Injectable Peptides in Sports Medicine: A Structured Narrative Review of Evidence, Safety, and Antidoping Implications

Villegas Meza AD, Nocek M, Mitchell BC, Lizarraga M, DeFoor MT, Ruzbarsky JJ, Huard J, Philippon MJ · JBJS Reviews

Across five peptide classes, only GLP-1 receptor agonists carry reproducible randomised evidence of symptomatic improvement in knee osteoarthritis — and there the benefit tracks weight loss, with structural cartilage modification unproven. BPC-157 and the thymosin derivatives are classed as investigational, with product-quality and antidoping concerns and no human efficacy data in this window.

Population

PubMed, Embase and Web of Science, January 2020 – August 2025; injectable peptides in orthopaedic and sports medicine

Intervention

n/a

Comparator

n/a

Limitations

Level V; covers 2020 onward only, so the older preclinical corpus is outside its window.