List of Peptides: Every Major Type by Category

A peptide is a short chain of amino acids, usually 2 to 50 links long. Think of amino acids as an alphabet of 20 letters: string a few together and you get a word, and each word tells one specific cell receptor to do one specific job. That receptor match is how peptides get sorted into categories.

BPC-157 speaks to tissue-repair pathways, so it files under healing. Semaglutide speaks to the GLP-1 receptor that controls appetite, so it files under weight loss. The category tells you the receptor system, which tells you the effect.

Size separates peptides from their neighbors. Insulin sits at the top of the range with 51 amino acids, while full proteins run into the hundreds. Peptide drug development has accelerated sharply since 2000, driven largely by the GLP-1 class (Muttenthaler et al., Nat Rev Drug Discov, 2021, PMID 33536635). If you are new to all of this, start with the getting started with peptides guide and the peptide safety guide before picking a category.

Healing peptides accelerate tissue repair by boosting blood vessel growth, cell migration, or immune signaling at the injury site. This is the category most people enter through, usually chasing a tendon that will not heal. The peptides for healing overview and the best peptides for tendon repair guide cover selection in depth.

BPC-157 and TB-500 are the flagship pair here and are often run together. Read the BPC-157 vs TB-500 comparison to understand who does what, and the combined dosage guide if you plan to stack them.

These peptides raise your own growth hormone output instead of injecting synthetic HGH, which is why the HGH vs peptides comparison matters before you choose. Two subtypes exist: GHRH analogs that tell the pituitary when to release, and GHRPs that amplify how much comes out. The peptides for muscle growth guide ranks them by goal.

The most common pairing is CJC-1295 with ipamorelin, which combines both subtypes in one protocol. The CJC-1295 and ipamorelin benefits guide explains the synergy.

This is the largest category by prescription volume, anchored by the GLP-1 receptor agonists that reshaped obesity medicine. The best peptides for weight loss guide compares every option, and the retatrutide vs tirzepatide breakdown covers the head-to-head most readers ask about.

Semaglutide and tirzepatide carry full FDA approval, which puts them in a different safety tier from everything else on this page. The rest remain research compounds with thinner human data.

Cosmetic peptides work through collagen synthesis, pigmentation signaling, or muscle-contraction blocking, and several apply topically instead of by injection. The peptides for skin overview explains which format fits which goal.

GHK-Cu dominates this category and earns its reputation: the GHK-Cu benefits guide covers the evidence for skin, hair, and wound repair. Melanotan compounds carry real risk, including nausea and unregulated pigment changes, so read the comparison before considering either.

Most peptides in this category came out of Russian research programs and act on brain-derived neurotrophic factor, GABA signaling, or sleep architecture. Evidence quality varies widely here, which the peptides for cognitive function guide addresses head-on.

Semax and selank are usually taken as nasal sprays, which makes them the rare needle-free entries on this page. For the broader toolkits, see peptides for anxiety and peptides for sleep, and check the DSIP dosage guide before experimenting with sleep timing.

These peptides act on brain receptors or the hypothalamic axis rather than on blood flow, which separates them mechanically from drugs like sildenafil. The peptides for libido guide maps the options by symptom.

PT-141 works in roughly 60% of users and needs 45 minutes to 2 hours of lead time, detailed in the PT-141 dosage guide. Men optimizing hormones should also read the best peptides for testosterone guide, since kisspeptin, gonadorelin, and HCG each solve a different part of that puzzle.

Longevity peptides target the machinery of aging itself: mitochondrial output, NAD+ levels, and telomere maintenance. Human evidence is the thinnest of any category on this page, a caveat the bioregulator peptides guide treats seriously.

MOTS-c is the standout for anyone who trains, since it rises naturally during exercise and amplifies the metabolic response. If daytime fatigue is the complaint rather than aging as such, start with the peptides for energy guide instead.

Every research peptide vial shows the same three facts: peptide name, total milligrams of lyophilized powder, and purity percentage. The number that trips people up is the milligrams, because a vial labeled 5 mg contains 5 mg of dry powder and zero liquid. You add bacteriostatic water yourself, and the amount you add sets the concentration of every dose you draw.

Add 2 mL of water to a 5 mg vial and you get 2.5 mg/mL. Add 1 mL and the same vial doubles to 5 mg/mL, so identical syringe markings now deliver twice the dose. Run your exact numbers through the peptide reconstitution calculator and convert syringe markings with the peptide unit converter before the first injection.

Three supporting reads close the loop: the how to reconstitute peptides walkthrough for mixing technique, the bacteriostatic vs sterile water comparison for choosing the right diluent, and the peptide storage guide because reconstituted peptides degrade within weeks even refrigerated. The peptide dosage chart collects typical research doses for every compound listed above.