GHK-Cu

Overview

GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a sequence first isolated from human plasma in the 1970s and later identified in saliva and urine. The free tripeptide binds copper with high affinity, and it is the copper-bound form that most of the published literature studies. Its plasma concentration in humans declines with age, which is part of why it has been examined in tissue remodelling and gene expression work. We supply it as a lyophilised powder at 50mg per vial, with a batch certificate of analysis reporting HPLC purity and mass spectrometry identity. The copper content is what gives the powder its characteristic blue colour, so a vial that looks white or off-white is not GHK-Cu.

Mechanism of Action

Copper coordination happens at the N-terminal amine, the adjacent amide nitrogen and the histidine imidazole, which together form a square-planar site around the Cu(II) ion. That geometry is stable enough to hold copper but weak enough to exchange it with albumin and with cellular copper transporters, which is the property most in-vitro work turns on: GHK-Cu behaves as an exchangeable copper carrier rather than as a chelator that locks the metal away. Pickart and Margolina reported in 2018 that GHK modulates a large number of human genes when assessed against the Broad Institute Connectivity Map dataset, with signals concentrated in tissue remodelling and antioxidant pathways [1]. Earlier work by Maquart and colleagues reported connective tissue accumulation in rat wound models following local application of the complex [2]. Not intended for human or veterinary use.

Research Effects

References

1. [1]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. PMID 29986520 · doi:10.3390/ijms19071987
2. [2]Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, et al.. In vivo stimulation of connective tissue accumulation by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ in rat experimental wounds. J Clin Invest. 1993. PMID 8227353 · doi:10.1172/JCI116842
3. [3]Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015. PMID 26236730 · doi:10.1155/2015/648108

Cited for the molecular pathways described above. Listing a study is not a claim about any outcome in humans.