GHK-Cu: what the research shows

What GHK-Cu is

GHK is a tripeptide, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, present in human plasma, saliva and urine, at levels that decline with age. [2]

GHK binds copper(II) with an affinity similar to the copper-transport site on albumin, the main blood protein, and forms the complex GHK-Cu. Both the peptide and its copper complex are studied. [1] [2]

What the research covers

Most of the published work concerns wound healing and tissue remodelling: in laboratory and animal models, GHK and GHK-Cu have been reported to attract repair cells such as macrophages, mast cells and capillary cells, to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, and to increase the synthesis of collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans. [1] [2]

GHK-Cu is also used as an ingredient in cosmetic products, and studies on aged skin have been carried out with it. [1] [2]

More recent analyses of gene-expression data link GHK to the up- or down-regulation of thousands of human genes, which the authors propose as an explanation for the variety of actions reported. [2] [3]

Limits of the evidence

The three reviews cited in this guide share the same lead author, and much of what they summarise comes from cell and animal models. Gene-expression associations show which genes change, not what effect a compound has in a living organism. [1] [2] [3]

We do not repeat cosmetic or therapeutic claims here: the research material we sell is a raw compound for laboratory work, not a cosmetic and not a medicine.

Storage and stability in the lab

Peptides can degrade through chemical routes such as oxidation, deamidation and hydrolysis and through physical routes such as aggregation, and they are generally more stable in the dry state than in solution. [4]

Lyophilised vials are therefore normally kept cold, dry and away from light until they are reconstituted. The storage statement on the product page and on the batch certificate takes precedence.

How to check a batch

A useful certificate of analysis names the testing laboratory, the batch number printed on the vial, the test date and the methods used. Identity is usually confirmed by mass spectrometry, where the measured mass should match the expected molecular mass, and purity is measured by HPLC. For GHK-Cu, check that the report covers the copper complex and not only the free GHK peptide.

Where the manufacturer supplies a batch report, we link it on the product page; products without one do not claim one.