GHK-Cu:
A Research
Overview

What GHK-Cu is

GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (GHK) — three amino acids that bind a copper ion with high affinity. The GHK sequence occurs naturally in human plasma, and the literature generally distinguishes the copper-bound complex (GHK-Cu) from the uncomplexed peptide (GHK).

It is supplied as a lyophilised powder, characteristically blue in tint owing to the bound copper.

Background and discovery

The GHK sequence was first isolated from human plasma in 1973 by the researcher Loren Pickart, who observed that its concentration in human blood declines with age. That observation is what first drew research attention to the peptide and its copper complex, and it remains the framing for much of the subsequent literature.

GHK-Cu is not a licensed medicinal product. The research described below is laboratory research — predominantly in-vitro cell-culture work — and does not establish any effect in humans.

Areas of research interest

Laboratory research involving GHK-Cu concentrates on the extracellular matrix — the structural network of proteins surrounding cells — and on the cells that build and maintain it:

• Extracellular matrix research — studies of matrix proteins in cultured systems.
• Fibroblast behaviour — how these matrix-producing cells respond in culture.
• Copper coordination chemistry — how the peptide binds and delivers copper.
• Gene expression studies — changes in expression profiles observed in cultured cells exposed to the compound.

These are areas of in-vitro investigation, not benefits established in people.

Research context

GHK-Cu is one of the most studied members of the copper-peptide class. It is one of the three constituents of our GLOW combined research preparation, alongside BPC-157 and TB-500. The product listing gives the specification and batch details.

Frequently Asked Questions

GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a sequence that occurs naturally in human plasma and binds copper with high affinity. It is supplied as a lyophilised powder for laboratory research use only.

The GHK tripeptide was first isolated from human plasma in 1973 by the researcher Loren Pickart, who noted that its concentration in blood declines with age.

Laboratory research involving GHK-Cu focuses on the extracellular matrix, fibroblast behaviour in cell culture, copper coordination chemistry, and gene expression in cultured cells. These are areas of in-vitro research, not effects established in humans.