damage. Hill M et al. The Journal of Physiology, 2003. Preclinical
Frequently asked questions
What peptides are studied for healing?
Teduglutide is FDA-approved for short bowel syndrome and promotes repair of the intestinal lining. LL-37 and GHK-Cu have human studies applied topically to skin wounds. BPC-157, TB-500 and PEG-MGF are studied for tissue repair mostly in animals and laboratory models. This page ranks them by evidence, not by how well they work.
Is BPC-157 proven to heal injuries in humans?
No. The evidence for BPC-157 is extensive in animal and laboratory studies, but human clinical trials are limited. It is not FDA-approved for any human use, and it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list.
Is any healing peptide FDA-approved?
Of the peptides on this page, only teduglutide is, as Gattex for short bowel syndrome in people who depend on parenteral support. Use for general gut health is not approved.
Does it matter whether a peptide was studied topically or injected?
Yes. The human trials of LL-37 and GHK-Cu applied the peptide to the skin. Those results do not tell you what an injection of the same compound would do, because a different route is a different exposure.
What is the Wolverine stack?
An informal name for BPC-157 and TB-500 sold together. No published study has tested the combination, and both ingredients are tier D on their own. Our peptide blends guide covers it.
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