BPC-157 vs TB-500: Identity, Certificates and Cost per mg

BPC-157 and TB-500 are two unrelated peptides that happen to be sold side by side: BPC-157 is a 15-residue sequence (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, 1419.5 g/mol), while the TB-500 in an ExoLabz vial is the acetylated seven-residue fragment Ac-LKKTETQ (889.0 g/mol) cut from the actin-binding region of thymosin β4. A single mass-spectrometry run separates them, and on list price the cheapest milligram of either comes from the 20mg BPC-157 & TB-500 blend at $8.00 CAD.

What follows is the analyst’s version of the comparison: identity first, then what a certificate has to demonstrate, what the published literature examines at cell and receptor level, which vial size matches which stage of lab work, and a cost table with the division shown. The underlying chemistry is covered in longer articles linked throughout, so this page stays with the side-by-side.

Which molecules are actually on the bench?

The table already answers the most common mix-up: TB-500 as sold for research is not full-length thymosin β4. It is roughly one-sixth of the mass and carries only the LKKTETQ motif. The relationship between the two is laid out in thymosin beta-4 vs the TB-500 fragment.

What does the certificate need to prove for each one?

A certificate answers two separate questions, identity and purity, and the two compounds give an analyst different things to look for.

• BPC-157 identity: an observed [M+H]+ near 1420.5 or a doubly charged ion near 710.8 (average-mass values). Because of the Pro-Pro-Pro stretch, cis/trans isomerism around proline can widen or shoulder the main HPLC peak. A broad peak is therefore not automatically an impurity; the reasoning is in BPC-157 proline cis/trans peak broadening.
• TB-500 identity: an [M+H]+ near 890.0 or [M+2H]2+ near 445.5. A reported mass around 4,963 describes full thymosin β4, a different material. A value about 42 Da light (near 847) points to the sequence without its acetyl group.
• Blend identity: both masses should appear, and the chromatogram should resolve two main components. How purity is expressed for a two-peptide vial is a question of its own, covered in BPC-157 & TB-500 blend composition analysis and multi-peptide blend vial purity.
• Content: HPLC purity is not the same number as peptide content by weight; see net peptide content explained.

On the ExoLabz side, the facts are these: every compound is third-party tested by HPLC with purity testing, peptides are 99%+ purity, certificates are published for some products on the COAs page, and each vial is matched to its certificate by cap and crimp colour. For a line-by-line reading guide, use how to read a peptide certificate of analysis.

What does the published literature examine, and at what level?

BPC-157. Most published in-vitro work uses endothelial cells and fibroblasts in culture. Papers report on VEGFR2 phosphorylation, nitric-oxide pathway markers and FAK–paxillin signalling in migration assays. No dedicated receptor has been characterised, and much of the literature comes from a small number of groups; the limits of the BPC-157 literature sets out what can and cannot be read from it.

TB-500 fragment. Parent thymosin β4 sequesters monomeric (G-) actin, and LKKTETQ is the core of its actin-binding site. Studies of the fragment therefore centre on actin binding and on cell-migration readouts such as scratch assays in cultured cells.

Neither body of work establishes anything beyond the experimental system it was run in, and nothing here should be read as a statement about effects in people or animals.

Which vial size belongs to which stage of the work?

• Method development (setting an HPLC gradient, confirming mass, checking solubility, fixing a reconstitution volume): the BPC-157 5mg and TB-500 5mg vials keep the outlay small while the method is still moving. The peptide concentration calculator helps with the volumes.
• A full run with replicate plates or a long time course: the BPC-157 10mg and TB-500 10mg vials, which cut the TB-500 milligram price by more than a third.
• Co-incubation at a fixed ratio: the 10mg (5+5) blend or 20mg (10+10) blend. The ratio is locked, so a concentration series that varies one compound independently still needs single vials.

An analyst’s footnote on the blends: equal milligrams are not equal molecules. Five milligrams of BPC-157 is 3.52 µmol; five milligrams of the fragment is 5.62 µmol, so the blend carries about 1.6 fragment molecules for every BPC-157 molecule.

What does each milligram cost?

List prices in CAD, divided by the milligrams in the vial. ExoLabz quantity pricing reaches up to 25% off at 10+ vials, applied in the cart; the last column shows the arithmetic at that full 25%.

Measured per micromole rather than per milligram, the order flips: the lighter fragment gives more molecules per dollar. The 10mg TB-500 vial works out to about $8.89 per µmol against roughly $12.92 per µmol for 10mg of BPC-157. The general method is in comparing research peptide prices per milligram, and the full catalogue is on the Canadian price list.

How does the order reach a Canadian lab?

Orders ship from inside Canada and are dispatched within one business day, with free tracked shipping over $200 CAD. Two 20mg blends ($319.98) clear that line; a 10mg BPC-157 plus a 10mg TB-500 ($190.98) falls just under it. Details are on the shipping policy page, and the TB-500 Canada page covers that compound on its own.

Frequently asked questions

Is TB-500 the same as thymosin beta-4?

No. Thymosin β4 is a 43-residue protein of about 4,963 g/mol. TB-500 is its acetylated 17–23 fragment, Ac-LKKTETQ, at 889.0 g/mol.

Can HPLC alone tell BPC-157 from TB-500?

HPLC reports purity and retention, not identity. Mass spectrometry confirms which peptide is in the vial, and here the masses sit more than 500 g/mol apart.

Why might a BPC-157 chromatogram show a broad main peak?

Proline cis/trans isomers interconvert slowly on the column, which can widen or split the peak without any added impurity.

Is the blend cheaper than two single vials?

At list price, yes. The 5+5 blend is $84.99 against $134.98 for a 5mg vial of each; the 10+10 blend is $159.99 against $190.98.

Is there a certificate for every vial?

All products are third-party tested for HPLC purity. Certificates are published for some products on the COAs page, and vials are matched to their certificate by cap and crimp colour.

ExoLabz supplies BPC-157, TB-500 and both blends only for in-vitro laboratory research. They are not for human or veterinary use.