# Online Wolverine — References for the BPC-157 + TB-500 literature

> Full citation list for the BPC-157 + TB-500 research literature with DOIs, PubMed IDs, and direct links to the open-access full texts where available.

Nineteen entries — Sikiric-lab rodent studies, Kleinman/Goldstein thymosin-β4 work, the 2025 reviews, and the IBD program — with DOIs and PubMed links.

## How this list is organized

Entries are numbered in the order they first appear across /index, /research, and /dosage. Each citation includes the full author list as published, the journal, the year, the DOI, and a direct link to the PubMed, PMC, or publisher landing page. Open-access full texts are linked through PMC where available; otherwise the PubMed abstract page serves as the canonical entry. The BPC-157 corpus is concentrated in the Sikiric-lab program in Zagreb and is a recurring discussion point in the 2025 reviews; the thymosin beta-4 corpus is led by the Kleinman and Goldstein groups and includes the largest body of human ophthalmic-trial evidence in either compound.

## Editorial note on the BPC-157 corpus

A large fraction of the published BPC-157 preclinical literature originates from the Predrag Sikiric and Sven Seiwerth laboratory in Zagreb. The 2025 scoping review by McGuire and colleagues explicitly noted the concentration of authorship in this single group and the comparatively sparse independent replication outside it [16]. Readers evaluating the strength of the evidence should weigh that pattern alongside the consistency of the reported outcomes.

## Editorial note on the TB-500 / Tβ4 corpus

Most of the cited literature uses full-length thymosin beta-4 rather than the TB-500 LKKTETQ fragment. Where the cited paper used full Tβ4, the citation entry below notes that explicitly. Inferences from the full-peptide literature to the fragment are mechanistic, not direct.

## References

[1] Krivic A, Anic T, Seiwerth S, Huljev D, Sikiric P. Achilles detachment in rat and stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157: promoted tendon-to-bone healing and opposed corticosteroid aggravation. J Orthop Res. 2006;24(5):982-989. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16583442/
[2] Cerovecki T, Bojanic I, Brcic L, Radic B, Vukoja I, Seiwerth S, Sikiric P. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (PL 14736) improves ligament healing in the rat. J Orthop Res. 2010;28(9):1155-1161. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20225319/
[3] Novinscak T, Brcic L, Staresinic M, Jukic I, Radic B, Pevec D, et al. Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 as an effective therapy for muscle crush injury in the rat. Surg Today. 2008;38(8):716-725. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18668315/
[4] Hsieh MJ, Lee CH, Chueh HY, Chang GJ, Huang HY, Lin Y, Pang JS. Modulatory effects of BPC 157 on vasomotor tone and the activation of Src-Caveolin-1-endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway. Sci Rep. 2020;10:17078. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7555539/
[5] Chang CH, Tsai WC, Hsu YH, Pang JS. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 enhances the growth hormone receptor expression in tendon fibroblasts. Molecules. 2014;19(11):19066-19077. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6271067/
[6] Duzel A, Vlainic J, Antunovic M, et al. Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in the treatment of colitis and ischemia and reperfusion in rats: new insights. World J Gastroenterol. 2017;23(48):8465-8488. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29358856/
[7] Tohyama Y, Sikirić P, Diksic M. Effects of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on regional serotonin synthesis in the rat brain: alpha-methyl-L-tryptophan autoradiographic measurements. Life Sci. 2004;76(3):345-357. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15531385/
[8] Sikiric P, Seiwerth S, Brcic L, Blagaic AB, Zoricic I, Sever M, et al. Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in trials for inflammatory bowel disease (PL-10, PLD-116, PL 14736, Pliva, Croatia). Full and distended stomach, and vascular response. Inflammopharmacology. 2006;14(5-6):214-221. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17186181/
[9] Bock-Marquette I, Saxena A, White MD, DiMaio JM, Srivastava D. Thymosin beta4 activates integrin-linked kinase and promotes cardiac cell migration, survival and cardiac repair. Nature. 2004;432(7016):466-472. (Full-length Tβ4, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15565145/
[10] Smart N, Risebro CA, Melville AA, Moses K, Schwartz RJ, Chien KR, Riley PR. Thymosin beta4 induces adult epicardial progenitor mobilization and neovascularization. Nature. 2007;445(7124):177-182. (Full-length Tβ4, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17108969/
[11] Morris DC, Chopp M, Zhang L, Lu M, Zhang ZG. Thymosin β4 improves functional neurological outcome in a rat model of embolic stroke. Neuroscience. 2010;169(2):674-682. (Full-length Tβ4, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2907184/
[12] Philp D, Goldstein AL, Kleinman HK. Thymosin beta4 promotes angiogenesis, wound healing, and hair follicle development. Mech Ageing Dev. 2004;125(2):113-115. (Full-length Tβ4, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15037013/
[13] Philp D, Nguyen M, Scheremeta B, St-Surin S, Villa AM, Orgel A, Kleinman HK, Elkin M. Thymosin beta4 increases hair growth by activation of hair follicle stem cells. FASEB J. 2004;18(2):385-387. (Full-length Tβ4, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14657002/
[14] Sosne G, Kleinman HK, Springs C, Gross RH, Sung J, Kang S. 0.1% RGN-259 (Thymosin β4) ophthalmic solution promotes healing and improves comfort in neurotrophic keratopathy patients in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-masked Phase III clinical trial. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;24(1):554. (Full-length Tβ4 formulation, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9820614/
[15] Sosne G, Dunn SP, Kim C. Thymosin β4 significantly improves signs and symptoms of severe dry eye in a Phase 2 randomized trial. Cornea. 2015;34(5):491-496. (Full-length Tβ4 formulation, not TB-500 fragment.) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25826322/
[16] McGuire FP, Martinez R, Lenz A, Skinner L, Cushman DM. Regeneration or Risk? A Narrative Review of BPC-157 for Musculoskeletal Healing. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12446177/
[17] Jozwiak M, Bauer M, Kamysz W, Kleczkowska P. Multifunctionality and possible medical application of the BPC 157 peptide — literature and patent review. Pharmaceuticals. 2025;18(2):185. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/2/185
[18] Jozwiak M, Bauer M, Kamysz W, Kleczkowska P (reply); Sikiric P et al. (comment). Reply to Sikiric et al. BPC 157 therapy: targeting angiogenesis and nitric oxide's cytotoxic and damaging actions, but maintaining, promoting, or recovering their essential protective functions. Comment on Jozwiak et al. Pharmaceuticals. 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12567171/
[19] HSS Journal contributors. Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review. HSS J. 2025. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15563316251355551
[20] Mendias CL, Awan TM. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports Med. 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41966639/
[21] Goldstein AL, Hannappel E, Sosne G, Kleinman HK. Thymosin beta4: a multi-functional regenerative peptide. Basic properties and clinical applications. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22074294/
[22] Cha HJ, Jeong MJ, Kleinman HK. Role of thymosin beta4 in tumor metastasis and angiogenesis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2003. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14625258/
[23] Ho ENM, et al. Doping control analysis of TB-500, a synthetic version of an active region of thymosin beta4, in equine urine and plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A. 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23084823/
[24] Esposito S, et al. Synthesis and characterization of the N-terminal acetylated 17-23 fragment of thymosin beta 4 identified in TB-500, a product suspected to possess doping potential. Drug Test Anal. 2012. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22962027/
[25] Ruff D, et al. A randomized, placebo-controlled, single and multiple dose study of intravenous thymosin beta4 in healthy volunteers. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20536472/
[26] et al. A first-in-human, randomized, double-blind, single- and multiple-dose, phase I study of recombinant human thymosin beta4 in healthy Chinese volunteers. J Cell Mol Med. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34346165/

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An editorial reading of the published research — not a clinic, not a vendor, not medical guidance.