Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of mechanisms and preclinical data without new clinical trial data.
PubMed 41490200 · doi:10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-25-00236
What was done
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic pathways and preclinical evidence for various therapeutic peptides (including BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, growth hormone secretagogues, and neuroactive peptides) and their potential applications in orthopaedic injury, inflammation resolution, and musculoskeletal recovery.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data or effect sizes. It details molecular pathways engaged by these agents (such as PI3K/Akt, mTOR, MAPK, TGF-β, and AMPK) and notes that while preclinical studies suggest benefits for angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and cellular repair, there is an absence of clinical trials evaluating their safety and efficacy in musculoskeletal medicine.
Why it matters
Peptides are increasingly discussed for athletic recovery and injury repair; this review catalogs their proposed mechanisms while highlighting the major gap between laboratory theory and human clinical validation.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review providing no new human empirical data. The underlying evidence base consists primarily of preclinical models, and clinical trial data in human orthopaedic populations are currently absent.
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