Research-only educational guide

TB-500 Dosage Calculator and Chart

A structured summary of the published literature discussing thymosin beta-4 (TB-4) biology and TB-500-related dosing concepts used in research contexts, including experimental applications, safety considerations, and regulatory context.

Overview

TB-500 is frequently discussed in research communities in connection with thymosin beta-4 (TB-4), a peptide described across tissue repair, inflammation, and regeneration literature. Historical and mechanistic discussions of thymosins provide context for why TB-4 biology has been investigated across diverse injury models. [6]

Because standardized clinical dosing and administration protocols for “TB-500” are not established, dosing discussions are often derived from experimental practice and from the human clinical literature evaluating thymosin beta-4 in controlled settings. [15,16]

TB-500 Dosage Chart: Quick Breakdown

The protocol structure below is presented as an informational reference only (not a clinical guideline).

Reported short-course structure discussed in research summaries (informational reference only).
Timeline Days 1–15 Days 16+ (if needed)
Daily total 2 mg/day (commonly described as subcutaneous exposure in research settings) 1 mg/day (commonly described as subcutaneous exposure in research settings)

What Is TB-500?

TB-500 is commonly described in non-clinical contexts as relating to thymosin beta-4 (TB-4), a thymosin family peptide discussed in tissue repair and regeneration literature. [6]

How TB-4 is described in the literature

  • TB-4 has been discussed in the context of repair biology and regenerative processes across tissues. [7,12,17]
  • Experimental work has evaluated roles in cell migration and injury responses (e.g., muscle injury signaling). [2]
  • Reviews describe uncertainty and mixed findings in inflammatory disease contexts such as rheumatoid arthritis. [13]

The term “TB-500” is widely used in research-community discussions, but the peer-reviewed biomedical literature most directly evaluates thymosin beta-4 itself in preclinical and limited clinical studies. [6,15,16]

Research Applications and Reported Findings

Thymosin beta-4 has been investigated across models involving tissue injury, repair, and inflammation-related pathways. The findings below summarize representative areas of study and should be interpreted within the limits of each model and study design.

Cardiac repair / vascular growth

  • Reviews discuss thymosin beta-4 and cardiac repair biology. [7]
  • A pilot clinical study evaluated autologous thymosin β4 pre-treated endothelial progenitor cells in acute STEMI patients. [8]

Neuroprotection (experimental)

  • Rodent work reported neuroprotective and neurorestorative findings after experimental traumatic brain injury. [9]
  • Additional mechanistic discussions appear across broader regeneration literature. [17]

Wound healing and tissue repair

  • Dermal healing acceleration described in preclinical models and in patients (review). [12]
  • Experimental wound healing acceleration reported in dermatology research. [18]
  • Venous ulcer outcomes discussed in a multicenter report. [20]
  • Ocular surface research includes wound-healing and anti-inflammatory discussions. [10,21]

Ligament and musculoskeletal models

  • Rat medial collateral ligament model reported improved healing-related outcomes. [14]
  • Muscle injury literature describes chemoattractant activity in myoblast-related responses. [2]

Hair growth (animal studies)

  • Hair growth via stem cell migration/differentiation discussed in animal work. [24]
  • Hair follicle stem-cell activation described in animal work. [25]
  • Mouse hair growth study reported thymosin beta-4 related findings. [26]

Dosage Context in Research and Clinical Literature

There are no standardized clinical dosing guidelines for “TB-500.” Where dosing is discussed in the peer-reviewed clinical literature, the controlled human studies typically evaluate thymosin beta-4 (TB-4) using defined protocols in healthy volunteers. [15,16]

Human clinical exposure (TB-4)

  • Randomized placebo-controlled single and multiple dose study of intravenous thymosin beta-4 in healthy volunteers. [15]
  • Phase I study of recombinant human thymosin β4 in healthy volunteers (single and multiple doses). [16]

These studies inform tolerability and pharmacologic exposure under controlled conditions but do not establish dosing for non-clinical products. Any research protocol should be designed with clear endpoints, oversight, and adherence to institutional requirements.

Reconstitution (Laboratory Context)

In laboratory settings, peptides may be supplied as lyophilized powder and reconstituted using sterile diluents according to institutional protocols. The steps below are a high-level handling overview (not a clinical instruction).

Materials (Example)

  • Sterile diluent (per lab protocol)
  • Sterile syringes/needles (as required)
  • Alcohol prep pads
  • Labeling materials (date, concentration, lot)
  • Refrigerated storage (if required by protocol)

Process Overview

  1. Calculate target concentration and total volume.
  2. Add diluent gently along vial wall; minimize foaming.
  3. Avoid shaking; allow time for dissolution.
  4. Mix gently per protocol; label and store appropriately.

Always follow your lab’s aseptic technique, storage, and disposal requirements.

Safety Considerations

Safety and tolerability data in humans are derived primarily from controlled studies of thymosin beta-4 in healthy volunteers. These include randomized placebo-controlled and first-in-human Phase I investigations. [15,16]

Preclinical and translational studies across injury models are not sufficient to establish safety or efficacy for human use outside regulated clinical research. Findings should be interpreted cautiously and within appropriate ethical and regulatory oversight.

Conclusion

The peer-reviewed literature on thymosin beta-4 spans preclinical models and a limited number of clinical studies, with reported findings across tissue repair and regeneration contexts. [7,12,15,16]

Because “TB-500” is not supported by standardized clinical dosing guidance, it should be approached as a research discussion topic only and confined to controlled laboratory or regulated clinical research contexts where applicable.

References

  1. Pharmaceutical Crime. Retrieved February 10, 2020. unodc.org
  2. Tokura Y, Nakayama Y, Fukada S, et al. Muscle injury-induced thymosin β4 acts as a chemoattractant for myoblasts. J Biochem. 2011;149(1):43-8. doi:10.1093/jb/mvq115
  3. What is TB-500? Retrieved February 9, 2020. users.skynet.be
  4. Even horses don’t use banned drugs. Retrieved February 11, 2020. dailytelegraph.com.au
  5. TB-500: from horseracing to doping. Retrieved February 8, 2020. Dshs-koeln.de.
  6. Goldstein AL. History of the discovery of the thymosins. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Sep;1112:1-13. doi: 10.1196/annals.1415.045
  7. Shrivastava S, Srivastava D, Olson EN, et al. Thymosin beta4 and cardiac repair. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1194:87-96. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05468.x
  8. Zhu J, Song J, Yu L, Zheng H, Zhou B, Weng S, Fu G. Safety and efficacy of autologous thymosin β4 pre-treated endothelial progenitor cell transplantation in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction: A pilot study. Cytotherapy. 2016 Aug;18(8):1037-1042. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2016.05.006. PMID: 27288307.
  9. Xiong Y, Mahmood A, Meng Y, et al. Neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects of thymosin β4 treatment following experimental traumatic brain injury. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012;1270:51–58. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06683.x
  10. Sosne G, Qiu P, Kurpakus-Wheater M. Thymosin beta 4: A novel corneal wound healing and anti-inflammatory agent. Clin Ophthalmol. 2007;1(3):201–207.
  11. Sosne G, Dunn S, Crockford D, et al. Thymosin Beta 4 Eye Drops Significantly Improve Signs and Symptoms of Severe Dry Eye in a Physician-Sponsored Phase 2 Clinical Trial. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54(15):6033. doi:https://doi.org/
  12. Treadwell T, Kleinman HK, Crockford D. The regenerative peptide thymosin β4 accelerates the rate of dermal healing in preclinical animal models and in patients. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2012;1270:37-44. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06717.x
  13. Kim KS, Yang HI. Thymosin β4 in rheumatoid arthritis: Friend or foe. Biomed Rep. 2017;7(3):205–208. doi:10.3892/br.2017.952
  14. Xu B, Yang M, Li Z, et al. Thymosin β4 enhances the healing of medial collateral ligament injury in rat. Regul Pept. 2013;184:1-5. doi:10.1016/j.regpep.2013.03.026
  15. Ruff D, Crockford D, Girardi G, Zhang Y. A randomized, placebo-controlled, single and multiple dose study of intravenous thymosin beta4 in healthy volunteers. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Apr;1194:223-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05474.x. PMID: 20536472.
  16. Wang X, Liu L, Qi L, Lei C, Li P, Wang Y, Liu C, Bai H, Han C, Sun Y, Liu J. A first-in-human, randomized, double-blind, single- and multiple-dose, phase I study of recombinant human thymosin β4 in healthy Chinese volunteers. J Cell Mol Med. 2021 Sep;25(17):8222-8228. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.16693. PMID: 34346165; PMCID: PMC8419156.
  17. Philp D, Kleinman HK. Animal studies with thymosin β4, a multifunctional tissue repair and regeneration peptide. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1194:81-86. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05479.x
  18. Malinda KM, Sidhu GS, Mani H, et al. Thymosin beta4 accelerates wound healing. J Invest Dermatol. 1999;113(3):364-8. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1747.1999.00708.x
  19. Wan J, Ding Y, Nan S, et al. Thymosin Beta 4 Is Involved in the Development of Electroacupuncture Tolerance. Front Cell Neurosci. 2019;13:75. doi:10.3389/fncel.2019.00075
  20. Guarnera G, DeRosa A, Camerini R; 8 European sites. The effect of thymosin treatment of venous ulcers. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010 Apr;1194:207-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05490.x. PMID: 20536470.
  21. Sosne G, Dunn SP, Kim C. Thymosin β4 significantly improves signs and symptoms of severe dry eye in a phase 2 randomized trial. Cornea. 2015 May;34(5):491-6. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000000379. PMID: 25826322.
  22. Professional Monograph: Thymosin Beta 4 (Tb4). Retrieved February 10, 2020. northamptonintegrativemedicine.com
  23. THYMOSIN-BETA 4: THE DRUG THAT CHANGED THE AFL. Retrieved February 11, 2020. doctusproject.com
  24. Philp D, St-Surin S, Cha HJ, et al. Thymosin beta 4 induces hair growth via stem cell migration and differentiation. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007;1112:95-103. doi:10.1196/annals.1415.009
  25. Philp D, Nguyen M, Scheremeta B, et al. Thymosin β4 increases hair growth by activation of hair follicle stem cells. FASEB J. 2004;18(2):385-7. doi:10.1096/fj.03-0244fje
  26. Gao X, Liang H, Hou F, et al. Thymosin Beta-4 Induces Mouse Hair Growth. PLoS One. 2015;10(6):e0130040. Published 2015 Jun 17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0130040

Educational content for research discussion only. Not medical advice.