Molecule guides
BPC-157 + TB-500 (Wolverine Blend): Composition, Molar Arithmetic and Certificate Checks
Two unrelated repair-model peptides in one vial: what each contributes, the molar mismatch a 1:1 mass ratio hides, and how a blend certificate must be written.
Key facts
- Purity: ≥99% by HPLC per component; lot-matched COA available
- Form: Co-lyophilized powder blend, sealed glass vial
- Storage: −20 °C, sealed and protected from light and moisture
- Available sizes: 10 mg · (5/5) · 20 mg · (10/10)
Sold as BPC-157 + TB-500 and nicknamed the Wolverine blend, this product puts two unrelated repair-model peptides into a single freeze-dried vial in equal weights. One is BPC-157, the 15-amino-acid gastric pentadecapeptide; the other is TB-500, a 7-amino-acid, N-acetylated fragment carrying the actin-binding region of thymosin beta-4. The 10 mg vial contains 5 mg of each peptide and the 20 mg vial 10 mg of each. It exists because a number of published repair protocols run both sequences together, and combining them saves a reconstitution step, a septum puncture and a chance to make a pipetting mistake.
The trade-off is a problem single vials do not have: the same weight of two peptides is not the same number of molecules. Below we cover what each component is, how differently they work, why the ratio needs a calculation, and what a proper certificate for a two-peptide product looks like. The Wolverine blend is sold for laboratory research only.
The two peptides and why they are paired
BPC-157 (sometimes expanded as "body protection compound") is a 15-residue sequence taken from a protein originally isolated from human gastric juice. Structurally it has no close relatives in our catalogue. Most of its literature comes from rodent models of gut, tendon and blood-vessel injury, with reported effects on new vessel formation, on expression of growth-factor receptors and on nitric oxide signalling.
TB-500 is a different kind of molecule entirely. It is a heptapeptide, acetylated at the N-terminus, corresponding to the actin-binding motif of thymosin beta-4 — a 43-amino-acid protein that is the principal store of monomeric G-actin in mammalian cells. Research on it concentrates on cytoskeleton dynamics, cell migration, and repair models in the heart and cornea. Keep in mind that it is only a fragment: full-length thymosin beta-4 is sold separately and has a literature of its own.
What pairs these two is habit rather than shared biology. They turn up in the same kinds of injury models but act on different pathways — and that is precisely the argument for combining them. Repair researchers suggest that angiogenesis and growth-factor effects on one side, and migration and cytoskeletal effects on the other, address separate parts of one healing process. No published study has settled whether the combination adds anything over either peptide on its own, so an experiment asking that question has to include arms with each peptide alone.
Why the ratio arithmetic matters
The blend is equal by mass. Since BPC-157 has a mass of 1419.55 g/mol while TB-500 weighs 889.02 g/mol, the same weight contains different numbers of molecules. In a 10 mg vial, the 5 mg of BPC-157 is about 3.52 micromoles and the 5 mg of TB-500 is about 5.62 micromoles — around 60% more TB-500 on a molar basis. For mass-based readouts this is irrelevant; for receptor-level work or molar comparisons it is a genuine imbalance and should be stated in the methods, not passed over.
This is a property of every equal-weight blend, not a defect of this particular one, and it is one of the main reasons some labs prefer to buy the peptides separately. The trade-offs are discussed in depth in our guide to peptide blends versus single vials.
Proposed mechanisms of each component
BPC-157
Reported mechanisms include enhanced VEGFR2 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2) signalling with accompanying angiogenesis, effects on the nitric oxide system, and altered growth-factor expression in injured tissue. In rodent tendon and gut injury models, studies describe quicker healing and stronger repaired tissue. No receptor for BPC-157 has been identified, and much of what is said about its mechanism is deduced from downstream pathway measurements rather than direct binding studies.
TB-500
TB-500's seven residues contain the actin-binding motif of thymosin beta-4. By holding G-actin, the motif changes how much monomer is free for building filaments, which in turn affects how cells move — the mechanism most often cited for the migration and repair results. Whether this short piece reproduces what the full 43-residue protein does remains open; our article on why a fragment is not the entire protein looks at that question.
All of this evidence is preclinical. Neither peptide is approved for any use, and neither has a substantive record of controlled trials in humans.
Formats and sizes
We offer the Wolverine blend freeze-dried in two sizes: 10 mg (5 mg per peptide, USD 130) and 20 mg (10 mg per peptide, USD 230). The two peptides are made and purified independently, each to 99% or better, and only then mixed and freeze-dried together — which is why the certificate reports on each peptide separately instead of describing the mixture as one substance.
Other multi-peptide options are the KLOW blend (four components) and the GLOW blend (three), found together under recovery blends. Each component is also sold on its own, for studies that need to vary the two concentrations independently.
Reconstitution and storage in the lab
For a blend, you simply do the single-peptide sum twice. Dissolving a 10 mg vial in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives 5 mg/mL of peptide overall — 2.5 mg/mL BPC-157 plus 2.5 mg/mL TB-500. A 0.1 mL draw (the 10-unit line on a U-100 syringe) therefore contains 500 mcg in total, 250 mcg of each, or in moles about 176 nanomoles of BPC-157 and about 281 nanomoles of TB-500. Recording both component values, not just the combined mass, is what allows someone else to reproduce a blend experiment.
Both components go into aqueous diluent without difficulty. Run the liquid gently down the side of the vial, swirl instead of shaking, and make sure everything has dissolved and the solution is clear. Keep unopened vials at −20 °C away from light and moisture; keep reconstituted solution in the fridge, divided into aliquots so the same container is not repeatedly warmed and chilled. The reconstitution and storage guides give the full procedures.
Reading a certificate for a blend
A two-peptide product needs a two-peptide certificate — and this is the area where blends are most often sold with misleading paperwork. For this blend, our certificate reports BPC-157 and TB-500 individually: separate purity values, separate chromatograms and separate mass confirmations, all linked to the vial's lot number. Check three things.
First, confirm there really are two data sets. A single purity value for a mixture tells you nothing: the chromatogram of a blend should show two major peaks, and a simplistic area calculation on it would give roughly 50%. Second, check both masses — 1419.55 g/mol for BPC-157 and 889.02 g/mol for TB-500 including its acetyl group. Third, make sure the ratio is stated as a specification with a tolerance, not simply assumed; it is set when the peptides are mixed, and it is the one property a buyer cannot check by looking at the vial. Our COA reading guide explains the analytical methods involved.
Regulatory position
Neither peptide is an authorised medicine in the EU, the US or any other market, and the blend is not a food supplement or a routinely available compounded preparation. BPC-157 in particular has come under regulatory scrutiny in the compounding sector in recent years.
Related compounds and further reading
A side-by-side mechanistic comparison is in BPC-157 vs TB-500. For background on how multi-peptide recovery products are formulated and where their ratios come from, read our article on how recovery blends are composed.
Matching catalogue section: Recovery Blends
Questions
What does the Wolverine blend contain?
Two peptides freeze-dried together in equal weights in a single vial. BPC-157 is a 15-residue fragment of a protein from gastric juice (1419.55 g/mol); TB-500 is the seven-residue, N-acetylated actin-binding fragment of thymosin beta-4 (889.02 g/mol). There are 5 mg of each in the 10 mg vial and 10 mg of each in the 20 mg vial.
Does a 1:1 blend hold the same quantity of both peptides?
Equal by weight, unequal by moles. In the 10 mg vial, 5 mg of BPC-157 is about 3.52 micromoles, whereas 5 mg of TB-500 is about 5.62 micromoles — roughly 60% more. That does not matter for mass-based readouts, but any molar comparison should note the difference in the methods.
What is the rationale for combining them?
The repair literature proposes that they act on separate parts of a single process — BPC-157 via angiogenesis and growth-factor signalling, TB-500 via actin dynamics and cell movement. It has not been established that the two together do more than either alone, so studies testing that need arms with each peptide on its own.
Are the two peptides related?
No. They come from different parent proteins, have different lengths, share no sequence similarity and act on different pathways. The only link is that both appear in the same kinds of injury models; regarding one as a version of the other is a common misunderstanding in this part of the catalogue.
How should the certificate for a blend be read?
Separate results for each peptide — its own purity value, chromatogram and mass confirmation, tied to the vial's lot. A single purity number for the mixture is meaningless, because a blend's chromatogram is supposed to show two major peaks. Look for 1419.55 g/mol for BPC-157 and 889.02 g/mol for acetylated TB-500, and check that the ratio is specified with a tolerance.
What is the reconstitution calculation?
Do the single-peptide calculation twice. With 2 mL of bacteriostatic water in a 10 mg vial you get 5 mg/mL overall, i.e. 2.5 mg/mL per peptide. A 0.1 mL draw — 10 units on a U-100 syringe — holds 500 mcg in total, 250 mcg of each, which is roughly 176 nanomoles of BPC-157 and 281 nanomoles of TB-500.
Does TB-500 equal thymosin beta-4?
No. TB-500 is a seven-amino-acid fragment containing the actin-binding motif of thymosin beta-4, which is a 43-amino-acid protein. The literature has not settled whether the fragment behaves like the whole protein, and we list full-length thymosin beta-4 separately for work that needs the complete molecule.
Is the Wolverine blend approved or otherwise authorised?
Neither component is an approved medicine anywhere, and the blend is neither a food supplement nor a generally available compounded preparation. BPC-157 in particular has attracted regulatory scrutiny in the compounding context.