§ Glossary · peptide science

Peptide

A short chain of amino acids — typically 2 to ~50 — joined by peptide bonds.

A peptide is a chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. The boundary between 'peptide' and 'protein' is loose: chains under ~50 amino acids are usually called peptides, longer chains proteins. In research, peptides matter because many endogenous signalling molecules — insulin, growth hormone, GLP-1, oxytocin, BPC, GHK — are peptides, and short synthetic peptides can be designed to mimic, modulate, or antagonise their natural counterparts. Peptides are typically lyophilised (freeze-dried) for storage stability and reconstituted in bacteriostatic water before research use.

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