Overview
In plain English
GHK-Cu is a very short peptide — three amino acids, glycine-histidine-lysine — complexed with copper(II). It occurs naturally in human plasma, and its concentration falls substantially with age. That decline is what first made it interesting.
It is studied in published research for extracellular matrix remodelling, wound and tissue repair models, and modulation of matrix and antioxidant gene expression. Strictly for laboratory research use. Not for human or veterinary consumption.
- What it isA copper-bound tripeptide (Gly-His-Lys) found in human plasma
- Mainly studied forMatrix remodelling, wound-repair models and gene expression
- Supplied asLyophilised powder, 100mg vial, independently assayed
How it works
What it actually does
Copper is not optional for matrix structure. Lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin into mature fibrils, cannot work without it.
GHK-Cu's characterised role is delivery. It accepts copper from albumin and passes it to cellular transporters and copper-dependent enzymes — it does not lock it away.
That is the difference between GHK-Cu and either a copper salt or a copper-free peptide. It also modulates a wide set of genes involved in matrix turnover and antioxidant defence in published expression data.
The science in detail
GHK is a tripeptide — glycine, histidine, lysine — isolated from human plasma by Pickart and colleagues in the early 1970s and later identified as a fragment released during proteolysis of collagen and other matrix proteins. Its plasma concentration falls substantially with age, the observation that first prompted interest in it as an endogenous repair signal.
The chemistry that defines it is copper coordination. The N-terminal amine, the deprotonated amide nitrogen of the first peptide bond and the imidazole nitrogen of histidine form a square-planar chelation site for Cu2+ with very high affinity — comparable to the copper-binding site of serum albumin. GHK therefore does not sequester copper inertly; it exchanges it, accepting Cu2+ from albumin and delivering it to cellular transporters and cuproenzymes. That is why the complex behaves differently from either free copper salts or a copper-free peptide.
The delivery role connects directly to matrix biology. Lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin fibrils into mature load-bearing structures, is copper-dependent; so are superoxide dismutase 1 and cytochrome c oxidase. Copper availability is therefore rate-limiting for matrix maturation rather than merely for matrix synthesis — the distinction between GHK-Cu and peptides that stimulate collagen transcription alone.
Beyond copper transport, GHK-Cu shows broad transcriptional activity. Pickart and Margolina (Int J Mol Sci, 2018), drawing on Broad Institute Connectivity Map data, reported modulation of expression across a large fraction of human genes, with the pattern favouring tissue remodelling: increased collagen I, decorin and other small proteoglycans, alongside coordinated changes in matrix metalloproteinases and their TIMP inhibitors. That combination is characteristic of controlled turnover rather than simple accumulation. Pickart, Vasquez-Soltero and Margolina (BioMed Research International, 2015) reviewed the same pathways in skin regeneration, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory gene modulation.
Among the skin-directed compounds on this site, GHK-Cu occupies the copper and matrix-maturation position. BPC-157 and TB-500, its partners in the GLOW and KLOW blends, act on angiogenesis and actin dynamics — adjacent but mechanistically separate.
Evidence
What the research shows
Endogenous levels fall with age
GHK is present in human plasma and declines substantially over the decades — the original reason for research interest.
Delivers copper rather than storing it
It binds copper about as tightly as serum albumin, then releases it to cellular transporters.
Supports collagen cross-linking
The enzyme that turns new collagen and elastin into mature fibre is copper-dependent.
Broad effect on repair genes
Published gene-expression work reports it shifts a wide set of matrix and antioxidant genes toward controlled repair.
Reconstitution & handling
Reconstitution and handling in the laboratory
These are general handling notes for the lyophilised peptide supplied by Purist Peptides. They describe the preparation of a stock solution for laboratory work. They are not a dosing protocol, and they describe no administration to a person or an animal.
A 3ml vial of bacteriostatic water is included free with every peptide vial you order, so the material can be reconstituted on arrival.
GHK-Cu 100mg — preparing a stock solution
Choice of diluent
Bacteriostatic water (water for injection with 0.9% benzyl alcohol) is the usual diluent where a stock will be drawn from repeatedly, because the preservative permits several septum entries across a working period. Sterile water for injection and sterile 0.9% sodium chloride are both used where a single-use preparation is wanted instead. The diluent volume sets the concentration of the stock, so record it.
Sterile technique
- Allow the sealed vial to reach room temperature before opening the carton — reconstituting a cold lyophilised cake slows dissolution
- Work in a clean area or a laminar flow cabinet, and wipe the rubber septum with 70% isopropyl alcohol, letting it dry fully
- Draw the chosen volume of diluent using a sterile single-use syringe and needle
- Angle the needle so the diluent runs down the inside wall of the vial — do not direct the stream onto the lyophilised cake
- Roll the vial gently between the palms until the cake has dissolved completely. Do not shake and do not vortex: peptides are surface-active, and agitation drives foaming and aggregation
- Let the vial stand for 5 to 10 minutes. A correctly reconstituted solution is clear and free of visible particles
Working out the concentration
Concentration follows from the mass in the vial and the volume of diluent added, nothing else. Adding 2ml of diluent to the 100mg vial gives a 50mg/ml stock; adding 4ml gives 25mg/ml. Label every reconstituted vial with its concentration and the date it was prepared.
Storage and stability
Before reconstitution
The lyophilised powder is the stable form. Sealed vials are best held at −20°C, protected from light and from moisture; the short periods at 2 to 6°C that occur in transit and on arrival are expected and are accounted for in the supply chain. Keep the vial in its carton — light and humid air are the two ordinary causes of loss on storage.
After reconstitution
Hold reconstituted solution at 2 to 6°C and protect it from light. Do not freeze a working stock: freeze-thaw cycling is the main avoidable cause of degradation and of visible precipitate. Where material must be held beyond a short working period, aliquot the stock into sterile low-binding tubes and freeze the aliquots once at −20°C or below, thawing each aliquot only once.
Checks before use
Inspect every vial against a light source. Discard any solution that is hazy, discoloured or contains particles, and any vial whose septum integrity is in doubt. The independent HPLC assay report for the batch supplied is available on request.
A correctly reconstituted GHK-Cu solution is blue to blue-violet from the coordinated copper(II) ion. Loss of colour or a marked colour shift suggests dissociation of the complex; avoid reducing agents and chelators in the stock.
Strictly for laboratory research use. Not for human or veterinary consumption.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Why is the copper part significant?
Because the peptide's principal characterised function is copper transport. GHK binds Cu2+ tightly enough to accept it from albumin but reversibly enough to pass it on to cellular transporters and copper-dependent enzymes. A copper-free GHK preparation is a different research material with a different activity profile.
Why is the reconstituted solution blue?
The colour comes from d-d electronic transitions of the coordinated copper(II) ion. It is expected, and its presence is a rough indication that the complex remains intact. Loss of colour or a marked colour shift suggests dissociation or degradation.
How does GHK-Cu differ from BPC-157 and TB-500?
Different mechanisms entirely. GHK-Cu delivers copper to matrix enzymes and modulates matrix gene expression. BPC-157 is studied chiefly for angiogenic and growth factor signalling; TB-500 for actin sequestration and cell migration. They appear together in the GLOW and KLOW blends because the pathways are complementary rather than overlapping.
What is it studied for?
Published research centres on extracellular matrix remodelling, wound and tissue repair models, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory gene expression, and dermatological applications. Pickart's laboratory produced the majority of the foundational literature.
How is purity verified?
Every batch is assayed by Bioindustrial Services in Boksburg, an independent biotechnology laboratory, using HPLC. We do not self-certify. The signed certificate of analysis for each batch — lab number, method and assayed result — is published on our quality standards page.
How long does delivery take?
Orders are dispatched from within South Africa with tracking. Timelines by region and courier are set out on our delivery process page.
Can I return an order?
Because these are laboratory compounds, returns are not accepted once an order has shipped. If your parcel arrives damaged, contact us within 48 hours with photographs of the packaging and product and we will arrange a replacement. The full terms are set out in our refund policy.
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