Peptide glossary

Key terms, abbreviations and analytical methods used across our product documentation and certificates of analysis.

ACTH: Adrenocorticotropic hormone — a polypeptide tropic hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland. Semax is a synthetic analogue of the ACTH(4–10) fragment.
Bacteriostatic water: Sterile water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol, used as a solvent for reconstituting lyophilised peptides while inhibiting bacterial growth.
BPC: Body Protection Compound — a pentadecapeptide first isolated from human gastric juice, studied in tissue-repair models.
CAS number: Chemical Abstracts Service registry number — a unique numerical identifier for chemical substances.
Certificate of Analysis (COA): A document from an analytical laboratory reporting purity, identity and other quality metrics for a specific batch of compound.
Cold-chain shipping: Temperature-controlled logistics maintaining product temperature between 2–8 °C from dispatch to delivery.
GLP-1: Glucagon-like peptide-1 — an incretin hormone involved in glucose homeostasis. GLP-1 receptor agonists are widely studied in metabolic research.
GHRH: Growth hormone-releasing hormone — a hypothalamic peptide that stimulates GH secretion. Tesamorelin is a synthetic GHRH(1–44) analogue.
GIP: Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide — the second major incretin. Dual GLP-1/GIP agonists are a growing area of research.
HPLC: High-performance liquid chromatography — the primary method for determining peptide purity. RP-HPLC (reversed-phase) is the standard technique.
ISO 17025: International standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. FAB Research uses ISO 17025 accredited labs.
LC-MS: Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry — used to confirm molecular identity by measuring the mass-to-charge ratio of a compound.
Lyophilisation: Freeze-drying — a preservation process that removes water from a frozen peptide solution under vacuum, producing a stable powder.
Molecular weight: The sum of atomic weights of all atoms in a molecule, expressed in g/mol or Daltons (Da). Critical for LC-MS identity confirmation.
MOTS-c: Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c — a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, studied for AMPK activation.
Net peptide content (NPC): The actual mass of active peptide in a sample after accounting for water, salts and counterions. Reported as a percentage.
Peptide bond: A covalent bond formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of another, creating the backbone of peptide chains.
Retest date: The date by which a batch should be re-analysed to confirm it still meets specifications. Not an expiration date.
Sequence: The ordered list of amino acids in a peptide, written from the N-terminus (left) to the C-terminus (right).
Tirzepatide: A 39-amino-acid dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist with a C20 fatty di-acid moiety, studied for its effects on glucose and energy metabolism.