Dr. Abud Bakri on Peptides: BPC-157, Thymic and Russian Bioregulators, GHK-Cu, Growth Hormone Secretagogues and GLP-1s

High-Level Overview

Andrew Huberman talks with Dr. Abud Bakri, a 33-year-old board-certified internal medicine physician who works in hospital wards and ICUs and has deep knowledge of the science and history of peptides. They cover BPC-157, the Russian "bioregulator peptides pinealon and epitalon, thymic peptides such as thymosin alpha-1 and thymulin, GHK-Cu, growth hormone secretagogues, and GLP-1 drugs including semaglutide, tirzepatide and retatrutide. Throughout, they separate animal data from human data, explain the murky legal and supply landscape of compounding pharmacies and research use only" websites, and discuss where the field is heading.

The tone is curious, enthusiastic and at times humorous, but consistently cautious. Both men share personal experiments, which they repeatedly stress are not recommendations. The conversation moves between history, mechanism, regulation and personal anecdotes, with Bakri acting as an unusually clear guide to a confusing field.

The Discussion Explores:

• What peptides are, and why whether a peptide has a known receptor matters
• BPC-157's origins in gut research, striking animal data, and the lack of human trials
• The regulatory maze: FDA compounding categories, state medical boards, gray and black markets
• Soviet-era bioregulators (pinealon, epitalon) and their claimed effects on sleep, cognition and aging
• The thymus, immune aging, thymosin alpha-1, thymulin, and a cheap blood marker for immune health
• GHK-Cu for skin, and the promise and risks of growth hormone secretagogues
• GLP-1 drugs: benefits, unknowns, dosing and patent battles
• How to approach peptides as safely as possible

Deep Dive into Main Ideas

What Peptides Are

Bakri calls peptides "one of the languages of the human body," alongside other signaling systems like steroid hormones. His key distinction is between peptides with clear receptors and strong, predictable effects, like the GLP-1 drugs, and more obscure peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500 (thymosin beta-4), which have no identified receptor. These may act on receptors not yet found, modify existing proteins, or, like the Russian peptides, bind into grooves of DNA and open or close regions for gene expression, somewhat like a steroid hormone. Later he points out that there is no real scientific category called "peptides: carnosine, BPC-157 and retatrutide share the label but little else, and what matters is which receptor a molecule touches. Huberman agrees that the word peptides is just too general" and urges Bakri to help create a clearer naming system.

BPC-157: From Dog Gastric Juice to Wolverine Stack

Bakri traces BPC-157 back to Ivan Pavlov, who collected and sold gastric juice from dogs as a remedy for stomach complaints, and to Hans Selye's stress research, which showed that stressed animals develop enlarged adrenals, damaged stomach linings and shrunken thymuses. In the early 1990s, a Croatian group led by Dr. Sikiric isolated a large gut protein they called BPC (body protection compound) and identified a 15-amino-acid fragment, BPC-157, responsible for its effects. Humans don't naturally make BPC-157 itself. In animals, it sped healing of severed tendons, ACLs, nerves and burns, protected the stomach, blunted the damage from corticosteroids, reduced drunkenness and alcohol withdrawal in mice, and seemed to steady dopamine signaling. Mechanistically, it appears to boost blood vessel growth (VEGF), cell migration, growth hormone receptors on tendons and nitric oxide pathways, pressing the "gas pedal" on repair rather than suppressing inflammation.

The catch is that almost all the data come from one Croatian lab. Human evidence consists of small phase 1 and 2 trials of BPC-157 enemas for ulcerative colitis, published only as abstracts. The phase 1 trial reported no adverse effects, and oral or rectal BPC didn't appear in the blood. Animals tolerated enormous doses, so no lethal dose (LD50) has been established, which ironically complicates FDA approval. The main theoretical concern is that promoting blood vessel growth could feed an existing tumor. Bakri says animal data show no cancer signal and BPC isn't mutagenic, but on Reddit he sees reports of worsening hematomas, and Huberman mentions a physician friend whose facial spider angiomas worsen on it. Bakri also notes that some users report anhedonia or say their Adderall stopped working.

Both share anecdotes. Bakri says he injected BPC-157 locally (along with other peptides) into a grade-two triceps tear and was back to normal in three to four weeks instead of the usual three months. He used a higher dose than the typical 200 to 250 micrograms, which he suspects may be too low for humans. Huberman describes a neck strain that cleared within two days of a 200-microgram injection from a compounding pharmacy, while acknowledging he can't know what would have happened otherwise. Bakri also carries oral BPC when traveling and says he avoids the stomach bugs his friends catch. For future trials, he would prioritize ulcerative colitis (perhaps with a capsule), GERD compared with a standard acid reducer, addiction and cravings, and tendon repair after surgery. He sums up the stakes: either BPC is as good as the animal data suggest and millions are missing out, or it's ineffective or harmful and millions are injecting it anyway. "Both cases are very bad endpoints."

The Legal Maze and the Gray Market

Bakri explains that in late 2024, BPC-157 and about 20 other peptides were moved to the FDA's category 2 list, meaning do not compound. Some compounders relabeled BPC-157 as pentadeca arginate (PDA), which he says is essentially the same molecule in a different salt. The acetate form was recently removed from category 2 but hasn't yet reached category 1, and state medical boards take very different views, with telehealth rules following the patient's state. During the GLP-1 shortages, compounding pharmacies were allowed to make semaglutide and tirzepatide, and he notes that clinicians sometimes marked up compounded drugs heavily. Huberman encourages patients to ask what their doctor pays versus what they charge. Ozempic pens that cost around $1,500 in the U.S. sold for about $150 an hour away in Mexico.

Nearly all active peptide ingredients are synthesized in China. Big pharma products are the most tightly controlled, compounding pharmacies range from excellent to lousy, and "research use only gray-market peptides vary from batch to batch. One man on X said the retatrutide" he bought was darkening his skin, suggesting it was actually Melanotan II. Bakri estimates $5 to $10 billion was spent on gray-market peptides in the U.S. in 2025, much of it sold by social media affiliates, and says more than half the market is women. Black-market peptides, bought directly from overseas or made at home, are riskier still. He believes GLP-1 pens made self-injection feel normal, which opened the door to everything else. He also notes the lack of legal cover for doctors: malpractice insurers generally won't cover non-FDA-approved peptides. He believes the choice should be a frank, monitored conversation: "It should be between the physician and the patient." To gym-goers, he says, "dude, you're 18. You have all the peptides you need in you."

Pinealon and Epitalon: Soviet Bioregulators

Bakri describes Russian scientist Vladimir Khavinson, tasked by the Soviet Union with protecting and restoring soldiers, submariners and astronauts who came back looking years older, with poor sleep and weak immunity. Khavinson found that extracts of the pineal gland and thymus reversed some of these effects, then isolated short peptides responsible. Confusingly, pinealon (the tripeptide EDR) comes from a cortex extract, while epitalon (AEDG) comes from the pineal gland. Khavinson's model is that these tiny peptides act on DNA to restore youthful gene expression, and that the benefits linger after short courses.

Huberman reveals that he occasionally injects a small dose of pinealon in the middle of the night and that it roughly doubles his REM sleep in the final hours, with lingering benefits on other nights. Bakri says Khavinson designed pinealon as an anti-stress, cognitive compound. Athletes who took it kept their performance up after exhausting training, so morning use may make more sense. Reported effects include less brain fog, vivid dreams and, in some users, lower blood sugar, which calls for caution in people with blood sugar problems. For epitalon, Khavinson reported restored melatonin production in aged monkeys and humans, more rhythmic clock genes and higher morning cortisol. In his 15-year study, nursing home residents given short yearly courses of pineal and thymic extracts had lower mortality from cardiovascular disease, infections and cancer. Bakri repeatedly notes this is Russian research that needs replication. Huberman is intrigued by animal data showing epitalon protecting the retina in models of retinitis pigmentosa. Bakri suspects it may act on melanopsin, adding that darkness helps replenish melanopsin so morning light works better.

The Thymus and Immune Aging

Bakri calls the thymus, which sits above the heart, one of the most neglected organs. It trains T cells so they attack invaders and cancers but not the body itself. It grows until puberty, then shrinks under the influence of sex hormones and corticosteroids, a process called involution, and it also shrinks after every infection. He cites a paper linking higher thymic scores on imaging to lower mortality across many diseases, and data suggesting that removing leftover thymic tissue during heart surgery raises cancer and autoimmune risk. He also recounts a historical warning: from the 1910s to the 1940s, doctors irradiated infants' thymuses to prevent SIDS, leading to thousands of later cancer deaths, which is why caution matters.

Thymosin alpha-1 acts like "jet fuel" for T cells. It was once FDA approved (as Zadaxin) for children with missing or malfunctioning thymuses, and it's approved elsewhere as an add-on for hepatitis B and C and some cancers. Bakri says he took 2.5 milligrams twice a week during a year of hospital shifts and travel and didn't get sick once, which he frames as a personal experiment. TB-500/thymosin beta-4 helps cells reorganize their internal skeleton to move, and it's a known doping agent in horse racing. Thymulin depends on zinc. Its levels drop first when zinc runs low, and in animals it amplifies hormone signals such as HCG's effect on testosterone. Greg Fahy's TRIIM trial, using growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, regrew the thymus on imaging. Bakri also argues that people return to work too soon after illness, never letting the thymus recover.

His practical tool is a cheap, underused marker: the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio on a standard CBC with differential, which he calls a $3 test. Low ratios are linked to poor outcomes across many diseases. He says a total lymphocyte count of roughly 1,500 to 3,300 is typical of young healthy people, with cancer risk rising below about 1,000. He wants whole-body MRI companies to report a thymic score.

GHK-Cu and Growth Hormone Secretagogues

GHK-Cu is a copper-bound tripeptide found in type 1 collagen, discovered by Loren Pickart. It declines sharply with age and regulates both collagen building and breakdown. Topical versions have human data for skin aging and sun damage, especially when combined with red light therapy, while hair data are weak and injectable use isn't approved. Huberman notes the sun provides red and near-infrared light for free if you avoid too much UV. Bakri explains online nicknames: the "Wolverine stack" (BPC-157 plus TB-500) and the "glow stack" (adding GHK-Cu).

Growth hormone secretagogues such as tesamorelin, ipamorelin, sermorelin and the non-peptide MK-677 address "somatopause, the drop in growth hormone in the 30s. Benefits include better skin, sleep, recovery and possibly thymus regrowth, but they reduce insulin sensitivity and may enlarge the prostate. Huberman says sermorelin increased his deep sleep, suppressed REM and spiked his PSA, so he stopped. There's no direct evidence that they cause cancer, but they could theoretically speed an existing one, and larger dogs with more IGF-1 live shorter lives. Bakri describes the Trinity stack behind many celebrity transformations: TRT, a GLP-1 such as tirzepatide or retatrutide, and a growth hormone booster. Is that healthy? We'll find out."

GLP-1s: A Post-GLP-1 World

Bakri says GLP-1 drugs may have saved a medical system that was heading for collapse under obesity and diabetes, now producing 10% to 30% weight loss. His grandmother's early GLP-1 drug, Byetta, is part of why he went into medicine. But "Is there a free lunch? That's the big question." Unknowns include whether people must stay on the drugs for life, effects on young, developing brains, and reports of low motivation. He suspects many cognitive or mood complaints come from excessive doses, too little food and electrolytes, and less social eating, so he titrates slowly as "training wheels alongside lifestyle changes. He shares a cautionary story: he once injected a full milligram of semaglutide from a pen a relative thought was fake and vomited through an entire night shift. Other notes: weight loss can restore fertility (so-called Ozempic babies), and people drinking less alcohol on these drugs may reflect changes in dopamine signaling. Eli Lilly may seek to classify retatrutide, at 39 amino acids, as a biologic, which would extend its patent and keep compounders out. There is no pre-GLP1 world for us as clinicians," he says.

Q&A and Safe Sourcing

On endometriosis and fibroids, Bakri knows of no peptide data and says hormonal treatment through a good OB-GYN is a far stronger lever. On traumatic brain injury, there is no good BPC-157 data, though its apparently homeostatic effects, putting the body into a "rest and digest" recovery mode, would be worth studying. His advice on sourcing is to avoid research-use websites, build a relationship with a physician who is educated about peptides, expect physician-led and telehealth options to improve over the coming months, and get lab monitoring (for example, IGF-1 when using tesamorelin). Above all, the basics come first: morning sunlight, sleep, darkness at night and minimally processed food. Huberman also mentions liking Ra Optics bulbs, which shift from bright full-spectrum light in the morning to flicker-free candlelight in the evening.

Conclusion

This episode is a rare, balanced map of the peptide landscape. Bakri shows that "peptides" covers everything from rigorously tested GLP-1 drugs to compounds like BPC-157 with compelling animal data, dramatic anecdotes, and almost no human trials. The biggest risks today may come less from the molecules than from how people get them: gray-market vials of uncertain identity, inflated markups and little medical oversight. His message is to respect what isn't known, insist on real data and clean sources, work with an informed physician, track meaningful markers like the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, and never skip the fundamentals of sleep, light and diet. Nothing in the episode is a recommendation to use these compounds.

This is a summary of "Peptides: The Science, Uses & Safety | Dr. Abud Bakri" from Huberman Lab, giving you the GIST so you can decide if you want the REST. Listen to the full episode.