Thymopentin (TP-5)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as Thymopentin, TP-5, TP5, thymopoietin 32-36, Timunox, RKDVY, Sintomodulina
Five amino acids that carry the whole activity of a thymus hormone.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Thymopentin (TP-5)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
They found the working part and threw away the rest, which makes it far easier to make.
Thymopentin is a five amino acid piece of thymopoietin, a hormone made by the thymus gland that helps immune cells mature. Researchers found that this short stretch, positions 32 to 36, does everything the full 49 amino acid hormone does.
What it's used for
An immune-support injection, approved and used in China for a weakened immune system.
How does Thymopentin (TP-5) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Your thymus trains immune cells when you are young and shrinks as you age. This peptide is the part of a thymus hormone that does the training signal.
- 01Thymopoietin is a 49 amino acid thymus hormoneIt helps young immune cells develop into working T cells, the cells that recognize infections.
- 02Five amino acids do all the workResearchers narrowed it down in 1979 and found positions 32 to 36 reproduce the full activity, in cells and in animals.
- 03It binds cells that present targets to the immune systemRather than acting on T cells directly, it appears to work through the cells that show T cells what to attack.
- 04Short means simple, and simple means checkableFive amino acids can be made cleanly and tested against a standard, which is not true of the thymus extracts sold alongside it.
Where this compound is thought to act.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Supporting a weakened immune system, which is its approved use in ChinaClinical use
- Rheumatoid arthritis, studied in the West decades ago without leading to approvalInvestigational
- Helping vaccines work better in people whose immune systems respond poorlyEarly research
The published record
Papers and trials about Thymopentin (TP-5)
219 papers tagged human · 164 not reviews or lab · 73 clinical trial publications
10 registered trials · none with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Approved outside the US, Italy, China
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count. 421 papers and 10 trials indexed in detail.
At a glance
Four things to know about Thymopentin (TP-5)
Evidence
Clinical use
Category
Immune support
Common vial
10 mg
Half-life
About 90 seconds
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.50 mg per dose, 3x per week. Given in courses, usually a few weeks at a time Clinical use
Prescribing practice abroad uses courses rather than continuous use. No trial has compared course lengths.
About 90 secondsHuman study
Measured in human plasma in a test tube. Reviews put the figure below 30 seconds in the body. Among the shortest-lived peptides anyone uses.
Source: Tischio JP, et al. Int J Pept Protein Res 1979;14:479-484
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized Thymopentin (TP-5) keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.This is the plainest peptide in the thymus family and the easiest to verify, because it is only five amino acids and has a proper chemical record. That is worth knowing: Thymalin is a tissue extract with no single sequence, while this one can be tested. If you are choosing between them, the testable one is the one you can actually check.
Solubility, computed: 100% charged residues, 20% hydrophobic. Water usually sufficient.
A first-pass rule from peptide manufacturers' guidance. It does not account for disulfide bridges, salt form or how the powder was dried, and it predicts what should be easy rather than what will happen in your vial.
Who should avoid it
- Known allergy to it
- Pregnancy
- Taking medicine that deliberately suppresses the immune system, such as after a transplant
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing
- A spreading rash
- Fever after injecting
Common effects
- Injection-site reactions, including redness or a small lump
- Mild flu-like feelings after a dose
- Headache
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Thymopentin (TP-5) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not in the United States. Thymopentin (TP-5) has no FDA approval. It is approved in Italy and China.
- Approval statusClinical use
- RouteUnder the skin or into muscle
- Checked22 September 2026
- Approved outside the USItaly, China: Launched in Italy in 1985 as Timunox, and now made and sold mainly in China, where several manufacturers are approved for the injection. Not approved in the US.This does not change the United States position above.
- DoseFrom product labeling and clinical guidelines.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
Approved as an immune medicine in China. It was studied in the United States and Europe in the 1980s and 1990s for rheumatoid arthritis and immune deficiency but was never approved in either. It has been sold under several trade names abroad, including Timunox.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Thymopentin (TP-5)?
Others in Immune support, side by side.If you're weighing Thymopentin (TP-5), it's worth reading Tuftsin, Thymosin Alpha-1, and Glutathione in the same class.
Five amino acids that carry the whole activity of a thymus hormone.
- Dose
- 50 mg per dose
- How often
- 3x per week
A four-amino-acid immune peptide from the 1970s, and the parent of Selank.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
A well-studied shot that tunes up the immune system.
- Dose
- 1.6 mg per dose
- How often
- 2x per week
Your body's master antioxidant, taken for glowing skin and detox support.
- Dose
- 250 up to 1000 mg per day
- How often
- Daily (oral)
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
Sources
- Springer, Immunologic Research, thymopoietin to thymopentin(1999)Confirms thymopentin is residues 32 to 36 of the 49 amino acid hormone thymopoietin and carries all its biological activity.
Beyond these, 431 records are indexed. Browse the records