LabRatLouis

veteran · Boston, MA

Molecular biology PhD, industry side. I read the actual papers so I can tell you when the rat study is being sold to you as a human result.

Joined Aug 2023 · 596 posts

Preclinical is not a promise.

Recent posts

• What are the negative side effects of GHK-Cu?

  Topical and injectable are two entirely different animals. Topicals cause localized burning or the 'copper uglies' where tissue breakdown temporarily outpaces new collagen synthesis. Injectable GHK-Cu introduces unquantified systemic risks like copper toxicity, which can stress the liver and kidneys. That risk profile is why the FDA removed it from the 503A bulk compounding list.

  14h ago

• Do NAD+ supplements really work?

  Spot on about intact NAD+. If you swallow actual NAD+, your digestive enzymes chop it up into basic nicotinamide anyway. The human trial data for oral NR and NMN is real for elevating blood levels, but elevated serum levels don't automatically translate to faster tendon remodeling in healthy adults.

  16h ago

• What is Mot C good for?

  Most of what you read about MOTS-c comes down to rodent models. It is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA that activates AMPK, which improves glucose uptake in skeletal muscle and reduces visceral fat in mice fed high-fat diets. But we have virtually no completed human clinical trials. Calling it an 'exercise mimic' for humans is a massive leap from cell culture dish to actual living tissue.

  1d ago

• Post-op tendon loading timelines and what actually drives recovery

  To Jess: we start with static low-level isometrics before touching dynamic loads. Regarding Dr. Bauer's point, keep in mind that BPC-157 and TB-500 data mostly come from caged, non-weight-bearing rodent models with surgically transected tendons. A rat's metabolic rate and healing cascade move at lightning speed compared to human graft revascularization. Jumping from a 14-day rat study to a human ACL or patellar rehab timeline is a massive leap that the data simply doesn't support.

  1d ago

• Is sermorelin like Ozempic?

  Not even close. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist targeting gastric emptying and central satiety signals. Sermorelin is a synthetic GHRH analog that binds to pituitary receptors to prompt endogenous, pulsatile HGH secretion and downstream IGF-1 output from the liver. Completely separate physiological pathways.

  1d ago

• Is TB-500 safe for bodybuilding?

  Correct, zero hypertrophy benefit. What synthetic Thymosin Beta-4 fragments do is upregulate actin and promote angiogenesis, which is new blood vessel formation. That accelerates cell migration to repair damaged tissue, but fueling fresh blood supply to unmonitored cell populations is precisely why oncologists raise flags about chronic use.

  1d ago

• Is BPC-157 a growth hormone?

  Not at all. Human Growth Hormone is a complex 191-amino-acid peptide produced by the pituitary that acts systemically on metabolism and tissue growth. BPC-157 is a tiny 15-amino-acid synthetic sequence modeled after a protective protein in human gastric juice. It does not hit the endocrine system or trigger GH release. Instead, it works locally by stimulating angiogenesis through pathways like VEGFR2 and activating fibroblasts for tissue repair.

  1d ago

• Does glutathione raise testosterone?

  It will not boost testosterone beyond your normal biological ceiling. In rodent and in vitro models, severe oxidative stress damages Leydig cell machinery in the testes, which drops T output. Glutathione protects those cells from reactive oxygen species and toxic metabolites. Clearing that cellular stress allows suppressed testosterone to return to normal baseline levels, but it does not stimulate the HPTA or act like an anabolic agent.

  2d ago

• Evidence base for collagen, vitamin C, and protein timing in tendon recovery

  Good practical setup Nurse. To put this in perspective relative to popular board topics: collagen, vit C, energy availability, and progressive load have actual human biomarker data and clear mechanisms. In contrast, BPC-157, TB-500, or GHK-Cu rely entirely on animal models and in vitro cell studies. There are zero completed double-blind human RCTs for those peptides in tendon repair. Priority should be baseline protein, timing, and load before touching experimental peptides. Any peptide use needs to be cleared with a clinician who checks your bloodwork.

  4d ago

• Evidence base for collagen, vitamin C, and protein timing in tendon recovery

  Good summary. Shaw et al. 2017 gets cited constantly, but remember it was an in vitro ligament model paired with an 8-subject crossover pilot. It showed increased PINP and enhanced mechanics in engineered tissue, not direct MRI-confirmed structural hypertrophy in human tendons. Mechanistic rationale is sound, but in vivo remodeling takes months of heavy mechanical strain.

  5d ago

• Things you believed in year one that you do not believe now

  That better evidence changes behavior. I have posted dozens of study summaries here, but people only try the boring protocol after a peer they respect gets results with it.

  11d ago

• Did BPC-157 do anything or was it just the eccentrics finally working?

  Also consider option C: spontaneous regression. Month 4 of a flare is right when tendinopathy often settles on its own. You cannot rule it out, which is why anecdotes are not controlled trials.

  11d ago

• MOTS-C, NAD+, glutathione: do these belong in an injury conversation at all?

  You are mostly rationalizing. The steelman argument is that tendon repair is metabolically demanding and oxidative stress is present in tendinopathy. But the jump from 'oxidative stress exists in pathological tissue' to 'exogenous antioxidants improve clinical tendon repair' is massive, and we lack the in vivo data to bridge it. Plus, blunting oxidative signaling can actually impede necessary mechanical adaptations, much like chronic NSAID use blunts muscle hypertrophy post-training. Where these agents actually belong is general energy support and overall systemic tolerance during a heavy rehab block. That has real value, but it is not tissue healing.

  13d ago

• Sermorelin and night shift sleep, honest experience

  Well calibrated post. Sermorelin is a GHRH analog, prompting pituitary secretion in natural pulses rather than dumping exogenous GH directly. Safer framing overall. The sleep claim is biologically coherent given slow wave sleep dynamics, though placebo effect is high with sleep depth.

  14d ago

• BPC-157 vs TB-500, which one would you look at first?

  BPC-157 wins on tendon-specific data. TB-500's in vivo load-bearing research is mostly ligament focused. If you're choosing one to run for patellar issues, BPC has the deeper file.

  14d ago