¶ Peptides
Peptides are signaling molecules that tell your body to perform specific functions—like healing tissue, releasing growth hormone, or reducing inflammation. Think of them as "biological software updates" for your cells.
In longevity medicine, they target specific aging mechanisms including hormone decline, tissue degeneration, immune dysfunction, and cellular senescence. While some peptides demonstrate promising preclinical and clinical evidence, the field remains largely experimental with significant regulatory challenges.
Regulatory Status: The FDA classifies many peptides as "Category 2" substances (banned for compounding) or experimental drugs. Quality control is critical; always verify third-party testing when sourcing research compounds.
¶ Executive Dashboard
¶ 🎯 Browse by Goal
Not sure where to start? Choose your primary objective:
¶ 🩹 Injury & Recovery
Accelerate healing of tendons, ligaments, and soft tissue. See our guide on Preventing Scars & Wound Healing.
Comprehensive Protocol Guide: For detailed clinical instructions on administration routes, tissue-specific targeting, and synergistic "Holy Trinity" stacking, see the full Peptide Administration and Combinations for Regenerative Applications guide.
- BPC-157: The "Body Protection Compound". Best for gut health and nagging injuries.
- TB-500: Systemic healing and flexibility. Often stacked with BPC-157.
- ARA-290: The "Nerve Repair Specialist". Best for neuropathy and nerve regeneration.
¶ 🧠 Cognitive & Neural Health
Enhance memory, focus, and repair neural damage.
- Dihexa: Potent synaptic builder for memory and cognitive recovery.
- Semax: Nootropic for focus, clarity, and stroke recovery.
- Cerluten: Natural bioregulator for long-term brain maintenance and repair.
- Pinealon: Circadian regulator and brain antioxidant.
¶ ⏳ Longevity & Anti-Aging
Restore youthful biological function and protect DNA.
- Epitalon: Telomere restoration and circadian rhythm regulation.
- Thymosin Alpha-1: Immune system modulation and resilience.
- SS-31 (Elamipretide): Mitochondria-targeted antioxidant.
- Endoluten: Natural pineal gland bioregulator for neuroendocrine health.
¶ 💪 Muscle & Metabolism
Optimize body composition and growth hormone levels.
- Tirzepatide: The most potent weight loss peptide (GLP-1/GIP).
- Tesamorelin: FDA-approved for visceral fat reduction.
- Ipamorelin: The "gentle" growth hormone secretagogue.
- MK-677: Oral growth hormone secretagogue.
¶ 📊 Quick Comparison
| Peptide | Best For | Typical Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| Tirzepatide | Weight Loss, Metabolic Health | Weekly (SubQ) |
| BPC-157 | Injuries, Gut Health | Daily (SubQ/Oral) |
| TB-500 | Flexibility, Healing | 2x Week (SubQ) |
| Epitalon | DNA Repair, Sleep | Cyclical (Courses) |
| Semax | Focus, ADHD, Recovery | Daily (Nasal/SubQ) |
| Tesamorelin | Visceral Fat Loss | Daily (SubQ) |
| GHK-Cu | Skin, Hair | Daily (Topical/SubQ) |
| Ipamorelin | Fat Loss, Recovery | Daily (Nightly) |
| SS-31 | Mitochondrial Health | Daily (SubQ) |
¶ Contextual Narrative
¶ The "Why": Biological Software Updates
Peptides are defined as chains of 2-50 amino acids, distinguishing them from larger proteins. Their smaller size enables efficient cellular penetration, rapid clearance, and high target specificity. Unlike synthetic drugs that often introduce foreign mechanisms, peptides typically work by amplifying or modulating existing physiological pathways. This inherent biocompatibility theoretically reduces adverse effects while maintaining therapeutic efficacy.
¶ Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides (GHRPs)
Growth hormone releasing peptides constitute one of the most extensively studied categories of longevity peptides. These compounds stimulate endogenous growth hormone production through direct pituitary gland activation, countering age-related hormone decline.
Key Agents:
- Ipamorelin: Known for its selectivity, triggering GH release without significant cortisol or prolactin spikes.
- CJC-1295: A long-acting GHRH analog often stacked with Ipamorelin.
- Tesamorelin: The most potent agent for visceral fat reduction, FDA-approved for specific indications.
- MK-677: An oral mimetic of ghrelin that provides sustained GH elevation, though with increased appetite as a side effect.
Clinical studies demonstrate improvements in body composition, exercise recovery, and sleep quality, though evidence quality remains moderate due to limited long-term randomized controlled trials in healthy aging populations.
¶ Metabolic and Weight Loss Peptides
This rapidly evolving category includes "incretin mimetics" that target metabolic dysregulation.
- Tirzepatide: The first dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist ("twincretin"), demonstrating up to 26% weight loss in clinical trials. It robustly improves insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles.
- Semaglutide: The foundational GLP-1 agonist (Ozempic/Wegovy) proven to reduce cardiovascular events in non-diabetic adults.
- AOD-9604: A fragment of hGH designed to stimulate fat breakdown (lipolysis) without growth effects. While popular in biohacking, large-scale human trials for obesity were inconclusive.
¶ Tissue Repair and Regeneration
Tissue repair peptides target age-related decline in wound healing and regenerative capacity.
- BPC-157: Derived from gastric juice, it demonstrates remarkable healing properties for tendons, gut lining, and soft tissue in preclinical models.
- TB-500: A synthetic version of Thymosin Beta-4 that promotes angiogenesis and cell migration.
- KPV: A fragment of alpha-MSH that dampens inflammation in the gut and skin via the NF-kB pathway.
These peptides are widely used for "nagging" injuries that fail to heal with standard care, though human RCT data remains sparse compared to animal studies.
¶ Immune Modulating Peptides
Thymosin Alpha-1 represents the most clinically validated longevity peptide. Originally developed for immune deficiency, it enhances T-cell maturation and natural killer cell activity. It is particularly valuable for addressing "immunosenescence"—the age-related decline in immune competence.
LL-37 functions as a "molecular grenade" against bacteria and helps disrupt biofilms, though it must be used with caution in autoimmune conditions.
¶ Cognitive and Neuroprotective Peptides
This category targets neuroplasticity and recovery.
- Cerebrolysin: A porcine-derived neuropeptide mixture with robust evidence for stroke recovery and dementia.
- Semax & Selank: Russian-developed peptides that modulate BDNF and neurotransmitters to enhance focus, memory, and mood.
- Dihexa: An experimental HGF mimetic capable of building new synaptic connections, though its potency warrants caution regarding oncogenic pathways.
- Cerluten: A natural bioregulator for the brain, used to support restoration of CNS function.
¶ Longevity and Cellular Aging
- Epitalon: A synthetic pineal peptide that may activate telomerase and normalize circadian rhythms.
- Endoluten: The natural extract version of pineal peptides, considered the "gold standard" of the Khavinson bioregulators for neuroendocrine aging.
- SS-31 (Elamipretide): Targets the inner mitochondrial membrane to stabilize cardiolipin, improving cellular energy production and reducing oxidative stress.
- FOXO4-DRI: A highly experimental "senolytic" peptide designed to eliminate senescent ("zombie") cells, showing dramatic rejuvenation in mice but lacking human safety data.
¶ Evidence Room
¶ Evidence Quality Assessment
The evidence base for peptides varies wildly.
- High Certainty: Thymosin Alpha-1 (Immune), Semaglutide/Tirzepatide (Metabolic), Tesamorelin (Visceral Fat). These have FDA approvals and large RCTs.
- Moderate Certainty: Cerebrolysin (Stroke/Dementia), GHRPs (Body Comp). Strong clinical signal but sometimes mixed data or specific contexts.
- Low/Very Low Certainty: BPC-157, TB-500, Epitalon. These rely heavily on animal data or limited human trials, despite massive anecdotal popularity.
¶ Safety Considerations
Peptides generally have favorable safety profiles due to rapid clearance, but risks exist:
- Hormonal Desensitization: Overuse of GHRPs can desensitize the pituitary gland.
- Tumor Promotion: Growth factors (GH, TB-500) could theoretically accelerate the growth of existing malignancies.
- Purity: The "grey market" of research chemicals is plagued by under-dosing, impurities, and contamination (e.g., LPS).
- Injection Risks: Infection or scarring from improper subcutaneous injection technique.
¶ Potential Applications
- Primary Longevity: Improving biomarkers of aging (IGF-1, inflammation, metabolic health) to theoretically extend healthspan.
- Adjunctive Therapy: Accelerating recovery from surgery or injury (BPC-157/TB-500) alongside physical therapy.
- Performance: Enhancing cognitive output or physical recovery in high-demand environments.
¶ Full Directory
¶ Guides
- Administration and Combinations: Deep dive on injection techniques, safety, and protocols.
¶ Growth Hormone Secretagogues
Stimulate endogenous Growth Hormone production.
- CJC-1295: Long-acting GHRH analog.
- Ipamorelin: Selective GH secretagogue, minimal side effects.
- Sermorelin: Validated anti-aging GHRH.
- GHRP-2 & GHRP-6: Potent first-gen releasers (strong appetite stimulation).
- Hexarelin: Strongest GH release, cardioprotective.
- Tesamorelin: Visceral fat specialist.
- MK-677 (Ibutamoren): Oral ghrelin mimetic.
¶ Tissue Repair & Protection
Accelerate healing of soft tissue and gut.
- BPC-157: Systemic and local healing (tendons, gut).
- TB-500: Actin-sequestering peptide for flexibility and repair.
- KPV: Anti-inflammatory (gut/skin).
- LL-37: Antimicrobial and wound healing.
¶ Cognitive & Neural
Nootropics and neural repair.
- Cerebrolysin: Potent neurotrophic mixture for repair.
- Semax: Focus and BDNF elevation.
- Selank: Anxiolytic nootropic.
- Dihexa: Synaptogenesis and memory.
- P-21: Neurogenesis promoter.
- Pinealon: Brain bioregulator (circadian/antioxidant).
- Cerluten: Natural brain bioregulator.
- ARA-290: Small fiber neuropathy repair.
¶ Bioregulators
Organ-specific epigenetic modulators.
- Epitalon: Synthetic pineal peptide (Telomeres).
- Endoluten: Natural pineal peptide (Neuroendocrine).
- Khavinson Bioregulators: Master guide to the class.
- Cortagen: Brain-Adrenal axis.
- Glandokort: Adrenal gland.
- Vesugen: Vascular health.
- Svetinorm & Ovagen: Liver health.
¶ Metabolic & Fat Loss
- Tirzepatide: Twincretin for max weight loss.
- Semaglutide: GLP-1 standard.
- AOD-9604: Lipolytic fragment.
- MOTS-c: Mitochondrial exercise mimetic.
¶ Sexual Health
- PT-141: Central libido enhancer.
- Melanotan II: Tanning and arousal (Caution).
¶ Specialized Longevity
- Thymosin Alpha-1: Immune modulation.
- SS-31 (Elamipretide): Mitochondrial rejuvenation.
- GHK-Cu: Copper peptide for skin/DNA.
- Humanin: Cytoprotection.