How-to guide
How to reconstitute peptides — step-by-step guide
A plain English guide to reconstituting lyophilised research peptides — what equipment you need, how to calculate concentrations, and how to store them correctly.
4 weeks
Shelf life once reconstituted (refrigerated)
1–2ml
Typical bacteriostatic water volume per vial
100 IU
Standard insulin syringe capacity
Reconstitution is the process of mixing a lyophilised (freeze-dried) peptide powder with bacteriostatic water to create an injectable solution. It sounds intimidating but takes less than five minutes once you know the process.
💡 Plain English
In plain English — your peptide arrives as a powder. You add water to it to create the solution. This guide walks you through every step.
What you need
Before you start, gather all your equipment. You will need: a vial of lyophilised peptide, bacteriostatic water (not sterile water), insulin syringes (29–31 gauge), alcohol swabs, and a clean flat surface.
⚠️ Safety note
Always use bacteriostatic water — not sterile water or tap water. Bacteriostatic water contains benzyl alcohol which prevents bacterial growth and extends shelf life to 4 weeks refrigerated. Sterile water has no preservative and the solution should be used within 24 hours.
Reconstitution steps
1
Wipe both vial tops with alcohol
Swab the rubber stopper on both your peptide vial and bacteriostatic water vial with an alcohol wipe. Allow to air dry for 30 seconds — do not blow on them.
2
Draw up the bacteriostatic water
Insert your syringe into the bacteriostatic water vial and draw up your desired volume. For a 5mg peptide vial, 1ml of water gives a concentration of 5mg/ml (5000mcg/ml).
💡 For a 2mg/ml concentration add 2.5ml of water. Adjust to your preferred concentration.
3
Inject water slowly down the side of the vial
Insert the needle through the rubber stopper of the peptide vial at a 45 degree angle. Let the water run slowly down the inside wall of the vial — never squirt directly onto the powder. This prevents degradation.
4
Let it dissolve — do not shake
Gently swirl the vial in a slow circular motion until the powder fully dissolves. This usually takes 30–60 seconds. Never shake the vial as this can degrade the peptide.
5
Label and refrigerate
Label the vial with the date of reconstitution. Store in the refrigerator (2–8°C) away from light. Reconstituted peptides are stable for up to 4 weeks refrigerated.
Calculating your dose
The concentration of your solution determines how many units to draw in the syringe. Use this formula: Units to draw = (Desired dose in mcg ÷ Concentration in mcg/ml) × 100.
50 units
500mcg dose from 5mg/ml concentration (5000mcg/ml)
10 units
100mcg dose from 5mg/ml concentration
20 units
100mcg dose from 2mg/ml concentration (2000mcg/ml)
🔬 Research finding
Most research protocols use subcutaneous (under the skin) injection into the abdominal region. Always research the specific protocol for the compound you are working with.
Storage
Lyophilised (unreconstituted) peptides can be stored at room temperature for months and in a freezer for years. Once reconstituted, store in the refrigerator and use within 4 weeks. Never freeze a reconstituted peptide.
References
1 Chang CH et al. (2011). The promoting effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on tendon healing involves tendon outgrowth, cell survival, and cell migration.
Journal of Applied Physiology. Key finding: BPC-157 stability is preserved in standard reconstitution conditions