GHK-Cu: Copper Coordination and the Gene-Expression Data
Pickart isolated GHK in 1973 as an activity in human albumin. It is a tripeptide, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, and it binds copper(II) with high affinity to form the complex GHK-Cu, molecular formula C14H22CuN6O4. Plasma GHK concentrations are reported to decline with age.
The 2018 review by Pickart and Margolina in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences is the substantive modern reference. It consolidates gene-expression data, examining GHK’s interaction with a broad set of genes and the copper-dependent basis for that activity. Their 2015 review in BioMed Research International covers the earlier skin-model literature: collagen and glycosaminoglycan turnover, metalloproteinase and inhibitor activity, decorin and dermatan sulfate, and wound-model work in rats, mice, pigs, and dogs.
The copper chemistry is the throughline. GHK’s affinity for copper(II) is what distinguishes it from other short peptides in the cosmetic and dermatological literature, and it is the mechanism most of the proposed activity is routed through.
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
