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Compound guide
GHK-Cu: what the research covers
A naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide, studied for dermal matrix signalling and gene expression. What GHK-Cu is, why the copper matters, and how it is supplied.
What GHK-Cu is
GHK is a tripeptide — glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine — first isolated from human plasma in the early 1970s. It binds copper(II) with high affinity, and the physiologically relevant species is the complex rather than the free peptide, which is why the compound is written GHK-Cu.
The copper is not a carrier or an additive. The histidine imidazole and the terminal amine form a coordination site that holds the ion in a specific geometry, and much of the reported activity depends on that complex existing. Plasma concentration of GHK falls markedly with age, which is the observation that started the research programme and still frames most of it.
What the literature examines
The most cited work is transcriptional. Gene expression profiling has reported GHK-Cu shifting the expression of a large number of human genes, with the effect described in terms of resetting a fibroblast expression profile rather than driving any single pathway. That breadth is both the interesting part and the reason results need careful interpretation: a compound reported to move thousands of transcripts is difficult to attribute a clean mechanism to.
More specific strands cover collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis in dermal fibroblast models, metalloproteinase and antiprotease balance in matrix remodelling, and copper delivery to enzymes such as lysyl oxidase that require it. There is a separate and smaller literature on follicular signalling, which is where the related tripeptide AHK-Cu is usually studied instead — the GHK-Cu versus AHK-Cu comparison sets out the difference.
Published work is indexed on PubMed.
How Amino Club supplies it
GHK-Cu is supplied lyophilised in sealed vials as GHK-Cu, and as a metered 25ml intranasal preparation, GHK-Cu nasal spray. It also appears as a component of the GLOW and KLOW preparations.
Each batch is specified at 99% purity or better by HPLC with identity confirmed by mass spectrometry, released against the Certificate of Analysis carrying the batch number on the vial. The lab testing page documents the process.
Handling is less forgiving than for most of the catalogue. The copper complex is light-sensitive and pH-dependent: outside a fairly narrow range the coordination geometry changes and what is in the vessel is no longer the species the literature describes. The characteristic blue colour is a rough indicator that the complex is intact. Reconstitution notes are on the product page; solvents are under reconstitution supplies.
Related reading
GHK-Cu sits in the skin and cosmetic group alongside AHK-Cu, SNAP-8, the melanocortins and glutathione. The GHK-Cu versus AHK-Cu comparison covers the two copper tripeptides directly.
Every guide is indexed in the research library. Certificate and storage questions are on the FAQ; quantity pricing through bulk and wholesale.
Research use only
GHK-Cu supplied by Amino Club is a laboratory reference material. It is not a medicine, not a cosmetic, not a supplement, and not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing guidance or administration protocol is provided. The full terms are in the research use policy.