GHK-Cu
Copper-binding tripeptide complex
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper complex of the tripeptide Gly-His-Lys. Its plasma concentration falls sharply with age, and it is one of the most extensively studied peptides in skin and wound-healing research. Supplied lyophilized, one 100mg vial.
About GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine. Loren Pickart isolated GHK from human plasma in 1973 while investigating why liver tissue from older donors behaved more youthfully in younger donors' blood, and it has since become one of the most-cited peptides in wound-healing and skin research. Its plasma concentration falls markedly between early adulthood and old age.
GHK binds copper with high affinity, and it is the copper complex — not the bare peptide — that is active in most assays. It is used commercially in cosmetics under the INCI name copper tripeptide-1, and in research on collagen synthesis, wound repair, hair follicles, lung and nerve tissue, and gene expression. It is not an approved drug.
Mechanism
GHK-Cu delivers copper to copper-dependent enzymes such as lysyl oxidase (collagen and elastin cross-linking) and superoxide dismutase, and acts as a signalling molecule in its own right: it stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen, glycosaminoglycans and decorin, attracts immune and endothelial cells, and in gene-expression profiling alters the activity of roughly a third of the human genes assayed, many of them involved in tissue remodelling and antioxidant defence.
Areas of research
- Studied for stimulation of collagen and elastin synthesis in fibroblasts
- Investigated for wound-healing and skin-remodelling outcomes
- Research interest in hair-follicle stimulation
- Broad gene-expression effects reported in Broad Institute Connectivity Map studies
References
- Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(7):1987. PubMed
- Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK peptide as a natural modulator of multiple cellular pathways in skin regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:648108. PubMed
Research use only. Information on this page is provided for educational and research purposes and summarises published literature, mostly from cell and animal studies; it is not a claim of efficacy or safety. Products are not intended for human or veterinary use, or for any diagnostic or therapeutic purpose.
Molecular details
- Class
- Copper-binding tripeptide (copper tripeptide-1)
- Sequence
- Gly-His-Lys · Cu(II)
- Length
- 3 amino acids
- Molecular formula
- C14H22CuN6O4 (complex) · C14H24N6O4 (peptide)
- Molecular weight
- ≈ 402 g/mol (complex) · 340.4 g/mol (peptide)
- CAS number
- 89030-95-5 (complex) · 49557-75-7 (GHK)
- Form
- Lyophilized powder, 100 mg per vial
Storage
Lyophilized: store cool, dark and dry — refrigeration is ideal. Once reconstituted, refrigerate at 2–8 °C.
Reconstitution
Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water. Solution is blue — this is the copper complex, not contamination.
Handling
Dissolves readily in bacteriostatic water to a clear blue solution (5 mL per 100 mg vial gives 20 mg/mL). The blue colour is the copper complex and is expected. Protect from light and avoid contact with metal surfaces or strongly acidic solutions, which can strip the copper. Store lyophilized at 2–8 °C; refrigerate solution.
Details
GHK-Cu · 100mg
Skin & Antioxidant
Lyophilized powder, sealed vial
