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BPC-157 Cream Heals Burns and Simultaneously Prevents Burn-Related Stomach Ulcers in Mice

RPEP-006792001Mikus, D; Sikiric, P; Seiwerth, S; Petricevic, A; Aralica, G; Druzijancic, N; Rucman, R; Petek, M; Pigac, B; Perovic, D; Kolombo, M; Kokic, N; Mikus, S; Duplancic, B; Fattorini, I; Turkovic, B; Rotkvic, I; Mise, S; Prkacin, I; Konjevoda, P; Stambuk, N; Anic, T
Animal StudyPreliminary evidence
The takeaway

Topical BPC-157 cream accelerated burn wound healing AND prevented the distant gastric ulcers that burns cause, demonstrating systemic protective effects from topical application.

Local + systemic

Topical BPC-157 cream healed the burn AND protected the stomach from burn-associated ulcers — systemic benefit from skin application

What the researchers found

Topical BPC-157 cream accelerated burn wound healing (faster re-epithelialization and contraction) while simultaneously attenuating distant burn-associated gastric lesions in mice, demonstrating both local and systemic effects from topical application.

Why it matters

Burns cause multi-organ damage. A topical cream that heals the burn AND protects internal organs represents a fundamentally different approach to burn care — treating the systemic injury, not just the wound.

How the study worked

Animal study in mice with standardized burn wounds. BPC-157 applied topically as cream or systemically (IP). Burn wound healing measured by planimetry. Gastric lesions scored. Multiple timepoints assessed.

What this study cannot tell us

Mouse burn model. Small burn area relative to body surface. The mechanism of systemic absorption and gastric protection from topical application was not determined.

How to read the evidence

Preliminary animal evidence with both local wound healing and distant organ protection endpoints, demonstrating a unique pharmacological property.

When this study was published

Published in 2001. BPC-157's wound healing effects have been confirmed in numerous subsequent studies across different wound types.

The bigger picture

BPC-157's ability to produce systemic effects from topical application suggests it is absorbed through injured skin and circulates to protect distant organs — a property unique among wound-healing agents.

Questions still open

  • How much BPC-157 is systemically absorbed from topical burn application?
  • Could BPC-157 cream prevent multi-organ failure in major burn patients?
  • What concentration in cream provides optimal burn healing?

Common questions

Can a cream on a burn heal internal organs too?
In this mouse study, yes. BPC-157 cream applied to burn wounds was absorbed through the injured skin and protected the stomach from stress ulcers. This suggests the peptide circulates systemically even from topical application.
Is BPC-157 cream available for burns?
Not commercially as a pharmaceutical product. This is preclinical research showing its potential. Burn care specialists and researchers are aware of these findings as BPC-157 approaches clinical development.

Read the original research

Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 cream improves burn-wound healing and attenuates burn-gastric lesions in mice.

Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries, 27(8), 817-27

View on PubMed ↗

Citation

Mikus, D; Sikiric, P; Seiwerth, S; Petricevic, A; Aralica, G; Druzijancic, N; Rucman, R; Petek, M; Pigac, B; Perovic, D; Kolombo, M; Kokic, N; Mikus, S; Duplancic, B; Fattorini, I; Turkovic, B; Rotkvic, I; Mise, S; Prkacin, I; Konjevoda, P; Stambuk, N; Anic, T. (2001). Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 cream improves burn-wound healing and attenuates burn-gastric lesions in mice.. Burns : journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries, 27(8), 817-27.