Most research peptides are shipped as dry lyophilized powders within sterile vials. When handling these peptides it is very important to handle them with proper safety procedures to prevent contamination of the compound. It is recommended that peptides be stored in a dark place and should never be exposed to light. Moreover, these peptides should be handled only by qualified researchers. While most peptides are stable in their dry form, long term storage of these compounds requires the re-constitution into a solution. This is because peptides are very susceptible to bacterial degradation in their liquid state.
The reconstituted peptides should be stored at -20oC for best results. For longer storage, aliquoting the peptides into several small aliquots in empty sterile vials is also a good idea as it reduces the number of freeze-thaw cycles and increases the longevity of these compounds.
Peptides are chemically and physically fragile. They are easily dissolved in certain solvents and are subject to physical degradation from environmental factors such as heat, light, and humidity. They must be reconstituted in a special solvent to regain their biological activity. Peptides can then be injected into living organisms and exert their desired effects in a variety of medical applications.
In order to inject your peptides you will need a sterile syringe and large sterile needle. The first thing that must be done is to wipe down the top of the peptide vial with an alcohol prep pad as a safety precaution and to ensure that the vial is completely sterile. Then a syringe can be used to withdraw either bacteriostatic water or sterile water from the syringe into the peptide vial.
Both bacteriostatic water and sterile water have similar properties, but bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol which extends the shelf life of the compound [2]. The peptide vials should be labeled with their specific weight on the label and instruction sheet (for example, 0.5mg bradykinin) and then reconstituted with the appropriate amount of bacteriostatic or sterile water.
After adding the correct amount of bacteriostatic or sterile solution to the peptide vial, it is then very important that the peptide be allowed to dissolve. The peptide should not be shaken or stirred as this can cause the peptide to form tiny crystals that will not dissolve when reconstituted. Instead, the peptide should be allowed to drip down the side of the vial until it is fully dissolved.
Once the peptide is sufficiently dissolved, it should be allowed to equilibrate at room temperature for 30 minutes. This is because exposure to moisture will significantly decrease the long term stability of the peptide. Moisture in the surrounding air will also increase the rate of deterioration of peptides containing amino acids such as asp, glutathione, and cysteine.
NIBSC CJD Resource Centre is not aware of any specific hazard data applicable to this compound. It is considered to be of low toxicity when handled according to standard laboratory procedures. However, it is recommended that the compound be kept in a dark place to avoid light-induced degradation. peptide vials