In this article11 sections
BPC-157 and TB-500 studied together. In lab and animal research, BPC-157 tells repair cells what to do and helps grow new blood vessels; TB-500 helps those cells move into the injury. Neither has been tested in human trials, and both are banned in sport.
The Wolverine stack is not a compound, a product or anything with a regulatory definition. It is forum slang for BPC-157 and TB-500 bought together, named for the comic-book character whose defining trait is rapid healing, and it stuck because the two peptides dominate the preclinical literature on tendon, ligament and muscle repair. This article explains what each one is, how BPC-157 and TB-500 differ, why researchers study them as a pair, what the difference is between a blended vial and two separate vials, what the stack costs, and where the law sits. It describes the research and the reagents; it is not guidance on using them.
- The Wolverine stack is BPC-157 (a 15-residue gastric peptide fragment) plus TB-500 (thymosin beta-4, a 43-residue actin-binding protein; ours is the full-length protein). The name is forum slang, not a compound.
- Both have large preclinical literatures in tendon, ligament, muscle and wound models; the mechanisms proposed differ, which is why they are studied together.
- Vendors sell it either as a single blended vial or as two vials. A blend has one certificate for a mixture; two vials have one certificate each.
- ALTA PEPTIDES supplies the stack as two separate 5 mg vials for £37.99, or the vials individually with the automatic stack discount.
- Neither compound is a licensed medicine; BPC-157 is on the WADA prohibited list. Supplied for laboratory research only.
What is the Wolverine stack?
In shortTwo research peptides, BPC-157 and TB-500, studied together for tissue repair.
| BPC-157 | TB-500 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | 15-amino-acid fragment of a gastric juice protein | Thymosin beta-4, a 43-amino-acid protein in nearly every cell |
| Main job in research | Signalling: new blood vessels, organised collagen | Movement: helps cells migrate into a wound |
| Studied in | Rat tendon, ligament, muscle, gut and skin injuries | Skin wounds, cornea, heart after injury |
| Human trials | None | None |
| Banned in sport | Yes, WADA S0 | Yes, WADA S2 |
| ALTA vial | 5 mg, £17.99 | 5 mg, £24.99 |
From this article.
BPC-157 is a 15-residue fragment of a protective protein found in human gastric juice, described by Predrag Sikiric's group in Zagreb. Its literature, almost all from that group, reports accelerated healing of transected tendons and ligaments in rats, faster recovery from crush injury to muscle, closure of skin wounds, and protection of the gut lining, with angiogenesis and nitric-oxide signalling as the proposed mechanisms. It is unusual among peptides in surviving gastric acid. Our BPC-157 explainer covers the detail.
TB-500 is the research-market name for thymosin beta-4, a 43-residue protein present in nearly every cell (some vendors sell a short fragment of it under the same name; ours is the full protein), whose main job is to sequester actin monomers and so regulate the cytoskeleton. Thymosin beta-4 and its active fragment, the actin-binding sequence LKKTETQ, have been studied in models of dermal wound healing, corneal injury, and cardiac repair after infarction, with cell migration and reduced inflammation as the proposed mechanisms. Our TB-500 explainer covers TB-500 in detail, and the next section sets out how the two differ.
BPC-157 vs TB-500: how do they differ?
In shortBPC-157 changes what repair cells are told to do. TB-500 changes how easily they can move.
The characterised activity of BPC-157 is on signalling: it up-regulates VEGFR2 and activates downstream pathways in endothelial cells, modulates the nitric oxide system, and has been reported to interact with the growth hormone receptor in fibroblasts. The net effect in models is earlier vascularisation of injured tissue and more organised collagen deposition. It is, loosely, a peptide that changes what the cells at a wound site are told to do.
TB-500's activity is on the machinery of movement. As the actin-binding motif of thymosin beta-4 it sequesters G-actin, regulating the pool of monomers available for filament assembly, which is the process a cell uses to migrate. In scratch-wound assays, cells exposed to Tβ4 or its fragment close the gap faster because they move faster. The parent protein additionally up-regulates matrix metalloproteinases and dampens some inflammatory cytokines. It is, loosely, a peptide that changes how readily cells can get to a wound site.
Why are they paired?
In shortThey act on different steps of the same repair process.
- 01Injury
Tissue is damaged
- 02BPC-157
Signals for new vessels and better collagen
- 03TB-500
Frees cells to move into the site
- 04Repair
Studied as a combination in models
Proposed mechanisms from animal and cell research; not tested in people.
The two peptides are proposed to act through different mechanisms on the same kind of injury. BPC-157's literature emphasises blood supply: new vessel growth at the injury site and nitric-oxide-mediated effects on vascular tone. TB-500's emphasises cell movement: actin regulation lets cells migrate into a wound and lay down new tissue. A tendon healing model that measures both vascularisation and cellular infiltration has a reason to test both compounds, alone and together, and at least one rat Achilles tendon study has done so and found that the combination did not improve on either peptide alone. The pairing is therefore a research design choice with a rationale, not a marketing invention, even if the name is. What does not exist is any controlled human study of either compound, alone or together.
What does the research show for each?
In shortFaster healing in animals for both. No human trials for either.
BPC-157 has the larger literature, several hundred papers, but it is concentrated in one group and almost entirely in rodents, with tendon, ligament, muscle, gut and vascular models predominating. There are no controlled human trials. Thymosin beta-4 has been through human trials (eye drops reached for dry eye and neurotrophic keratopathy; an injectable was taken into early-phase testing) without reaching a licence. So the comparison is between a compound with a lot of animal data and no human data, and a compound whose parent has human data but whose fragment has been studied mainly in vitro.
Blend vial or two separate vials?
In shortTwo vials keep each peptide tested and labelled on its own. A blend doesn't.
| Two separate vials | One blended vial | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificates | One for each peptide | One for a mixture |
| Ratio | You choose | Fixed by the vendor |
| Test either alone | Yes | No |
| Storage clock | Separate | Shared |
Why ALTA supplies the stack as two vials.
Vendors sell the stack two ways. A blended vial contains both peptides freeze-dried together in a fixed ratio, usually 5 mg of each, under one label. Two vials are simply BPC-157 and TB-500 sold as a pair. For research the difference matters. A blend has one certificate of analysis for a mixture, so purity and identity are reported for two co-eluting peptides rather than for each on its own; the ratio is fixed by the vendor and cannot be varied; and an experiment cannot run either compound alone as a control from the same lot. Two vials keep each compound on its own certificate, its own lot number and its own storage clock, and let the researcher decide the ratio. That is why ALTA PEPTIDES supplies the stack as two separate vials and why the product page says so; our article on blends makes the same argument for the GLOW stack.
How much does the Wolverine stack cost?
In short£37.99 for both vials here, less than buying them separately.
ALTA prices including VAT. Other UK vendors' blended 10 mg vials: about £35 to £55 (September 2026).
The Wolverine stack on this site is a 5 mg vial of BPC-157 and a 5 mg vial of TB-500 for £37.99, against £17.99 and £24.99 bought separately, which is £3.80 per milligram across the pair. Buying the two vials individually instead triggers the automatic 10 percent stack discount for two distinct compounds, and adding a third, GHK-Cu for example, raises it to 15 percent; the pre-priced stack is excluded from the discount because it is already reduced. Prices include VAT, and delivery is £4.95 or free over £75. UK vendors selling blended 10 mg vials in September 2026 ranged from about £35 to £55.
Is it legal, and is it banned in sport?
In shortLegal to buy for lab research in the UK. Banned for athletes.
Neither peptide.
Anywhere.
Lab use only.
BPC-157 under S0, TB-500 under S2.
From this article.
Neither BPC-157 nor TB-500 is a controlled substance in the UK, and neither has a marketing authorisation as a medicine anywhere. Both are supplied as research reagents for laboratory use only, under our research use policy, and we decline orders that suggest any other use. BPC-157 is named on the WADA prohibited list under S0, non-approved substances, and TB-500 is prohibited under S2 (growth factors and modulators); a tested athlete would fail for either. Our UK law guide explains the framework.
Everything above is the quick version. The sections below go deeper.
Where each peptide comes from
In shortOne from stomach-protection research, one from a protein found in nearly every cell.
BPC-157 is a 15-residue fragment of a protein found in human gastric juice, developed at the University of Zagreb from the early 1990s. Sequence GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, mass 1419.5 g/mol. TB-500 is thymosin beta-4, a 43-residue actin-binding protein found in nearly all cells (some vendors sell a 7-residue fragment of it under the same name; ours is the full protein). Full protein mass 4963.5 g/mol (the fragment, Ac-LKKTETQ, is 889.0 g/mol). One comes from the gut, the other from the cytoskeleton, and that difference in origin runs through everything else.
How are they stored and handled?
In shortPowder in the freezer or fridge; once mixed, fridge and use within four weeks.
Both are and reconstituted with bacteriostatic water in the laboratory; the two vials are prepared separately, which is the point. BPC-157 has no oxidisable residues and is robust; TB-500, as full-length thymosin beta-4, has a methionine and is stored more carefully once in solution. Our reconstitution guide, storage guide and calculator cover preparation, and each product page carries the storage specification for its compound.
Both are white lyophilised powders that reconstitute readily in . BPC-157 is exceptionally stable, tolerant of acid and of room temperature. TB-500 is a shorter sequence and equally robust in the vial but, like all peptides, should have diluent added down the wall of the vial rather than jetted onto the powder. Both are stored sealed at 2 to 8 °C or minus 20 °C and, once in solution, at 2 to 8 °C for up to four weeks; see the storage guide.
What ALTA PEPTIDES supplies
The Wolverine stack as two sealed 5 mg lyophilised vials, each lot published with its own , held in UK stock and dispatched the same working day before 1pm. Also available as BPC-157 and TB-500 individually, and with GHK-Cu as the GLOW stack.
Questions people ask
What is in the Wolverine stack?
BPC-157 and TB-500. Some vendors' blends add a third compound; ours is the two, as separate 5 mg vials.
Why is it called the Wolverine stack?
Forum shorthand referring to the comic-book character who heals rapidly, applied to the two peptides most studied in tissue-repair models. It is a nickname, not a product name with any regulatory meaning.
Is a blended vial better than two vials?
For research, no. A blend fixes the ratio, has a single certificate for a mixture rather than for each compound, and cannot be run one compound at a time as a control. Two vials keep every variable separate.
Does the Wolverine stack count towards the stack discount?
The pre-priced stack product does not, because it is already discounted. Buying BPC-157 and TB-500 as individual vials does, and adding a third compound raises the discount.
Information, not advice. This article summarises published research; nothing here is guidance on human or veterinary use. Products are sold under our research use policy.
