TB-500

What TB-500 Does

TB-500 is a synthetic version of Thymosin Beta-4, a 43-amino acid polypeptide naturally produced by the thymus gland. It’s found in high concentrations in wound fluid, platelets, and macrophages — your body already uses it to heal. TB-500 is the systemic counterpart to BPC-157: where BPC-157 excels at local, targeted repair, TB-500 upregulates healing body-wide.

The mechanisms that matter for your protocol:

• Actin regulation — binds G-actin monomers and modulates cytoskeletal dynamics, enabling cell migration to injury sites. This is the core mechanism: cells can’t heal what they can’t reach.
• Angiogenesis — promotes new blood vessel formation, increasing blood flow, oxygen, and nutrient delivery to damaged tissue
• Anti-inflammatory signaling — downregulates pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines released after tissue injury, reducing immune cell infiltration that impedes healing
• Cell migration and differentiation — activates endogenous progenitor cells, including cardiac progenitor cells, promoting tissue-specific regeneration
• Anti-fibrotic activity — reduces scar tissue formation by modulating collagen deposition during wound healing

In a landmark wound healing study, topical and intraperitoneal Thymosin Beta-4 increased re-epithelialization by 42% at 4 days and up to 61% at 7 days post-wounding, with increased collagen deposition and angiogenesis (Malinda et al., Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1999).

Dosing Protocol

Loading Phase

Parameter	Detail
Dose per injection	2.0–2.5 mg
Frequency	Twice weekly (e.g., Monday and Thursday)
Weekly total	4–5 mg
Duration	4–6 weeks
Purpose	Saturate tissue and initiate systemic healing cascade

For severe or chronic injuries, some protocols use 5–6 mg/week during loading. For minor injuries or preventive use, 4 mg/week is sufficient.

Maintenance Phase

Parameter	Detail
Dose per injection	2.0–2.5 mg
Frequency	Once weekly
Weekly total	2.0–2.5 mg
Duration	4–8 weeks
Purpose	Sustain healing, consolidate tissue repair

Full Cycle Overview

Phase	Weekly Dose	Injections/Week	Duration
Loading	4–5 mg	2	4–6 weeks
Maintenance	2.0–2.5 mg	1	4–8 weeks
Off-cycle	—	—	4+ weeks

Total cycle length: 8–14 weeks. Follow with at least 4 weeks off before the next cycle.

Dose selection by severity:

Situation	Loading Dose	Maintenance Dose
Minor strains, preventive use	4 mg/week	2 mg/week
Moderate injuries (tendon, ligament)	5 mg/week	2.5 mg/week
Severe/chronic injuries, post-surgical	6 mg/week	2.5–4 mg/week

Injection Guide

Where to Inject

TB-500 is systemically active. Injection site does not need to be near the injury:

• Lower abdomen — standard subcutaneous site. Most common.
• Outer thigh — midway between hip and knee.
• Upper arm — deltoid region.

Rotate injection sites with each dose. TB-500 distributes body-wide regardless of where you inject.

Reconstitution

For a 5 mg vial — add 1 mL bacteriostatic water:

Dose	Volume to Draw
2.0 mg	40 units on insulin syringe
2.5 mg	50 units on insulin syringe

Concentration: 5,000 mcg/mL (5 mg/mL). The vial provides two 2.5 mg doses.

For a 10 mg vial — add 2 mL bacteriostatic water for the same 5 mg/mL concentration:

Dose	Volume to Draw
2.0 mg	40 units
2.5 mg	50 units

The 10 mg vial covers a full week of loading (two injections) or two weeks of maintenance.

Inject BAC water slowly against the glass wall. Swirl gently — never shake. Solution should be clear and colorless.

Storage

• Unreconstituted powder: Refrigerate. Stable for months. Can freeze for long-term storage.
• Reconstituted solution: Refrigerate at 2-8 degrees C. Use within 30 days. Do not freeze reconstituted peptide — freeze-thaw destroys the protein structure.

Use Cases

Goal	Protocol Notes
Tendon/ligament repair	5 mg/week loading x 4–6 weeks, then 2.5 mg/week maintenance
Muscle tear recovery	4–5 mg/week loading x 4 weeks, then 2 mg/week x 4–6 weeks
Post-surgical healing	Start 1–2 weeks post-op, 5–6 mg/week loading, 2.5 mg/week maintenance
Chronic joint inflammation	4 mg/week loading x 6 weeks, 2 mg/week maintenance x 8 weeks
Cardiac recovery support	4–5 mg/week loading. Consult physician. Based on preclinical data only.
Stacking with BPC-157	Add BPC-157 250–500 mcg/day for the Wolverine Stack

What the Research Says

Wound Healing

Malinda et al. (Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1999) demonstrated that Thymosin Beta-4 increased re-epithelialization by 42% at day 4 and 61% at day 7 in a rat full-thickness wound model, with significantly increased collagen deposition and angiogenesis. A clinical trial (NCT00832091) studied 0.03% synthetic Thymosin Beta-4 in patients with venous stasis ulcers and found that 25% of patients achieved full wound closure within 3 months.

Cardiac Repair

Research from multiple groups (Bock-Marquette et al., Nature, 2004) showed that Thymosin Beta-4 activates endogenous cardiac progenitor cells and improves cardiac function after experimental myocardial infarction. The peptide inhibits cardiac cell death, reduces inflammation, and limits scar formation in animal models — a rare trifecta for cardiac recovery.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

TB-500 downregulates inflammatory chemokines and cytokines at injury sites. Studies demonstrate reduced immune cell infiltration in TB-500-treated wounds compared to controls, creating an environment that favors repair over chronic inflammation. In a regenerative medicine review (PMC 8228050), researchers highlighted TB-500’s ability to remind adult tissues of their embryonic repair capacity.

Safety Data

In a Phase I/II randomized controlled trial, intravenously-administered Thymosin Beta-4 at doses ranging from 42 to 1,260 mg was well-tolerated with minimal risk of toxicity in healthy adult subjects. This is hundreds of times above the standard subcutaneous dose.

Safety

Side Effects

TB-500 has a generally favorable safety profile. Most reported effects are mild and transient:

• Water retention / bloating — most commonly reported side effect, typically during the loading phase
• Headaches — sometimes reported in the first 1–2 weeks, usually resolve as the body adjusts
• Injection-site reactions — redness, swelling, or tenderness at the injection site
• Mild nausea — occasional, more common at higher doses
• Temporary fatigue — reported by some users in the first few days, potentially related to systemic healing activation

Critical Warnings

Angiogenesis and cancer risk: Like BPC-157, TB-500 promotes new blood vessel formation. This drives its healing effects but could theoretically support existing tumors. Do not use if you have active cancer, tumor history, or significant cancer risk factors.

Not FDA-approved. TB-500 is sold as a research chemical. No FDA-approved human dosage guidelines exist. All protocols are derived from research data and practitioner experience.

Banned by WADA. TB-500 is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency and most sports organizations. Tested athletes will fail drug tests.

Source quality matters. Only purchase from vendors providing third-party certificates of analysis with HPLC purity testing. Contaminated peptides are a real risk in the unregulated market.

Do Not Use If

• Active cancer or tumor history
• Currently on blood thinners or anticoagulants (insufficient interaction data)
• Pregnant or breastfeeding
• Under 18
• Subject to WADA/USADA testing

What Comes Next

• Stack with BPC-157 for the Wolverine Stack — the most popular healing peptide combination. TB-500 handles systemic healing; BPC-157 handles local repair.
• Add GHK-Cu for the Glow Stack — layer skin rejuvenation and anti-aging on top of tissue repair
• Use the Reconstitution Calculator for exact unit counts for your specific vial