GHK-Cu: What the Research Literature Says About the Copper Tripeptide

GHK is the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine. It binds copper(II) ions with high affinity, forming the complex usually written GHK-Cu.

A long research history

In 2018 Pickart and Margolina reviewed the field in Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data (International Journal of Molecular Sciences). The review brings together laboratory and animal studies on GHK-Cu and discusses its relationship to copper transport and tissue-remodelling processes studied in experimental systems.

Gene-expression data

A distinctive part of the review is its discussion of gene-expression datasets. The authors describe analyses suggesting that GHK is associated with changes in the expression of a large number of human genes in such datasets, and they interpret these results in the context of the earlier experimental literature. These are database and laboratory findings, and they are presented in the review as hypotheses for further research.

Considerations for laboratory work

• Defined copper complex. Because GHK and GHK-Cu differ, the form supplied should be stated on the documentation.
• Small peptide, simple identity check. Its molecular mass makes identity confirmation by mass spectrometry straightforward.
• Literature caution. Much of the published work comes from a limited number of research groups and from in vitro or animal systems, so findings should be read critically.

GHK-Cu supplied by ICU RESEARCH is for laboratory research use only.