Peptides explained in plain language
What peptides are, how they are made and what the literature actually says about them. No selling, no promises, no dosing. Just explanation.
Basics
What is a peptide?
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. Plain language explanation: how such a chain is put together, what it does and why the order decides everything.
Peptide, protein or amino acid: what is the difference?
Three words that often get mixed up. The difference is in length, in how they are made and in what they do.
How are peptides made?
From loose amino acids to a white powder in a vial: solid phase synthesis, HPLC purification and freeze drying, explained step by step.
What does "research use only" mean?
Research use only is not a formality but a legal status. What it means, where it comes from and what does and does not fall under it.
In the lab
Dissolving peptides: which solvent for what?
Bacteriostatic water, sterile water or dilute acetic acid. What the difference is, why some peptides refuse to dissolve and what to do then.
Storing peptides: powder, solution and cold chain
What heat, light and thawing do to a peptide, and why powder always keeps longer than a solution.
Reading a certificate of analysis
What belongs on a CoA, what a purity figure does and does not mean, and how to tell whether a certificate belongs to your vial.
Vial, cartridge or pen: what is the difference?
The same substance comes in three packages. The difference is in handling steps, shelf life and in what you can still verify.
Groups
GLP-1 and the incretins explained
Why your gut releases hormones the moment you eat, what GLP-1 and GIP actually do, and why a copy lasts longer than the original.
From single to triple agonist
Semaglutide, tirzepatide and retatrutide side by side: which receptors they hit, what each step adds and why glucagon is the newest direction.
Amylin: the second satiety signal
Besides GLP-1 there is a second route to satiety, through the pancreas. What amylin does and why it is often studied next to a GLP-1 analogue.
The growth hormone axis: GHRH, ghrelin, GH and IGF-1
Four links, two buttons and a whole family of peptides. Why so many different substances exist that all drive the same hormone.
Repair peptides: BPC-157 and TB-500
Two peptides often named in one breath but working along very different routes. Where they come from and what the literature says.
Copper peptides: GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu
Three amino acids holding a copper ion. Why the colour tells you whether the complex is intact and what separates the two variants.
Neuropeptides: Semax, Selank and family
A group of short peptides from Russian research, all derived from a natural substance with the hormonal part removed.
Mitochondrial peptides: MOTS-c, humanin and SS-31
Peptides that come not from the cell nucleus but from the power plants themselves. A field barely twenty years old.
Deeper
How does a receptor work?
Agonist, antagonist, selectivity and downregulation. The terms that appear in every peptide article, explained in plain language.
Half-life: why DAC, PEG and fatty acid tails exist
A peptide disappears within minutes. Four tricks to slow that down, and what each trick costs in other properties.
Judging blends: why a mixture follows different rules
With two or more peptides in a vial a purity figure is meaningless. What to ask for instead and where it goes wrong.
Peptides and the law in the Netherlands and the EU
Why a claim turns a substance into a medicine, what research compounds are legally, and where the line runs on import and resale.
Ten common mistakes in peptide research
From shaking to a certificate with the wrong lot number. The mistakes that most often ruin a measurement.
Glossary
The terms that appear in peptide literature and on product pages, each explained in a sentence or two.
Compounds
BPC-157
BPC-157 in brief: what it is, how it works, what the research shows and what its status is.
TB-500 (Thymosin beta-4)
TB-500 in brief: the active fragment of thymosin beta-4, and what is known about cell movement and repair.
GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu in brief: the copper-binding tripeptide from blood plasma, and what is known about skin and collagen.
KPV
KPV in brief: the tail end of alpha-MSH, studied around inflammatory signalling in gut and skin.
ARA-290
ARA-290 in brief: an EPO fragment without the blood effect, studied in nerve pain and small nerve fibres.
Retatrutide
Retatrutide in brief: the triple agonist on GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, and what the research shows.
Cagrilintide
Cagrilintide in brief: an amylin analogue acting on satiety through a route other than GLP-1.
5-Amino-1MQ
5-Amino-1MQ in brief: not a peptide but a small molecule blocking NNMT, studied around fat cells.
AOD-9604
AOD-9604 in brief: the fat breakdown part of growth hormone, cut loose from the rest of the chain.
Ipamorelin
Ipamorelin in brief: the most selective ghrelin mimetic, without the side routes of the older variants.
CJC-1295 without DAC
CJC-1295 without DAC, also known as Mod GRF 1-29: a short acting GHRH fragment that follows the natural pulses.
CJC-1295 with DAC
CJC-1295 with DAC in brief: the same chain, with an addition that makes it last days instead of minutes.
Tesamorelin
Tesamorelin in brief: a protected GHRH analogue, and one of the few substances in this field with an approval.
IGF-1 LR3
IGF-1 LR3 in brief: the end substance of the growth hormone axis, modified so binding proteins cannot capture it.
Follistatin 344
Follistatin 344 in brief: the protein that captures myostatin, releasing the brake on muscle growth.
Semax
Semax in brief: an ACTH fragment without hormonal action, studied around attention and nerve cells.
Selank
Selank in brief: built on tuftsin, studied around tension, mood and sleep.
DSIP
DSIP in brief: the sleep peptide from the 1970s whose mechanism is still not settled.
Epithalon
Epithalon in brief: four amino acids from the pineal gland, studied around telomeres and ageing.
PT-141 (Bremelanotide)
PT-141 in brief: acts in the brain rather than the blood vessels, and holds a US approval.
Melanotan 2
Melanotan 2 in brief: hits several melanocortin receptors at once, with pigment and libido as two sides.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin in brief: a natural hormone of nine amino acids, and one of the best researched peptides there is.
Kisspeptin-10
Kisspeptin-10 in brief: the start button at the top of the reproductive hormone axis.
NAD+
NAD+ in brief: not a peptide but a coenzyme present in every cell, whose stores fall with age.
MOTS-c
MOTS-c in brief: a peptide coming not from the cell nucleus but from mitochondrial DNA.
SS-31 (Elamipretide)
SS-31 in brief: designed to accumulate in the inner membrane of mitochondria.
Glutathione
Glutathione in brief: the tripeptide the cell makes itself as its main antioxidant.
Thymosin alpha-1
Thymosin alpha-1 in brief: a thymus peptide steering T cells, approved in several countries.
Wolverine (BPC-157 + TB-500)
The Wolverine blend in brief: two repair peptides in one vial, and what to check with a mixture.
GLOW (BPC-157 + TB-500 + GHK-Cu)
The GLOW blend in brief: the Wolverine combination with a copper peptide added, aimed at skin and collagen.
Ipamorelin + CJC-1295
The classic growth hormone blend: two buttons for the same result, reinforcing each other.
This site explains what the scientific literature says about peptides. It is not medical advice and not a set of instructions. The substances discussed here are research compounds: they are not approved for use in humans or animals. If you have a health question, see a doctor.