Tissue Repair

Overview

Tissue-repair research examines how small peptides and cytokines accelerate the resolution phase of wound healing in tendon, ligament, muscle, gut mucosa, and skin. The most-studied agents in this category are the body-protective compound BPC-157 (a synthetic pentadecapeptide derived from human gastric juice) and Thymosin Beta-4 (TB-500), an actin-sequestering peptide present in nearly every mammalian cell. Both are investigational in humans, with the bulk of efficacy data drawn from rodent injury models. In parallel, copper-binding tripeptides (GHK-Cu) and the cathelicidin LL-37 are studied for their effects on dermal extracellular matrix turnover, fibroblast recruitment, and antimicrobial defense of compromised skin. Across the category, the unifying biology is a shift from inflammation toward proliferation and remodeling -- driven by angiogenesis, growth-factor receptor upregulation, and modulation of nitric-oxide tone.