In Chang 2011 and follow-up rodent work, BPC-157 accelerated rat Achilles transection healing and increased fibroblast outgrowth from tendon explants. Hsieh 2017 implicated VEGFR2 internalization and the pro-angiogenic Akt-eNOS pathway as the mechanism. The animal literature is large and consistent, but as of 2026 no peer-reviewed human RCT on tendon repair has been published — clinical evidence is confined to case series and self-report.
0 human studies · 12 animal studies
Rat Achilles transection studies report load-to-failure recovery roughly 30–50% faster vs. saline controls.
In vitro fibroblast outgrowth from tendon explants is increased at low nanomolar concentrations.
Mechanism appears partly mediated by VEGFR2 internalization and outside-in signaling.
No randomized human tendon-healing trial has been published.
Top citations
Chang 2011 — Rat Achilles transection model
Hsieh 2017 — VEGFR2 / pro-angiogenic mechanism
Sikiric 2018 — Mechanism review
Our take
The animal data is consistent enough that we expect the effect is real, but anyone telling you human evidence is settled is overstating it.