Peptides Recovery & Healing Preclinical (animal) data

TB-500 (Thymosin Beta-4)

Thymosin β4 · TB500 · Thymosin Beta-4 Acetate

1.9 hours

Half-life

0.25–2.5 mg

Typical dose

4–6 weeks loading, then maintenance (reported)

Cycle length

Synthetic version of thymosin beta-4 involved in tissue repair, angiogenesis, and recovery.

Key takeaways

Synthetic thymosin beta-4: actin-sequestering repair peptide for tendon, ligament, and muscle.
Community protocol loads 2–2.5 mg twice weekly, then tapers to weekly maintenance.
Human data exists only for topical and ophthalmic thymosin beta-4, not injections.
WADA-prohibited; not an approved medication anywhere.

Overview

What it is

TB-500 is a synthetic version of thymosin beta-4, a 43-amino-acid peptide involved in tissue repair. It sequesters G-actin to promote cell migration and angiogenesis at injury sites while dampening inflammation, which is the rationale for tendon, ligament, and muscle recovery use.

Pharmacokinetics

Estimated half-life is roughly two hours with around 60% subcutaneous bioavailability. Community protocols run a higher-frequency loading phase, then drop to weekly maintenance rather than continuous daily dosing.

What the evidence says

Human evidence for injected TB-500 is thin; nearly all data is animal and in vitro work on thymosin beta-4, which did reach human trials as eye drops and topical formulations. Injectable systemic use is extrapolation from there. TB-500 isn't an approved medication, and WADA prohibits it for tested athletes.

Reported dosing protocols

Protocols reported in research literature and clinic/community use — informational context, not a dosing recommendation.

Use case	Dose	Route	Frequency	Duration
Soft-tissue repair (loading)	2–2.5 mg	SubQ	2× weekly	4–6 weeks
Maintenance	2–2.5 mg	SubQ	Once weekly or every 2 weeks

Pharmacokinetic summary

Model tier: Simple (t½ + F, Tmax estimated)
Half-life: 1.9 hours
Bioavailability: 60%
Typical dose: 0.25–2.5 mg

Frequently asked questions

Is TB-500 the same as thymosin beta-4?

TB-500 is marketed as synthetic thymosin beta-4, though some vendor products historically contained only the active LKKTETQ fragment. Genuine Tβ4 is a 43-amino-acid protein; what's in a given vial depends on the supplier, which is why COA verification matters.

Why the loading-then-maintenance pattern?

Community protocols concentrate doses early to saturate repair signaling during active healing, then cut frequency once symptoms improve. There's no trial data behind the schedule; it's a convention that stuck because the half-life is short while downstream repair effects persist for days.

What does TB-500 stack with?

The classic pairing is BPC-157, the so-called Wolverine stack: BPC-157 framed as localized repair, TB-500 as systemic support for cell migration and angiogenesis. The combination is community lore, not studied pharmacology.

References

Estimated — Actin-sequestering peptide; half-life roughly a few hours.
Xing et al., 2021 — progress on the function and application of thymosin beta-4 — Review of angiogenesis, tissue repair, and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Sosne et al., 2007 — thymosin beta-4 as a corneal wound-healing agent — Basis of the ophthalmic human-trial program for Tβ4.

Related compounds

BPC-157

Gastric-derived peptide widely used off-label for tendon, ligament, and gut healing research.

TB-500 Fragment

Short active fragment of thymosin beta-4 intended to retain the healing motif with faster clearance.

ARA-290 (Cibinetide)

Peptide analog of the erythropoietin helix B region studied for neuropathy and tissue protection.

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