When tissue is injured, it needs more blood supply to repair itself. Cells in the area release signals (the best known is VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor) that stimulate nearby vessel cells to divide, migrate and form new capillaries.
It is a double-edged process. Promoting it can speed up healing in poorly vascularised tissues such as tendons and ligaments. But angiogenesis is also needed for a tumour to grow, and too much of it plays a part in some retinal diseases. That is why any strategy that stimulates it needs to take the context into account.
Several peptides studied in repair have been linked to angiogenesis in experimental models: BPC-157 (associated with the VEGFR2 receptor pathway), thymosin β4, from which TB-500 derives, and, in skin, GHK-Cu.
Angiogenesis is one of the most cited mechanisms for repair peptides. Knowing that it is a process with risks as well as benefits helps read that literature in a balanced way.
Related terms
Learn it in depth at the Peptide University
- BPC-157: investigated mechanisms · Module 4
- Special populations and class warnings · Module 10
- Wound healing biology: where each peptide acts · Module 4
- Metabolic and repair (1–5) · Module 14
- Thymosin β4 / TB-500 and GHK-Cu · Module 4
Related catalogue compounds
Definition for educational and scientific purposes. It is not medical advice or a recommendation for use. NeoPeptidos products are sold labelled for research use only (RUO).