A practical reference on prohibited list: what it is, how it behaves, what the literature reports, and where the honest uncertainties sit.
This page was last updated on 2026-04-24 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
TB-500 is a synthetic heptapeptide with the sequence Ac-LKKTETQ. It corresponds to a short N-terminal region of thymosin beta-4, a 43-amino-acid protein found in many cell types. The fragment contains an actin-binding motif, which is one reason it appears in laboratory studies of cell migration and cytoskeletal dynamics. TB-500 is not the full-length protein and is produced as a research chemical rather than an approved therapeutic agent. Its molecular weight is approximately 889 Da.
Several names appear in scientific and commercial contexts for this peptide. The label TB-500 is informal and does not follow standard biochemical nomenclature. Research articles more often describe the compound as a thymosin beta-4 fragment, Tβ4 fragment, or by its sequence Ac-LKKTETQ. Confusing TB-500 with full-length thymosin beta-4 can lead to incorrect assumptions about activity because the fragment lacks the remaining residues of the parent protein. The relationship between fragment and parent protein remains an active area of study.
Material is normally supplied as a lyophilised powder in a sealed vial. The powder is hygroscopic, so exposure to humid air leads to water uptake, caking and gradual loss of the fluffy texture that indicates a good freeze-dry. Vials are best kept sealed with desiccant, protected from light and stored cold. Letting a cold vial warm to room temperature before opening reduces condensation on the contents. Purity is normally reported from a chromatographic run, and that figure applies to the batch as tested rather than to the vial after repeated opening.
Once dissolved, the peptide is far less stable than the dry powder. Aqueous solutions are subject to hydrolysis, oxidation at susceptible residues and gradual loss of material through adsorption onto glass and plastic surfaces. Terminal glutamine can cyclise under some conditions, producing a related species that complicates purity assessment. Dilute solutions tend to lose a larger fraction of material to surfaces than concentrated ones. Buffers, pH and ionic strength all influence the rate of change, so stability figures are only meaningful when those parameters are stated alongside the storage interval.
Detection in biological samples relies on mass spectrometry, typically liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry after peptide extraction and enrichment. Intact peptides can also be confirmed by high-resolution mass measurement together with fragmentation data. Detection windows in urine are short because the peptide is degraded by proteases and cleared quickly, and concentrations are low. Many jurisdictions treat the compound as a prohibited substance in sport, grouped with peptide hormones and related factors, while it is not an approved therapeutic product. Identity and purity statements therefore rest on certificates of analysis, ideally issued by an independent laboratory.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C38H68N10O14 | Calculated for the acetylated heptapeptide |
| Molecular weight | ~889 Da | Monoisotopic mass approximately 889.0 Da |
| Amino acid sequence | Ac-LKKTETQ | N-terminal acetylated seven-residue peptide |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typically supplied as a lyophilized solid |
| Solubility class | Water-soluble | Peptides of this size generally dissolve in aqueous media |
TB-500 is a short synthetic peptide sold under a trade name rather than a systematic chemical name. Suppliers usually describe it as a fragment of thymosin beta-4 and ship it as a lyophilised powder intended for laboratory use. Because the label is commercial, the exact sequence attributed to it is not fully consistent across catalogues, and some listings present a seven-residue peptide while others describe related fragments of similar length. It is not an approved medicine in any major jurisdiction, and it is handled as a research chemical.
Thymosin beta-4 itself is a natural peptide of 43 residues found in many cell types and body fluids. Its best-characterised function is binding and sequestering actin monomers, which influences cytoskeletal dynamics. The sequence most often associated with TB-500, LKKTETQ, corresponds to part of that actin-binding region. A different fragment, Ac-SDKP, is also derived from the same parent peptide and is studied in its own right, which is one reason discussions of thymosin fragments can become confusing. The two are structurally distinct and are not interchangeable.
Purity and identity are separate measurements and are often confused. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, usually with ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres, reports the share of total peak area belonging to the target compound. Mass spectrometry by electrospray or matrix-assisted laser desorption then checks whether the observed mass matches the expected sequence. Neither measurement alone shows that a vial holds the intended peptide. Peptide content, meaning the fraction of vial mass that is genuine peptide rather than counter-ion, water or residual acid, is reported separately and is frequently lower than the stated purity figure.
The regulatory position is broadly consistent across major jurisdictions: no thymosin beta-4 fragment is an approved medicine, and laboratory material is commonly labelled as not intended for human consumption. Anti-doping rules in sport list thymosin beta-4 and its fragments among prohibited peptide hormones. Because these products travel through research-chemical channels rather than pharmaceutical supply chains, quality varies considerably between vendors. Independent testing of identity, purity and sterility is the only dependable check, and a certificate of analysis describes one batch rather than a supplier's whole catalogue.
Research interest in thymosin beta-4 fragments centres on actin sequestration, cell migration and tissue repair models. Most published work uses cultured cells or animal wound and cardiac preparations, and findings are generally described as preliminary. No fragment of this protein has been approved as a therapeutic product by major regulators. Reviews of the field note inconsistent dosing, delivery routes and outcome measures across studies, which complicates direct comparison. The material is best understood as a laboratory reagent with an active but unresolved research literature.
TB-500 is a catalogue name applied to a synthetic peptide related to thymosin beta-4, an actin-binding protein found in most mammalian cells. Suppliers do not use the label consistently: some describe it as the full 43-residue protein, others as a short fragment from the actin-binding region, and others as a related tetrapeptide. Because the name is commercial rather than chemical, two products sold under it may not contain the same molecule. This naming ambiguity is the first point to check in any description of the material.
The most frequently cited identity is a seven-residue fragment with the sequence LKKTETQ, taken from the actin-binding domain of the parent protein. A separate molecule, N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline, often shortened to Ac-SDKP, derives from the same protein's N-terminal region and appears in overlapping literature. Reported molecular masses therefore differ between sources, and a mass value on its own does not establish which fragment is present. Confirmation requires a defined sequence rather than a single number.
Identity and purity checks for peptide material typically combine reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with mass measurement, since retention time alone cannot confirm a sequence. Mass measurement verifies the expected molecular mass within instrument tolerance, while chromatographic peak area provides a purity estimate. Anti-doping analysis of urine uses related but more sensitive workflows, sometimes after solid-phase extraction. For research material, batch documentation, certificate content, and independent testing are common points of scrutiny, because supply chains outside pharmaceutical regulation vary widely in the paperwork they provide.
Reconstitution of a lyophilized peptide is normally done with sterile water or a suitable buffer under aseptic conditions. Adding solvent down the vial wall and allowing gentle dissolution instead of vigorous vortexing reduces the chance of aggregation, which can lower the effective concentration of the resulting solution. Concentrated stocks are usually diluted into working buffer shortly before use. Because no standard preparation protocol exists for TB-500 specifically, laboratories adapt general peptide handling practice, and reported results may reflect differing preparation choices.
Glutathione S-transferase theta-1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the GSTT1 gene. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) theta 1 (GSTT1) is a member of a superfamily of proteins that catalyze the conjugation of reduced glutathione to a variety of electrophilic and hydrophobic compounds. Human GSTs can be divided into five main classes: alpha, mu, pi, theta, and zeta. The theta class includes GSTT1 and GSTT2. The GSTT1 and GSTT2 share 55% amino acid sequence identity and both of them were claimed to have an important role in human carcinogenesis. The GSTT1 gene is located approximately 50kb away from the GSTT2 gene. The GSTT1 and GSTT2 genes have a similar structure, being composed of five exons with identical exon/intron boundaries.
=== Reaction Steps === During amino acid activation, each amino acid (aa) is attached to its corresponding tRNA molecule. The coupling reaction is catalyzed by a group of enzymes called aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (named after the reaction product aminoacyl-tRNA or aa-tRNA). The coupling reaction proceeds in two steps: First, the carboxyl group of the backbone of the amino acid is covalently linked to the α-phosphate of the ATP molecule, releasing inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) and creating a 5’ aminoacyl adenylate intermediate (aa-AMP). 1. aa + ATP ⟶ aa-AMP + PPi Second, the aminoacyl adenylate intermediate undergoes nucleophilic attack, attaching an aminoacyl group to the tRNA at the 3’-OH, and freeing an AMP molecule. 2. aa-AMP + tRNA ⟶ aa-tRNA + AMP There are two classes of aminoacyl t-RNA synthetases: class I and class II. Class I enzymes catalyze transfer of the aminoacyl group to the 2’-OH of the tRNA molecule, and a subsequent transesterification reaction moves the aminoacyl group to the 3’-OH of the tRNA. Class II enzymes catalyze transfer of the aminoacyl group directly to the 3’-OH of the tRNA in a single step. The resulting aminoacyl-tRNA molecule is identical regardless of the enzyme class. The net reaction is: aa + ATP + tRNA ⟶ aa-tRNA + AMP + PPi The amino acid is coupled to the terminal nucleotide at the 3’-end of the tRNA (the A in the sequence CCA) via an ester bond. The formation of the ester bond conserves a considerable part of the energy from the activation reaction.
== Sponsored events == Chick-fil-A Classic The Chick-fil-A Classic is a high school basketball tournament held in Columbia, South Carolina, featuring nationally ranked players and teams. The tournament is co-sponsored by the Greater Columbia Educational Advancement Foundation (GCEAF), which provides scholarships to high school seniors in the greater Columbia area. Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, first known as the Peach Bowl until 2006 and renamed Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in 2014, is a college football bowl game played each year in Atlanta, Georgia. Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game is an annual early-season college football game played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia; before 2017, it was played at the Georgia Dome. It features two highly ranked teams, one of which has always been from the Southeastern Conference. The event was expanded to two games in the 2012 season and again in the 2014 season. It was also two games in 2017. On July 12, 2023, Georgia-based insurance company Aflac, became the new sponsor of the game.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
In January 2024, Galloway announced that he would stand in the Rochdale by-election the following month, again for the Workers Party of Britain. Galloway claimed he received a text from Richard Tice to be the Reform UK party candidate. He was elected in a political upset after Azhar Ali, the Labour candidate, lost the support of his party due to comments made regarding the Hamas-led attack on Israel. Galloway won almost 40% of the vote and overturned a Labour majority of 9,668. The Gaza war dominated the campaign. In his election speech, Galloway said "Keir Starmer, this is for Gaza. You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Gaza, in the Gaza Strip". Alluding to the size of his win over the Labour and Conservative candidates, he said, "Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak are two cheeks of the same backside and they both got well and truly spanked tonight here in Rochdale." Galloway chose to make a religious oath rather than a secular affirmation when being sworn into parliament; in which he held a Bible and swore allegiance to King Charles and his heirs upon God. On 23 May 2024, Galloway confirmed he would be running for re-election in Rochdale at the 2024 general election. Galloway polled 11,508 votes and lost the seat to Labour's Paul Waugh, who polled 13,047 votes. Galloway did not attend the vote count. He was MP for Rochdale for 92 days.
Extraradical hyphae extend outward from the mantle into the soil, compensating for the suppression of root hairs by increasing the effective surface area of the colonized root. These hyphae can spread out singly, or in an aggregate arrangement known as a rhizomorph. These composite hyphal organs can have a wide range of structures. Some rhizomorphs are simply parallel, linear collections of hyphae. Others have more complex organization, for example the central hyphae may be larger in diameter than other hyphae, or the hyphae may grow continuously at the tip, penetrating into new areas in a way that superficially resembles meristematic activity. This part of the ectomycorrhiza, which is called the extraradical or extramatrical mycelium, functions largely as a transport structure. They often spread considerable distances, maintaining a large contact area with the soil. Some studies have shown a relationship between nutrient transport rates and the degree of rhizomorph organization. The rhizomorphs of different EcM types often have different organization types and exploration strategies, observed as different structure and growth within the soil. These differences also help identify the symbiotic fungus. The hyphae extending outward into the soil from an ectomycorrhiza can infect other nearby plants. Experiments and field studies show that this can lead to the formation of common mycorrhizal networks (CMNs) that allow sharing of carbon and nutrients among the connected host plants.
Half-Life is a 2008 American science fiction drama film directed by Jennifer Phang, starring Sanoe Lake, Julia Nickson-Soul, Leonardo Nam, Ben Redgrave, Lee Marks, James Eckhouse, Susan Ruttan and Alexander Agate. The film premiered in the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and subsequently toured the American and international film festivals circuits. It premiered internationally in the Tokyo International Film Festival in competition, and then in Europe at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, also in competition. Half-Life was the opening night film for the International Women's Film Festival in Seoul, Korea. The film made a theatrical debut on December 1, 2009 in selected cities.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
TB-500 is a synthetic heptapeptide corresponding to a fragment of thymosin beta-4. It is used in laboratory research and is not an approved drug.
No. Thymosin beta-4 is a 43-amino-acid protein, while TB-500 represents only a short N-terminal segment. The two should not be treated as interchangeable in experimental design.
It is often called a thymosin beta-4 fragment, Tβ4 fragment, or Ac-LKKTETQ. The name TB-500 is mainly a commercial or catalog label rather than a formal chemical name.
Sealed, dry and protected from light at reduced temperature is the usual laboratory convention. Allowing a cold vial to reach room temperature before opening limits condensation. Repeated opening exposes the powder to moisture and should be minimised.