How to reconstitute a peptide vial

A lyophilised (freeze-dried) vial arrives as a small amount of white powder, often barely visible. Reconstitution means adding bacteriostatic water so the powder goes into solution and can be measured with a syringe. Work out your water volume first — once the water is in, it cannot come back out. Use a calculator before you open anything.

The steps

1. Let the vial come to room temperature. Cold glass encourages condensation and the powder is easier to see once the vial is dry.
2. Wipe both stoppers with a fresh alcohol swab — the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water vial. Let them air dry. Do not fan them or blow on them.
3. Draw your measured volume of bacteriostatic water into the syringe. If the calculator said 2.00 mL and you are using a 1 mL syringe, that is two full draws.
4. Angle the needle so the water runs down the inside glass wall. Do not fire the stream directly onto the powder — the force can denature the peptide.
5. Let it dissolve on its own. Most blends clear in under a minute. If anything is left, roll the vial gently between your palms or swirl it.
6. Never shake it. Shaking foams the solution and breaks peptide chains. If you see persistent foam, you shook it.
7. Refrigerate. See storage for what we do and don't know about how long it keeps.

What should it look like

Clear and colourless for most peptides. Anything containing GHK-Cu — Glow and KLOW both do — goes blue, because the molecule carries a copper ion. That blue is expected, not contamination.

Cloudiness, floating particles or material that will not dissolve after several minutes of gentle swirling are all reasons to stop and ask your supplier.

Bacteriostatic water is not sterile water

Bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol, which suppresses bacterial growth and is what makes a multi-dose vial possible. Sterile water and saline contain no preservative — a vial mixed with them is single-use. If your water has no benzyl alcohol on the label, it is not bacteriostatic water.