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Fifteen-residue gastric pentadecapeptide fragment studied in angiogenesis and repair models.
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Tissue Repair & Regenerative
GHK-Cu
Copper tripeptide-1 · Gly-His-Lys copper complex
Copper(II) complex of the Gly-His-Lys tripeptide, studied in matrix remodelling and repair.
Total, ex VAT
£46.00
- Released at ≥ 98.0% (RP-HPLC, area %)
- Identity confirmed by ESI-MS against theoretical mass
- Batch certificate matched to the vial, verifiable online
- Same working day dispatch before 14:00, tracked
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not a medicine, food or cosmetic. Sold to qualified researchers and institutions who accept responsibility for safe handling and lawful use.
Compound data
What is in the vial
Indicative values for this line. The certificate issued with your batch is the authoritative record and reports the measured figures for the material you receive.
- CAS number
- 89030-95-5
- Molecular formula
- C14H22CuN6O4
- Average mass
- 401.91 g/mol
- Sequence
- Gly-His-Lys · Cu(II)
- Residues
- 3
- Class
- Copper(II) tripeptide complex
- Form as supplied
- Lyophilised powder
- Appearance
- White to off-white lyophilised powder
- Purity specification
- ≥ 98.0% (RP-HPLC, area %)
- Solubility
- Soluble in water, giving a characteristic deep blue solution. Copper coordination is pH-dependent.
- Storage
- −20 °C, desiccated and dark. Copper complexes are light-sensitive.
Targets and pathways
- Extracellular matrix remodelling
- Copper-dependent enzyme systems including lysyl oxidase
Overview
About GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine, a sequence found in human plasma whose concentration declines with age. The copper is not incidental — the peptide's biological activity depends on the coordination, and the free peptide and the complex behave differently.
The complex is a strong chromophore, giving the characteristic deep blue of solutions, which makes visual assessment of concentration and degradation unusually straightforward. Coordination is pH-dependent, so buffer choice materially affects what is actually in solution, and that is worth verifying before an assay rather than after.
In short
- Copper(II) coordination complex, not the free tripeptide
- Deep blue in solution — degradation is often visible before it is measurable
- Coordination state is pH-dependent; buffer choice matters
- Released at ≥ 98.0% area-percent by HPLC with copper content confirmed
Where it is used
Research applications
Matrix remodelling
Studied for effects on collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis in dermal fibroblast preparations.
Copper delivery
Used as a tool for delivering copper to copper-dependent enzyme systems in a defined, chelated form.
Wound repair
A substantial dermal repair literature, from which most of the cosmetic interest in the compound derives.
Handling
Reconstitution and stability
Reconstitution
Reconstitute with sterile or bacteriostatic water added slowly against the inner wall of the vial. Allow the cake to dissolve without agitation, swirling gently if required. Do not vortex or shake.
Stability
Lyophilised at −20 °C, desiccated and protected from light, stable for at least 24 months. Reconstituted and held at 2–8 °C, use within 28 days. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw.
Notes
- Bring the vial to room temperature before opening so atmospheric moisture does not condense onto cold powder.
- Record the reconstitution date on the vial; concentration drift between runs is usually evaporation, not synthesis variance.
- Aliquot at first reconstitution where the working programme needs more than a few withdrawals.
Laboratory reference
Reconstitution calculator
Enter the fill weight on the vial and the diluent volume you intend to add. The calculator returns the resulting solution concentration and the volume that contains a given mass.
- Concentration
- 25.000 mg/mL · 25000 µg/mL
- Volume containing target mass
- 10.0 µL · 0.0100 mL
Figures are mass-to-volume arithmetic for laboratory preparation of GHK-Cu and take no account of net peptide content, which is stated on the batch certificate and should be applied to the fill weight before calculating. Nothing here constitutes dosing, administration or clinical guidance of any kind.
Published work
What the literature reports
Summaries of published findings, provided as research reference. These describe work done by others in preclinical and clinical settings; they are not claims about this material or outcomes for any reader.
Identification in plasma
Original identification of GHK as a growth-modulating tripeptide present in human plasma.
Pickart & Thaler, Nature New Biology, 1973
Copper coordination and activity
Work establishing that the copper complex, not the free peptide, carries the biological activity.
Pickart et al., BioMed Research International, 2015
Questions
GHK-Cu — asked and answered
Something not covered here? Ask us directly — technical questions reach someone who runs the assays.
- Why does the solution turn blue?
- The copper(II) coordination complex is a strong chromophore. A deep blue solution is the expected appearance; loss of colour indicates loss of coordination and therefore of activity.
- Can I use the free peptide instead?
- Not interchangeably. The activity depends on the copper coordination. We supply the complex; free GHK is quoted separately on request.
- Does buffer choice matter?
- Yes, considerably. Copper coordination is pH-dependent and competing chelators in a buffer will strip the copper. Verify what is actually in solution before relying on it.
Same class
Others in Tissue Repair & Regenerative
Important
GHK-Cu is supplied strictly for laboratory research and analytical use. It is not a medicine, food, cosmetic or veterinary product; it is not for human or animal consumption; and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. It is not manufactured, tested or released to any standard that would support administration to humans or animals. Information on this page is compiled for research reference and is not medical advice. No dosing, administration or therapeutic guidance is given or implied. By ordering you confirm you are a qualified researcher or institution and accept responsibility for safe handling and lawful use.