# PeptideBasics101

> Plain-English and scientific reference pages on peptides and related substances: doses used in trials, results so far, FDA approval and compounding status, storage, side effects, patents and primary sources. Informational only: not for human or veterinary use, not medical advice. Every page cites its sources.

## Substances
- [5-Amino-1MQ](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [AbobotulinumtoxinA](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/abobotulinumtoxina/): The botulinum toxin type A product approved in the United States as Dysport for cervical dystonia, glabellar lines and spasticity, with potency Units specific to this preparation and a boxed warning for distant spread of toxin effect. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 4.
- [Acetic acid solution (dilute)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/acetic-acid/): The simple acid of vinegar, found in peptide chemistry as the acetate counter-ion of most approved peptide drugs and, dilute, as a laboratory solvent; FDA-approved only in ear-drop and bladder-irrigation products, with no approved injectable or peptide-dissolving use. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 0.
- [AOD-9604](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 2.
- [ARA290 (cibinetide)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/ara290/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 4.
- [Bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/bacteriostatic-water/): Sterile water for injection preserved with benzyl alcohol, FDA-approved only as a diluent for other injectable drugs; not a medicine in its own right, and labelled not for use in neonates. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 0.
- [BPC-157](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 2.
- [BPC-157 + TB-500](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/blend-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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Cagrilintide](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: investigational; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 5.
- [CJC-1295 (no DAC) + Ipamorelin](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/blend-cjc-1295-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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [CJC-1295 with DAC](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/cjc-1295-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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 4.
- [CJC-1295 without DAC (Modified GRF 1-29)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/cjc-1295-no-dac/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/dsip/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Epithalon (epitalon)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/epithalon/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [GHK-Cu](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [GLOW blend (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/blend-glow/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Glutathione](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: investigational; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 3.
- [IGF-1 LR3](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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). FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Ipamorelin](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Kisspeptin-10](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: investigational; 503A compounding: category-2; trials catalogued: 5.
- [KLOW blend (KPV + BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/blend-klow/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [KPV](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [L-Carnitine (levocarnitine)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/l-carnitine/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Lemon Bottle](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [LetibotulinumtoxinA](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/letibotulinumtoxina/): The botulinum toxin type A from Hugel approved in the United States in February 2024 as Letybo for glabellar lines, with a boxed warning for distant spread of toxin effect; the same toxin sold abroad as Botulax is not an FDA-approved product. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Melanotan I (afamelanotide)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/melanotan-1/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 4.
- [Melanotan II](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/melanotan-2/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 3.
- [MOTS-c](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 2.
- [NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/nad-plus/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 4.
- [OnabotulinumtoxinA](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/onabotulinumtoxina/): The botulinum toxin type A product approved in the United States as Botox and Botox Cosmetic, with potency Units specific to this preparation and a boxed warning for distant spread of toxin effect. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 4.
- [Oxytocin acetate](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/oxytocin/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 2.
- [PrabotulinumtoxinA](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/prabotulinumtoxina/): The botulinum toxin type A made by Daewoong and approved in the United States in February 2019 as Jeuveau for glabellar lines, with a boxed warning for distant spread of toxin effect; the same toxin sold abroad as Nabota is not an FDA-approved product. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 3.
- [PT-141 (bremelanotide)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/pt-141/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Retatrutide](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/retatrutide/): An investigational once-weekly triple agonist of the GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptors from Eli Lilly, with Phase 3 obesity results reported in 2025–2026. Not approved anywhere. FDA approval: investigational; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 6.
- [Selank](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Semaglutide](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 6.
- [Semax](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [SLU-PP-332](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Snap-8 (acetyl octapeptide-3)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/snap-8/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Somatropin (recombinant human growth hormone)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/hgh/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 4.
- [SS-31 (elamipretide)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/ss-31/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 6.
- [Sterile water for injection](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/sterile-water/): Solute-free, preservative-free water for injection in single-dose containers, FDA-approved only as a diluent for other injectable drugs; hypotonic, and labelled as haemolytic if given intravenously without a solute. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: not-applicable; trials catalogued: 0.
- [TB-500 (thymosin β4 fragment)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/tb-500/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 5.
- [Tesamorelin](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Thymalin](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 0.
- [Thymosin alpha-1 (thymalfasin)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/thymosin-alpha-1/): 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. FDA approval: none; 503A compounding: unknown; trials catalogued: 3.
- [Tirzepatide](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 6.
- [Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin / methylcobalamin)](https://peptidebasics101.com/substances/vitamin-b12/): 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. FDA approval: approved; 503A compounding: restricted; trials catalogued: 2.

## Other pages
- [Sergeant Pep](https://peptidebasics101.com/sgt-pep/): the site assistant and its limits.
- [Terms, sourcing and privacy](https://peptidebasics101.com/terms/)