The Clinician’s Definitive Guide to Peptides: Mechanisms, Evidence, Clinical Applications, and Safety (2026 Edition)
Peptides are short chains of amino acids (typically 2–50 residues) that function as high-specificity signaling molecules across endocrine, neurologic, immune, metabolic, and regenerative systems. In modern clinical practice, peptide therapeutics range from life-saving hormones (e.g., Insulin ) to cardiometabolic agents (e.g., Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) and investigational regenerative fragments such as TB-500 and KPV. This authority review provides a clinician-facing synthesis of: Mechanistic biology (receptor signaling, downstream pathways) Evidence grading (A–D framework) Approved indications and outcome data Safety, oncology considerations, and medicolegal issues Practical clinical decision-making frameworks Why Peptides Matter in Clinical Medicine Peptides occupy a unique therapeutic niche: High receptor specificity → lower off-target effects (relative to many small molecules) Physiologic pathway modulation → amplification or restoration of endogenous signaling R...