Wolverine peptide: what the BPC-157 / TB-500 blend vial actually contains

There is no peptide called Wolverine.

The name is a nickname, borrowed from a comic-book character, that forums attached to the pairing of two research peptides, BPC-157 and TB-500.

Supplied as one vial holding both, the pairing is a "blend"; the same two compounds can also be ordered as two separate vials. In Europe the pair ships as two vials (see below).

The three blends built from these peptides are compared in KLOW vs GLOW vs Wolverine; in the EU catalog, the four-peptide KLOW peptide is the blend that ships.

BPC-157 is a fragment of a protein found in gastric juice, made synthetically since the early 1990s.

TB-500 is the seven-residue actin-binding segment (residues 17 to 23) of the 43-residue protein thymosin β4; some suppliers sell the full 43-residue protein (4,963 Da) under the same name, and the mass on the certificate tells the two apart.

Both are made by solid-phase synthesis, purified by preparative HPLC and supplied as lyophilized acetate salts. Research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.

Further reading: Thymosin alpha-1.

The blend is one lyophilized vial holding both peptides in equal mass, weighed separately and freeze-dried together.

Equal mass is not equal molar amount: 5 mg of BPC-157 (1,419.5 g/mol) is 3.5 micromoles, 5 mg of TB-500 (889.0 g/mol) is 5.6 micromoles, a molar ratio of about 1 : 1.6.

The certificate reports the two masses; a laboratory that needs the molar ratio derives it from them.

Both peptides are white, so the cake is white and there is no color test as there is for the copper-containing GLOW blend (which adds 50 mg of GHK-Cu to the same two peptides).

Ten milligrams of peptide is a thin white film at the bottom of a 3 mL vial; a thick layer means a bulking excipient was added, which is acceptable only if the certificate states the net peptide content.

The label reads both names, the total quantity and "research use only".

Further reading: ARA-290 (cibinetide) data sheet.

HPLC: two main peaks, two purity figures

On reverse-phase HPLC the two peptides elute at different retention times, and the chromatogram shows two main peaks.

The laboratory identifies each against its reference standard and reports a purity figure per component, from the area of that peak against its own impurities.

A certificate that prints one "99 %" for the vial has averaged two numbers and hides which peptide is under specification.

Mass spectrometry: two expected masses

TB-500 appears as the singly charged ion at m/z 889.5 [M+H]⁺; BPC-157 as m/z 1,419.7 [M+H]⁺ or 710.4 [M+2H]²⁺ (monoisotopic values).

Some laboratories offer this spectrum as an option; when it is run, both must be present.

A mass around 4,963 means the full thymosin β4 protein was used instead of the seven-residue fragment; a missing mass means a missing component.

What else must be on the page

• The laboratory's name and a verifiable test number (Janoshik Analytical is the reference in this market).
• The lot number, with the task number and verification key the laboratory confirms.
• The test date and a photograph of the tested vial wearing the supplier's label. A certificate for a bare manufacturer's vial says nothing about the finished product.

The OXpeptides Janoshik reports (Retatrutide and GHK-Cu) are in the COA library; the BPC-157 and TB-500 product pages set out the sequences, the vial sizes and the live prices.

The field-by-field reading is in how to read a peptide COA.

Further reading: the CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin blend.

In Europe, BPC-157 and TB-500 ship as two separate 10 mg vials in the same parcel: BPC-157 10 mg at €54.90 (€5.49/mg) and TB-500 10 mg at €76.90 (€7.69/mg). The pre-mixed blend vial is not shipped to European addresses at the moment, so a BPC-157 and TB-500 order from the EU is two separate vials, not the blend.

Two vials change three things compared with the blend.

• Two separate vials, each in its own size. Each vial has its own label, naming its compound and its mass in mg, so the BPC-157 and the TB-500 are never confused.
• Any ratio. The blend fixes the two peptides at equal mass, about 1 : 1.6 in moles. Separate vials leave the proportion to the laboratory, which is why laboratories that study both compounds usually order them apart.
• Separate stock. One peptide can run out while the other is still available. The product pages show the live stock of each size; a size at zero has no price and cannot be added to the cart.

Both vials leave our EU stock in the same parcel, with tracking, and arrive in 4 to 6 working days.

Shipping is €9.90, free from €120 of products, and the parcel stays inside the European Union, so there is no customs duty on arrival. Unopened vials can be returned within 30 days.

The two compounds side by side, with what each certificate shows, are compared in BPC-157 vs TB-500. Research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.

See BPC-157 in the catalog →
See TB-500 in the catalog →

Further reading: BPC-157 buying guide and TB-500 buying guide.

• Temperature: −20 °C for long-term storage, in the sealed vial, away from light and moisture.
• Light and moisture: keep the vial sealed and in its box; let a cold vial reach room temperature before it leaves its bag so no condensation forms on the glass.
• Stability: neither sequence contains methionine, cysteine or tryptophan, the three residues most exposed to oxidation, so this blend is among the least demanding on the shelf. BPC-157 in particular keeps its structure in solution for days, which is what the "stable" in its published name refers to.
• Shelf life: 24 months for a sealed lyophilized vial stored cold; the date on the label governs.

A few days of ambient shipping do not degrade the sealed powder. The rules compound by compound are in lyophilized peptides: storage and shelf life.

A search for "Wolverine peptide" returns clinics and general-audience sites first, research suppliers second. For a laboratory that needs the reagent, the listing that matters answers five questions on the page itself.

1. Are the two masses stated? "Wolverine 10 mg" without the breakdown (5 + 5) is a nickname, not a composition.
2. Which TB-500? The seven-residue fragment (889 Da) or the full protein (4,963 Da). The certificate's mass answers it.
3. Is there a batch COA from a named independent laboratory, verifiable on the lab's site, that names each compound, reports the quantity measured in mg and purity in % for each, shows the supplier's labeled vial, with a task number and verification key the laboratory confirms? A mass spectrum or a printed chromatogram is an extra some labs sell.
4. Does the vial ship from domestic stock, tracked, in a few days? The catalog ships from our EU stock, tracked, to the European Union.
5. Does the page describe the reagent only (composition, purity documentation, storage), with "research use only" stated plainly? A supplier that publishes usage content is a supplier that is easy to shut down, and that risk lands on the buyer whose parcel is in transit.

The seven-point method, with what a re-used or edited certificate looks like, is in how to check a peptide supplier; the Europe-wide checklist in where to buy research peptides in Europe.