Reference vial CL-TB500-A1 — composited with the analytical chromatogram returned at release
Pricing guide · TB-500
TB-500 testing cost: what HPLC purity, LC-HRMS identity, and content actually cost per batch
TB-500 (thymosin β4) is a 43-residue peptide. The longer the backbone, the more impurity peaks crowd the main peak — and the more analytical work it takes to call a batch verified. This guide breaks down exactly what each TB-500 assay costs, what it actually measures, and which combination is right for which buyer.
Contents
- 01The short answer
- 02Itemized cost table
- 03HPLC purity on a 43-residue backbone
- 04LC-HRMS identity — why high resolution matters here
- 05Content — the answer to "how much peptide is actually in the vial"
- 06Recommended panels by use case
- 07Get a TB-500 batch verified
- 08Frequently asked questions about TB-500 testing cost
The short answer
A single-batch HPLC purity test on TB-500 starts at $299. A complete characterization panel — HPLC purity, LC-HRMS identity, and content by amino-acid analysis — runs $649 to $849 per batch. Adding bacterial endotoxin (LAL) brings it to roughly $849 to $1,049.
TB-500 is priced higher than short peptides because the 43-residue backbone requires longer chromatographic gradients and high-resolution accurate-mass identity. Cheaper testing on TB-500 usually means a method that cannot resolve methionine-6 oxidation or deletion sequences from the main peak — which defeats the point. See /pricing for the current per-batch rates.
Itemized cost table
| Assay | What it answers | Typical price |
|---|---|---|
| HPLC purity | % of material eluting as the target peak | $299 – $349 |
| LC-HRMS identity (deconvoluted) | Confirms intact mass of the 43-mer | $249 – $299 |
| Tryptic peptide mapping | Sequence confirmation by LC-MS/MS | $200 – $300 |
| Amino-acid analysis (content) | mg of peptide per vial — not the label claim | $149 – $249 |
| Methionine oxidation profile | Met-6 sulfoxide and sulfone variants | $120 – $180 |
| Bacterial endotoxin (LAL/rFC) | EU per vial — lipopolysaccharide contamination | $150 – $200 |
| Residual TFA / counter-ion | Trifluoroacetate carried over from purification | $120 – $180 |
HPLC purity on a 43-residue backbone
Reverse-phase HPLC on TB-500 typically uses a long C18 column (250 mm) with a shallow water-acetonitrile gradient at 0.1% TFA, detected at 214 nm. The shallow gradient is what makes the assay credible: a fast gradient compresses deletion sequences and methionine-oxidation products into the main peak and inflates the reported purity number. A credible TB-500 COA reports ≥97% area purity with major impurity peaks itemized.
Methods used by cheap labs that quote sub-$200 purity testing on TB-500 are almost always too short to resolve the relevant impurities. The price difference is the gradient length.
LC-HRMS identity — why high resolution matters here
TB-500 has an average mass of approximately 4963 Da (sequence SDKPDMAEIEKFDKSKLKKTETQEKNPLPSKETIEQEKQAGES). At this mass range, a nominal-mass single-quadrupole instrument cannot reliably distinguish a Δ+16 methionine sulfoxide from the unmodified parent or call deamidation at single-Dalton precision. High-resolution accurate mass (Q-TOF or Orbitrap), deconvoluted to the monoisotopic envelope, is the credible identity method.
A credible TB-500 COA shows the deconvoluted mass spectrum with theoretical and observed average masses side by side, plus the isotope envelope of the +5 or +6 charge state at zoom.
Content — the answer to "how much peptide is actually in the vial"
Amino-acid analysis (AAA) reports the mass fraction of the vial that is peptide, separate from residual counter-ion, water of crystallization, and salt. For TB-500 sold as 5 mg or 10 mg vials, AAA is the only standard method that turns "the powder weighs X mg" into "the vial contains Y mg of peptide." AAA is the most frequently skipped assay on cheap COAs — and it is the assay that determines whether a buyer is getting the labeled amount of TB-500.
Recommended panels by use case
- Receiving a fresh purchase: HPLC purity + LC-HRMS identity. Total $549 to $649.
- Quantitative reference material: Add amino-acid analysis. Total $649 to $849.
- Release-grade verification: Add tryptic peptide mapping for sequence defensibility. Total $849 to $1,099.
- In-vivo or cell-culture use: Add bacterial endotoxin. Total $849 to $1,049.
- Long-stored TB-500: HPLC purity + LC-HRMS run as re-verification against the original release values. Methionine oxidation is the most common storage-related change — see our stability primer.
Get a TB-500 batch verified
CertikLabs runs HPLC purity, LC-HRMS identity with deconvolution, amino-acid analysis content, and endotoxin testing on customer-submitted TB-500 batches under chain of custody. Each verified batch publishes to a permanent /verify/CL-… page with raw chromatograms attached. See /pricing for current per-batch rates and /peptides/tb-500 for the full chemistry profile.
Frequently asked questions about TB-500 testing cost
How much does it cost to get TB-500 tested?
A single-batch HPLC purity test on TB-500 starts at $299 — higher than a short peptide because the 43-residue backbone produces more closely eluting impurity peaks that require a longer gradient to resolve. A complete characterization panel — HPLC purity, LC-HRMS identity with deconvolution, and content by amino-acid analysis — typically lands between $649 and $849. Adding bacterial endotoxin (LAL) brings the total to roughly $849 to $1,049.
Why does TB-500 cost more to test than a short peptide?
TB-500 is a 43-amino-acid peptide. Long backbones synthesized by SPPS produce a richer impurity profile (deletion sequences, methionine-6 oxidation isomers, aspartimide products) that elutes close to the main peak. Resolving them requires a longer HPLC gradient and higher-resolution mass spectrometry. Lab time per sample is what drives price, and TB-500 simply takes more lab time than a 15-mer like BPC-157.
Why does TB-500 identity require LC-HRMS instead of nominal-mass LC-MS?
Average mass of the full TB-500 sequence is approximately 4963 Da. Nominal-mass instruments cannot reliably distinguish Δ+16 methionine oxidation or Δ+18 deamidation at that mass range. High-resolution accurate mass on a Q-TOF or Orbitrap, with deconvolution to the monoisotopic envelope, is the standard credible identity method for TB-500.
Do I need peptide mapping in addition to intact-mass identity?
Intact mass confirms the molecular weight; it does not prove the sequence. Tryptic or chymotryptic peptide mapping with LC-MS/MS confirms that the residues are in the expected order. For a research-reference batch, intact mass is usually sufficient. For a release batch a vendor intends to publish, peptide mapping adds defensibility for a modest fee (typically $200 to $300).
What is the cheapest credible test for TB-500?
HPLC purity with attached chromatogram at $299 to $349. It will not confirm the molecule is TB-500 (use LC-HRMS for that), but it will reveal the dominant synthesis impurities and rule out gross adulteration or solvent residue. For a complete identity-plus-purity verification combine it with LC-HRMS; the combined cost is usually under $600.