GHK-Cu and the Copper Chemistry
GHK is a three-residue peptide, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, first isolated from human plasma by Pickart in 1973. It binds copper(II) to form the complex GHK-Cu, formula C14H22CuN6O4. Plasma levels are reported to decline with age.
The modern literature is consolidated in the 2018 review by Pickart and Margolina in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, which sets out gene-expression data and the copper-dependent basis for the activity described. Their 2015 review in BioMed Research International covers the earlier skin-model work: collagen and glycosaminoglycan turnover, metalloproteinase activity, and wound-model studies across several species.
The copper affinity is the throughline, and it is what separates GHK from other short peptides in the dermatological literature. GHK-Cu holds no approved human indication as a drug in any major jurisdiction.
Supplied for laboratory research use only.
References
- 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;19(7):1987. doi.org/10.3390/ijms19071987
- Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:648108. doi.org/10.1155/2015/648108
