Peptides Science, Uses & Safety with Dr. Abud Bakri

HealthPeptides: The Science, Uses & Safety | Dr. Abud Bakri

TL;DR

Dr. Abud Bakri discusses peptide biology, mechanisms, and safety profiles—from FDA-approved GLP-1s to research compounds like BPC-157—explaining known effects, evidence gaps, and the regulatory landscape for peptide use.

Key Takeaways

1Peptides are categorized by whether they have known receptors (like GLP-1s) or unknown receptors (like BPC-157), which fundamentally affects how we understand their safety and efficacy
2BPC-157 shows impressive animal data for tissue repair, nerve regeneration, and gut protection, but almost all evidence comes from one Croatian research group with minimal human clinical trials
3The peptide market is fragmented across gray-market research sites, compounding pharmacies, and standard pharmaceuticals, each with varying quality control and regulatory oversight
4Legal and regulatory frameworks are in flux; peptides moved from FDA Category 1 (permissible compounding) to Category 2 (banned) in late 2024, creating uncertainty about prescribing and patient access
5Physicians face liability and licensure risks when prescribing non-FDA-approved peptides, even though they may believe in their therapeutic potential based on anecdotal evidence
6High-quality clinical trials are needed on specific endpoints—ulcerative colitis, GERD, tendon healing post-surgery, and neuropsychiatric effects—to determine real safety and efficacy

Notable Quotes

“Peptides are one of the languages of the human body—the body uses different languages to communicate between cells, going from DNA to RNA to proteins which can be broken down as polypeptides and peptides.”
— Dr. Abud Bakri

“All the data on BPC-157 comes from one group. So people can be skeptical. There's a couple of Chinese groups that have also replicated some of their work, but that's it.”
— Dr. Abud Bakri

“The best job in 2025 was to be a peptide affiliate. People made my yearly salary in a month selling peptides illegally on TikTok.”
— Dr. Abud Bakri

“Either BPC is as amazing as we think it is and it's unfortunate that millions of people don't have access to it, or BPC is actually ineffective or harmful to people and millions of people are injecting it right now. Both cases are very bad endpoints.”
— Dr. Abud Bakri

Chapters

1. What Are Peptides and How Do We Categorize Them?

Peptides are one of the body's languages of communication between cells. They can be categorized into two major groups: those with known receptors (like GLP-1 agonists) where we can predict clinical effects, and those without identified receptors (like BPC-157) where mechanisms remain elusive but animal data shows biological activity. Understanding this distinction is crucial for evaluating safety and efficacy.

2. History of BPC-157: From Pavlov to Modern Research

BPC-157 originated from research into dog gastric juices documented by Pavlov in the early 1900s, which were sold as medicinal elixirs. In the 1990s, a Croatian group isolated BPC-157 as a 15-amino-acid peptide from the larger 40-kDa BPC protein and began publishing animal studies showing accelerated healing of tendons, ligaments, nerves, and protection against gastric ulcers.

3. Animal Data: What BPC-157 Shows It Can Do

Studies in mice demonstrate BPC-157 accelerates tendon and ACL healing, prevents stress-induced gastric ulcers even with corticosteroid co-administration, promotes neural regeneration, and modulates dopaminergic and GABAergic signaling. These effects are attributed to upregulation of growth factors, VEGF signaling, nitric oxide synthesis, and increased growth hormone receptors on target tissues.

4. Mechanisms of Action: How BPC-157 Works Without Known Receptors

Without identified specific receptors, BPC-157 may work through multiple pathways: modulating existing proteins, enhancing growth factor signaling (especially VEGF), promoting cell migration, increasing blood vessel formation, and potentially modulating the gut-brain axis. It appears to accelerate healing and repair across multiple tissue types, though the unifying mechanism remains unclear.

5. Human Data and Clinical Trials: The Evidence Gap

Only two small human trials exist: Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies using BPC-157 rectal enemas (80 mg) for ulcerative colitis, conducted by the same Croatian group in the early 2000s. Phase 1 showed no adverse effects; Phase 2 showed a positive signal but full data remain unpublished. BPC-157 does not appear to enter systemic circulation when taken orally or rectally, remaining localized to tissues.

6. Safety Concerns: Angiogenesis, Tumors, and the Unknowns

The main safety concern is BPC-157's pro-angiogenic effect via VEGF upregulation, which could theoretically accelerate tumor growth. However, no animal studies or human reports document tumor acceleration. The LD50 (lethal dose) of BPC-157 is unknown, making FDA approval difficult. Additional anecdotal reports include worsening of angiomas on the face and potential interference with dopaminergic signaling in some users.

7. Regulatory Status and Legal Landscape

BPC-157 was moved from FDA Category 1 (permissible to compound) to Category 2 (banned to compound) in late 2024, then removed from Category 2 in April 2025 but not yet placed on Category 1. Physicians can prescribe the acetate form through compounding pharmacies, but state medical boards vary in their acceptance. Telehealth prescribing is governed by the laws of the patient's state, creating a patchwork of legality across the U.S.

8. The Peptide Market: Gray Market, Compounding, and Pharma

All raw peptide materials originate in China. The market is stratified: standard pharmaceuticals (FDA-approved, highly regulated), compounding pharmacies (variable quality control, regulatory gray areas), and gray-market research sites (unregulated, uncontrolled purity and potency). Black market sources (direct from China via WhatsApp, bathtub synthesis) pose the highest contamination risk. The gray market represents an estimated 5–10 billion dollars annually in the U.S.

9. Financial Incentives and Physician Conflicts

Physicians can profit from compounded peptides by marking up the cost to patients without disclosure. Malpractice insurance typically does not cover non-FDA-approved peptides, creating liability risk. Unlike standard pharmaceuticals, patients have the right to ask physicians what they paid for the drug versus what they're charging, revealing potential conflicts of interest.

10. Future Directions: What Clinical Trials Should Happen

Priority studies should include: completing Phase 3 trials for ulcerative colitis, testing BPC-157 oral capsules for GERD, evaluating post-surgical tendon healing, and exploring neuropsychiatric effects on addiction and mood. These endpoints are based on the strongest anecdotal reports and the most biologically plausible mechanisms, and would provide the evidence base needed to determine whether BPC-157 should be more widely available or restricted.

Key People & Entities

Dr. Abud Bakri: Internal medicine physician and peptide researcher; expert on peptide science, mechanisms, and safety; primary guest discussing BPC-157 and other peptides.
Andrew Huberman: Neurobiology and ophthalmology professor at Stanford School of Medicine; host of Huberman Lab podcast and co-host of this discussion.
Ivan Pavlov: Russian scientist (1800s–early 1900s) known for classical conditioning experiments; also studied gastric juices in dogs, which were sold as medicinal elixirs containing BPC and other peptides.
Hans Selye: Scientist who developed the stress adaptation theory; observed that stressed animals exhibited adrenal enlargement, gastric lining destruction, and thymus shrinkage, motivating search for protective compounds like BPC-157.
Dr. Predrag Sisa (Sica): Croatian researcher and primary scientist behind BPC-157 isolation and characterization; published most animal studies on BPC-157; holds or co-holds patents on the peptide.
TAVA Pharmaceuticals: Generic pharmaceutical company that acquired one of the patents for BPC-157; manufactures Adderall and other drugs but has shown little interest in developing BPC-157.
Robert Breedlove: Cryptocurrency entrepreneur who publicly uses and tests peptides and anabolics; claims to have compared gray-market and compounding pharmacy peptide sources.
Brigham Beller: Former compounding pharmacist and founder/operator of Revive, a major compounding pharmacy supplying GLP-1s and other peptides; interviewed on the Hands Games podcast.

Glossary

GLP-1 agonists: Medications like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) that activate glucagon-like peptide-1 receptors to promote weight loss and improve metabolic health; FDA-approved with extensive human safety data.
BPC-157: A 15-amino-acid peptide derived from the larger body protection compound (BPC) found in gastric juices; studied for tissue repair, nerve regeneration, and gut protection in animals but with minimal human clinical trial data.
Peptide arginate (PDA) / Pentadecapeptide: Alternative names for BPC-157 with a modified salt form (arginate vs. acetate); used to circumvent regulatory restrictions since they are technically distinct compounds.
Angiogenesis: The formation of new blood vessels; promoted by growth factors like VEGF; a concern for BPC-157 because it could theoretically accelerate tumor growth.
VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor): A signaling protein that promotes new blood vessel formation; upregulated by BPC-157 in animal models, contributing to its tissue repair effects but raising theoretical cancer risk.
LD50 (Lethal Dose 50%): The dose of a substance that causes death in 50% of test animals; required for FDA drug approval to establish safety margins; unknown for BPC-157.
FDA Category 1, 2, and 3 (compounding): Regulatory categories for non-approved drugs: Category 1 permits compounding; Category 2 prohibits compounding; Category 3 is a separate designation. BPC-157 was moved from Category 1 to Category 2 in late 2024.
Gut-brain axis: The bidirectional communication network between the gastrointestinal system and the central nervous system via neural, hormonal, and immune pathways; relevant to BPC-157's reported effects on mood, addiction, and neuropsychiatric outcomes.
Gray market peptides: Peptides sold online as 'research chemicals' or 'not for human consumption,' typically through websites and gray-market suppliers with minimal quality control; legal status is ambiguous and varies by jurisdiction.
Compounding pharmacy: A pharmacy licensed to prepare custom-made medications by combining, mixing, or altering FDA-approved drugs; allowed under specific conditions (drug shortages, unique patient needs); quality and oversight vary significantly.

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