Nothing on this site is intended for human or veterinary use. PeptideBasics101 exists for general awareness: it collects publicly available information from across the internet and keeps it in one place for research and entertainment purposes only. Nothing here is medical advice. Statements here are our summaries of public sources and have not been reviewed or endorsed by the FDA or any regulatory body. This is information gathering, not guidance.

PeptideBasics101

Database

All 58 substances on the site, grouped by type. Each page covers FDA status, clinical trials, doses used in trials, side effects and sources.

Not sure where to start? The research quiz shows what clinical trials studied for each goal.

Peptides

AOD-9604
A modified 16-amino-acid fragment of human growth hormone developed in Australia as an oral anti-obesity drug; its Phase 2b trial failed in 2007, it was never approved, and FDA advisers voted 12–0 in 2024 against adding it to the list of ingredients pharmacies may compound.
none
ARA290 (cibinetide)
An 11-amino-acid peptide modelled on one surface of erythropoietin (EPO), designed to trigger EPO's tissue-protective signalling without raising red-cell counts; studied in small Phase 2 trials in sarcoidosis-related nerve damage and diabetes, never approved, with no new trial started since 2016.
none
BPC-157
A synthetic 15-amino-acid fragment of a gastric juice protein, studied almost entirely in rodents; not FDA approved, placed in 503A Category 2 in 2023, withdrawn from that category in 2026 and now under advisory-committee review.
none
Cagrilintide
An investigational long-acting amylin analogue from Novo Nordisk, studied alone and combined with semaglutide as CagriSema, which is under FDA review. Not yet approved.
investigational
CJC-1295 with DAC
A long-acting GHRH analogue that binds blood albumin after injection, tested in about 60 healthy volunteers in studies published 2006–2009; its only patient trial was stopped after a death, it was never approved, and an FDA advisory committee voted against allowing it in compounding.
none
CJC-1295 without DAC (Modified GRF 1-29)
A 29-amino-acid GHRH analogue with four substitutions and no albumin-binding group; no published human or pharmacology studies, never approved, and not the same molecule as sermorelin or CJC-1295 with DAC.
none
DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide)
A nine-amino-acid peptide isolated from rabbits in Basel in 1977 and studied as a possible sleep factor; small human studies in the 1980s gave mixed results, it is not FDA approved, and an FDA advisory committee voted narrowly against adding it to the compounding list in July 2026.
none
Epithalon (epitalon)
A synthetic four-amino-acid peptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) from Vladimir Khavinson's St Petersburg group, studied for telomerase effects in cell culture and for ageing in rodents; human data are limited to small reports from the same group, it is not FDA approved, and an FDA advisory committee narrowly recommended it for compounding in July 2026 against FDA staff advice.
none
GHK-Cu
A copper-binding tripeptide found naturally in human blood, widely used in cosmetics and studied for skin and wound repair; injectable forms have no approval and were placed in, then withdrawn from, the FDA's 503A Category 2.
none
Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)
The pregnancy hormone, purified from urine or made recombinantly, FDA approved as Pregnyl, Novarel, Ovidrel and generics for ovulation induction, male hypogonadotropic hypogonadism and prepubertal cryptorchidism; its urinary-hCG labels state it has not been shown effective for weight loss, and since March 2020 it is regulated as a biologic that US pharmacies may not compound.
approved
IGF-1 LR3
An engineered 83-amino-acid form of IGF-1, created in Adelaide around 1989 and sold as an ingredient for growing cells in bioreactors; studied only in cells and animals, never tested in a registered human trial, and not the same molecule as the approved drug mecasermin (Increlex).
none
Ipamorelin
A five-amino-acid ghrelin-receptor agonist from Novo Nordisk that releases growth hormone without raising cortisol in animals; its intravenous trials after bowel surgery missed their goals, it was never approved, and it remains in FDA's 503B Category 2.
none
Kisspeptin-10
The shortest fully active piece of kisspeptin, the hormone signal that switches on the brain's reproductive axis; studied in human physiology experiments and small academic trials, never approved, in FDA's 503A Category 2 since 2023, and rejected 11–0 for the compounding list by an FDA advisory committee in 2024.
investigational
KPV
A three-amino-acid fragment of the hormone α-MSH studied for anti-inflammatory effects in mouse models of colitis; no human trials, no approval, and a 503A Category 2 listing that was withdrawn in 2026.
none
Melanotan I (afamelanotide)
A long-acting synthetic copy of the skin-darkening hormone α-MSH, FDA approved since 2019 as the Scenesse implant for sunlight-induced pain in erythropoietic protoporphyria; injectable products sold online as Melanotan I are not Scenesse.
approved
Melanotan II
A cyclic, non-selective melanocortin agonist from the University of Arizona that darkened skin and triggered erections in small 1990s studies; never approved anywhere, sold illegally as a tanning product, and the subject of repeated regulator warnings.
none
MOTS-c
A 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, studied mainly in mice for effects on metabolism and exercise capacity; not approved anywhere, withdrawn from FDA's 503A Category 2 in 2026 and narrowly backed by an FDA advisory panel for compounding, with the first placebo-controlled human trial of the peptide started in 2026.
none
Oxytocin acetate
The nine-amino-acid pituitary hormone behind labour contractions and milk let-down, first synthesised in 1953; FDA approved as Pitocin and generic injections for medically indicated labour induction and postpartum bleeding, while intranasal use for autism and other conditions remains research and a 290-participant autism trial was negative.
approved
PT-141 (bremelanotide)
A melanocortin receptor agonist closely related to Melanotan II, FDA approved in June 2019 as Vyleesi, an as-needed injection for acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women.
approved
Retatrutide
An investigational once-weekly triple agonist of the GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors from Eli Lilly, with Phase 3 obesity results published in 2026. Not approved anywhere.
investigational
Selank
A synthetic seven-amino-acid analogue of the immune peptide tuftsin, registered in Russia in 2009 as anxiolytic nasal drops; not FDA approved, and removed from the FDA's 503A Category 2 in 2024 after its nominator said it had meant to nominate a different substance.
none
Semaglutide
A GLP-1 receptor agonist (weekly injection or daily tablet), approved for type 2 diabetes, chronic weight management, cardiovascular and kidney risk reduction, and MASH.
approved
Semax
A synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide built from a fragment of the hormone ACTH and registered in Russia as nasal drops; not FDA approved, withdrawn from the FDA's 503A Category 2 in 2026, then narrowly recommended for the compounding list by an FDA advisory committee against FDA staff advice.
none
Snap-8 (acetyl octapeptide-3)
A synthetic eight-amino-acid cosmetic peptide, an extended version of argireline, sold as a skin-care ingredient; the evidence is mostly in-vitro and manufacturer data, and it is not an FDA-approved drug.
none
Somatropin (recombinant human growth hormone)
Lab-made human growth hormone, a 191-amino-acid protein FDA approved since 1987 for growth failure in children and growth hormone deficiency in adults; regulated as a biologic since 2020, and US federal law makes distributing it for any other use a felony.
approved
SS-31 (elamipretide)
A four-amino-acid peptide that binds cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane; granted FDA accelerated approval as Forzinity in September 2025 to improve muscle strength in Barth syndrome, while trials in primary mitochondrial myopathy and dry macular degeneration have missed or not yet reported their primary endpoints.
approved
TB-500 (thymosin β4 fragment)
A synthetic 7-amino-acid piece of the natural protein thymosin β4; the clinical trials belong to full-length thymosin β4, not to TB-500, which has no genuine human trial of its own and no approval anywhere.
none
Tesamorelin
A growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue, FDA approved since 2010 as Egrifta to reduce excess abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, and regulated as a biologic since 2020.
approved
Thymalin
A polypeptide extract of calf thymus developed in the Soviet Union, registered by the USSR Ministry of Health in 1982 and still registered in Russia as an immunomodulator; a mixture rather than a single molecule, not FDA approved, and studied in humans almost entirely by its developers.
none
Thymosin alpha-1 (thymalfasin)
A 28-amino-acid acetylated thymic peptide approved as Zadaxin in China, Italy and other countries, mainly for hepatitis B and as an immune adjuvant; not FDA approved, and an FDA advisory committee voted 17 to 4 against adding it to the compounding list in December 2024.
none
Tirzepatide
A once-weekly dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, approved for type 2 diabetes (adults and children 10 and older), cardiovascular risk reduction in type 2 diabetes, chronic weight management and obstructive sleep apnoea.
approved

Blends

BPC-157 + TB-500
A two-peptide mixture of BPC-157 and TB-500 sold as a research product; neither peptide is approved anywhere, no clinical trial has tested the pair, and the one controlled animal study found no added effect over either peptide alone.
none
CJC-1295 (no DAC) + Ipamorelin
A two-peptide mix of Modified GRF (1-29) and the ghrelin-receptor agonist ipamorelin; neither ingredient is an approved drug, an FDA advisory committee voted against both for pharmacy compounding, and no study has tested the pair together.
none
GLOW blend (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu)
A seller-named mixture of three unapproved peptides, BPC-157, TB-500 and the copper peptide GHK-Cu; no study in animals or people has tested the three together, and what goes into a vial varies by seller and is not standardised.
none
Healthy Hair, Skin & Nails blend
A seller-named mixture of B-vitamins, biotin, choline and inositol, sometimes with collagen peptides or keratin; no study has tested the mixture, the hair and nail evidence for its ingredients comes from deficiency cases and small industry-linked studies, and amounts vary by seller.
none
KLOW blend (KPV + BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu)
A seller-named mixture of four unapproved peptides, KPV, BPC-157, TB-500 and GHK-Cu; no study in animals or people has tested the four together, and what goes into a vial varies by seller and is not standardised.
none
Lemon Bottle
A South Korean solution marketed for 'fat dissolving' and injected in aesthetic settings; its distributor calls it a cosmetic, Swissmedic classes the injected product as an unauthorised medicine, the FDA has called it an unapproved new drug, and no clinical trial has been registered.
none
Lipo-C (MIC + L-carnitine)
A compounded 'lipotropic' injection of methionine, inositol and choline (MIC) with L-carnitine, widely made by pharmacies and sold for fat loss; the four ingredients each qualify for compounding on their own, but no trial has tested the mixture and its fat-loss idea rests on animal liver studies.
none
Lipo-C Fat Blaster
A seller-named version of the compounded MIC lipotropic injection, methionine, inositol and choline with L-carnitine and added B-vitamins; the ingredients each qualify for compounding on their own, no trial has tested the mixture, and the 'fat blaster' name describes a marketing claim, not a result.
none
Lipo-C with B12
The compounded MIC lipotropic injection, methionine, inositol and choline with L-carnitine and B-vitamins, plus vitamin B12; B12 is an approved drug for B12 deficiency, not for weight, no trial has tested the mixture, and amounts vary by compounder.
none
Relaxation blend
A seller-named sleep mixture of GABA, melatonin, arginine and glutamine, sometimes with the peptides DSIP or Selank; despite the 'peptide' label most versions are amino acids and a hormone, no study has tested the mixture, and amounts vary by seller.
none
Super Human blend
A seller-named five-peptide mixture of BPC-157, TB-500, CJC-1295, ipamorelin and GHK-Cu; none is an approved drug, FDA advisory committees have voted against two of them for compounding, the only combination study is a rat experiment of two of the five, and amounts vary by seller.
none

Neurotoxins

Vitamins & other compounds

5-Amino-1MQ
A small-molecule inhibitor of the enzyme NNMT (not a peptide), studied only in cells and mice, where it reduced fat mass in diet-induced obesity; no human trial has been registered, nothing containing it is approved, and it does not appear on any FDA 503A compounding list.
none
Glutathione
A three-amino-acid peptide made in nearly every cell. Reduced glutathione is not the active ingredient of any FDA-approved drug, has been the subject of FDA alerts over contaminated compounded injections in 2019 and 2026, and is not approved for skin lightening by the US or Philippine FDA.
investigational
L-Carnitine (levocarnitine)
A small molecule that carries fatty acids into mitochondria; FDA approved as Carnitor for carnitine deficiency, and studied in male fertility, exercise and cardiovascular research with mixed results.
approved
Lidocaine (topical, including high-concentration numbing creams)
An amide local anesthetic approved in the US since 1948; over-the-counter skin pain relievers are limited to 0.5–4%, the strongest approved skin products found contain 7–10%, and FDA has repeatedly warned about far stronger numbing creams sold for cosmetic procedures.
approved
NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)
A coenzyme present in every living cell. No FDA-approved NAD+ drug exists; injectable NAD+ in the US is compounded, and published human data on infusing NAD+ itself are thin.
none
SLU-PP-332
A small-molecule activator of the ERR family of nuclear receptors (not a peptide), called an exercise mimetic because it increased running endurance and reduced fat gain in mice; no human trial has been registered, nothing containing it is approved, and it does not appear on any FDA 503A compounding list.
none
Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin / methylcobalamin)
A cobalt-containing vitamin. Cyanocobalamin injection is a long-standing FDA-approved drug for B12 deficiency, including pernicious anemia; methylcobalamin injections in the US are compounded and not FDA approved.
approved

Supplies

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