Independent · non-commercial · publishes on a quarterly cycle|Current cycle 2026 Q3
Compound Evidence InstituteEvidence synthesis · established 2023Graded assessments of compounds, trials, methods and supply
Document set current to 30 July 2026
Compound monograph · §2

TB-500 — pharmacology

Molecular targets, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics and interactions as characterised in humans.

Document identifier
CEI-MN-031/2
Series
Compound monograph
Version
4.1
Published
13 Oct 2025
Last reviewed
13 Oct 2025
Next review
13 Oct 2027
Identifier
10.71829/cei.mono.31
Certainty
Very low
Cycle
2025 Q4

§2Pharmacology

§2.1Molecular targets

Table 2. Molecular targets recorded for TB-500, with the character of the interaction and the potency where the Institute holds it.

TargetInteractionNote
Actin (intracellular)Binding motifThe parent protein sequesters G-actin; whether an extracellular heptapeptide reaches intracellular actin at meaningful concentration has not been demonstrated
Mechanism not establishedNo cell-surface receptor identifiedNo receptor for thymosin beta-4 or its fragments has been definitively identified

§2.2Mechanism of action

Thymosin beta-4 is an abundant intracellular actin-sequestering protein with reported extracellular activity in angiogenesis, cell migration and wound repair. TB-500 comprises the actin-binding motif and is supplied on the premise that this fragment reproduces the parent protein's regenerative activity. The Institute notes a substantive mechanistic objection: the parent's principal characterised function is intracellular, and no transport mechanism has been described by which a small extracellular peptide would reach that compartment.[1,2]

§2.3Pharmacokinetics

No human pharmacokinetic characterisation of TB-500 has been identified. In the absence of a half-life, a volume of distribution and a clearance estimate, no dosing interval used in practice can be related to any exposure that produced an effect in any study, and the Institute records this as a first-order gap rather than a detail.

§2.4Interactions

  • Not characterised

References cited on this page

References are numbered in order of first citation in this document. Each superscript in the text links to its entry below.

  1. Goldstein AL, Hannappel E, Sosne G, Kleinman HK. Thymosin β4: a multi-functional regenerative peptide. Basic properties and clinical applications. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy 2012;12(1):37–51. doi:10.1517/14712598.2012.634793 · PMID 22074294
  2. Thevis M, Thomas A, Schänzer W. Detecting peptidic drugs, drug candidates and analogs in sports doping: current status and future directions. Expert Review of Proteomics 2019;11(6):663–673. doi:10.1586/14789450.2014.965158

Identifiers are reproduced only where the Institute holds them. Where a digital object identifier or PubMed identifier is not shown, the Institute has recorded the journal and year and has not constructed an identifier.

Nothing published by the Institute is medical advice, a diagnosis, a prescription, a treatment recommendation or a purchasing recommendation. Compounds supplied for research use are not approved for human or veterinary use in any jurisdiction, and a favourable analytical assessment of a supplier is not a statement that any product is safe or effective. The Institute publishes certainty ratings and never recommendations. No telephone number, messaging handle or ordering channel appears anywhere on this site.