As a freeze-dried powder, a peptide can remain stable for a long time. In solution, the clock starts ticking: deamidation, oxidation, hydrolysis and aggregation progress, faster or slower depending on the molecule. That is why there is no single figure valid for every peptide.
As a general laboratory guideline, peptide solutions are kept refrigerated between 2 and 8 °C, protected from light, and their use is planned in weeks, not months. Peptides with sensitive residues (methionine, asparagine followed by glycine, free cysteines) or those prone to aggregation are more delicate.
For extended use, dividing the solution into aliquots and freezing those that will not be used soon reduces degradation, always avoiding repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Writing the reconstitution date, the concentration and the solvent on the vial is a simple habit that avoids unknowingly working with degraded material.
Related terms
Learn it in depth at the Peptide University
- Stability and storage · Module 9
- Practical calculation cases and common errors · Module 9
- From amino acid to peptide · Module 1
- Levels of structure and structure-activity relationship · Module 1
- Chemical modifications: from the natural sequence to the analog · Module 1
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).