Citations · 07

TB-500 References and Citations

Every quantitative claim on this site resolves to a numbered entry below, with a DOI or PubMed link and, for regulatory facts, the FDA page verified to contain the entry.

How to read these TB-500 references

These TB-500 references are the source for every numbered marker in the digest. Entries 1–10 are the peer-reviewed mechanistic and tissue-repair literature, including the human Phase 1 safety study [6]. Entries 11–16 are the recent 2021–2026 thymosin beta-4 studies and the 2026 Sports Medicine review. Entries 17–19 are the FDA regulatory sources behind the legal-status page, each verified on 2026-05-29 to load and to contain the cited entry.

The single most important note carries across the whole list: where an entry describes work on full-length thymosin beta-4 (~4963 Da) rather than the TB-500 heptapeptide (Ac-LKKTETQ, ~889 Da), that is the molecule the finding belongs to. The full citation list follows.

  1. Irobi E, et al. Structural basis of actin sequestration by thymosin-beta4: implications for WH2 proteins. EMBO J. 2004;23(18):3599-3608.
  2. Bock-Marquette I, et al. Thymosin beta4 activates integrin-linked kinase and promotes cardiac cell migration, survival and cardiac repair. Nature. 2004;432(7016):466-472.
  3. Malinda KM, et al. Thymosin beta4 accelerates wound healing. J Invest Dermatol. 1999;113(3):364-368.
  4. Morris DC, et al. A dose-response study of thymosin β4 for the treatment of acute stroke. J Neurol Sci. 2014;345(1-2):61-67.
  5. Goldstein AL, Hannappel E, Sosne G, Kleinman HK. Thymosin β4: a multi-functional regenerative peptide. Basic properties and clinical applications. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2012;12(1):37-51.
  6. Ruff D, et al. A randomized, placebo-controlled, single and multiple dose study of intravenous thymosin β4 in healthy volunteers. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1194:223-229.
  7. Guarnera G, et al. Thymosin beta-4 and venous ulcers: clinical remarks on a European prospective, randomized study of safety, tolerability, and enhancement of healing. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007;1112:407-412.
  8. Kim S, Kwon J. Thymosin beta 4 improves dermal burn wound healing via downregulation of receptor for advanced glycation end products in db/db mice. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014;1840(12):3452-3459.
  9. Goldstein AL, Kleinman HK. Thymosin beta4: actin-sequestering protein moonlights to repair injured tissues. Trends Mol Med. 2005;11(9):421-429.
  10. TB-500 (Thymosin beta-4 fragment, Ac-LKKTETQ). Compound overview and identifiers (parent protein thymosin beta-4 / TMSB4X, UniProt P62328).
  11. Mendias CL, Awan TM. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports Med. 2026.
  12. Chen Y, et al. Thymosin β4 released from functionalized self-assembling peptide activates cardiac cells and promotes cardiac repair. Theranostics. 2021;11(10):4720-4740.
  13. Wei Y, et al. Inhaled exogenous thymosin beta 4 suppresses bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. J Pharm Pharmacol. 2024.
  14. Su Y, et al. Thymosin β4 promotes zebrafish Mauthner axon regeneration by facilitating actin dynamics. BMC Biol. 2024;22(1):241.
  15. Lee Y, et al. Thymosin β4 Regulates Tissue Inflammatory Response in Mouse Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. J Inflamm Res. 2025;18:5879-5894.
  16. Kim TI, et al. Engineered Tandem Thymosin Peptide Promotes Corneal Wound Healing. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2025;66(14):31.
  17. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding That May Present Significant Safety Risks — list entry 'Thymosin beta-4, fragment (LKKTETQ), also known as TB-500,' Category 2 (effective 2023-09-29). Page verified 2026-05-29.
  18. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act — Category 1 / Category 2 definitions, the 503A/503B framework, and the PCAC nomination process. Page verified 2026-05-29.
  19. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee — public agenda listing 'TB-500 (free base)' / 'TB-500 acetate' (with BPC-157, KPV, MOTs-C) as substances being considered for inclusion on the 503A Bulks List. Scheduled discussion, not a decision. Page verified 2026-05-29.