TB-500

What people use it for

• Soft-tissue and muscle injury recovery (popular use)
• Wound healing (research)

What TB-500 does in the body

Thymosin beta-4 is a natural protein that binds actin, a building block of the cell skeleton. This helps cells migrate to injured areas, and research links it to new blood-vessel formation and reduced inflammation. TB-500 products are typically a short active fragment or synthetic version.

Strength of evidence

Weak in humans: mostly animal and cell studies; some small human trials of full thymosin beta-4 for wounds and eye conditions.

Look up the evidence

• Reviews on PubMed: Summaries of the published research
• Clinical trials on PubMed: Published studies in people
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Registered trials, past and ongoing

Live searches of official databases. New to the terms? See the glossary.

Reported side effects & risks

• Injection-site reactions
• Fatigue, headache
• Unknown long-term effects

Who should avoid it or take extra care

• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Current or past cancer (it may promote cell growth; theoretical)
• Competitive athletes (prohibited by WADA)

Not a complete list. Check with a doctor or pharmacist about your own health and medicines.

Regulatory status

Not approved. FDA has flagged it for compounding safety concerns. Prohibited in sport by WADA.

How it's taken

Route: Injection under the skin or into muscle (popular use)

How long it lasts (half-life): Not established in humans

Storage

Unreconstituted (powder) vials are usually kept refrigerated or frozen and away from light. Once mixed with bacteriostatic water, keep refrigerated and do not freeze; follow the supplier's stated beyond-use date.

Mixing guides

How much water to add and what each syringe mark holds, worked out for your own dose:

• 2 mg vial
• 5 mg vial
• 10 mg vial

Found in these stacks

• GLOW: Three-peptide blend of GHK-Cu, BPC-157 and TB-500, marketed for skin, hair and recovery.
• KLOW: GLOW plus KPV: four peptides marketed for skin, recovery and inflammation.
• Wolverine stack: BPC-157 with TB-500, the most popular combination for injury recovery.