GHK-Cu

Compound identity

Each row above is attributed to its source. Rows citing a database record are reference information about the molecule; rows marked catalog information describe this listing. Neither is a specification, an analytical result or a claim about any particular batch.

Research classification

Copper(II) complex of a naturally occurring human tripeptide. Described in cosmetic and biomaterials research contexts; not an approved medicine.

Chemical characteristics

• The histidine imidazole nitrogen, the N-terminal amine and the backbone amide nitrogen provide the coordination environment that binds copper(II), which is what distinguishes GHK-Cu from the free GHK tripeptide (PMID 6291585; PMID 21780203).
• Solution studies of Cu(II)–GHK have characterised the complex by visible-light absorption spectroscopy under defined experimental conditions (PMID 7340824; PMID 6291585). Those spectroscopic observations describe measured absorption properties of the species studied and should not be read as a universal claim about the appearance of every preparation.
• Under the conditions studied by Hureau et al., Cu(II)–GHK was inert under moderate redox potentials; reduction with subsequent copper release was reported around −0.62 V versus Ag/AgCl (PMID 21780203). Separate work has examined reduction by glutathione via a transient GSH–Cu(II)GHK intermediate (PMID 34781677). These are laboratory redox findings, not practical storage rules for this catalog listing.

Analytical methods

• Reversed-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) is the method most commonly used to express the chromatographic purity of a synthetic peptide as a percentage of total peak area at a stated wavelength.
• Mass spectrometry (typically ESI-MS or MALDI-TOF) is used to confirm that the observed mass of the material is consistent with the expected mass of the intended sequence.
• Because purity figures are method-dependent, an analytical result is only interpretable alongside the method conditions and the batch it describes.

Both methods are covered in more detail in our guides to HPLC analysis of peptides and mass spectrometry for identity confirmation.

Stability and storage considerations

• Lyophilized presentation reduces water content relative to a solution of the same peptide, which can slow hydrolytic degradation, but does not guarantee that degradation stops.
• Published preformulation work on GHK-Cu reported stability in water and in pH 4.5–7.4 buffers for at least two weeks at 60 °C under the conditions studied, with susceptibility to hydrolytic cleavage under basic and oxidative stress (PMID 25384620). Those findings describe the laboratory conditions tested; they are not a shelf-life or storage specification for this listing.
• Under the experimental conditions reported by Hureau et al., Cu(II)–GHK was inert under moderate redox potentials, while reduction and copper release were observed at substantially more negative potentials (PMID 21780203). That redox characterisation is not a product storage instruction.
• Solution stability depends on solvent, pH, temperature and handling history. Batch-specific storage and handling expectations should be taken from that batch's documentation.

See peptide stability and degradation for the chemistry behind these considerations.

Batch testing

Every batch of GHK-Cu we sell has a supplier certificate of analysis and an independent laboratory report. We compare the two and sell a batch only if they match.

Both reports for your batch are available on request with every order.

We strongly encourage you to do your own independent testing. If your test results do not match the vendor reports, we offer a no-questions-asked refund.

Our guides on how to read a peptide certificate of analysis and what a purity figure does and does not mean cover what to look for in the documentation.

Ordering GHK-Cu in India

GHK-Cu is ordered through the catalog and finalised over WhatsApp or email, so that any question about specification or documentation is settled before the order is placed rather than after it. See the full guide to buying peptides in India for pricing across the catalog.

Dispatch timing. All orders are dispatched as soon as couriers are operating.

Distribution is within India. Material is supplied for in-vitro research and analytical applications only, and we do not supply for human or veterinary use.

Sources

• PubChem CID 73587 — glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (GHK)
• PubChem CID 71587328 — prezatide copper (GHK-Cu)
• Lau S.J., Sarkar B. The interaction of copper(II) and glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a growth-modulating tripeptide from plasma. Biochemical Journal, 1981 (PMID 7340824)
• Freedman J.H. et al. Structure of the Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine–copper(II) complex in solution. Biochemistry, 1982 (PMID 6291585)
• Hureau C. et al. X-ray and solution structures of Cu(II) GHK and Cu(II) DAHK complexes: influence on their redox properties. Chemistry, 2011 (PMID 21780203)
• Ufnalska I. et al. Intermediate Cu(II)-Thiolate Species in the Reduction of Cu(II)GHK by Glutathione. Inorganic Chemistry, 2021 (PMID 34781677)
• Badenhorst T. et al. Physicochemical characterization of native glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine tripeptide for wound healing and anti-aging: a preformulation study for dermal delivery. Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2016 (PMID 25384620)
• Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition, 2008 (PMID 18644225)

Related compounds

Further reading

• What are peptides? — A peptide is a chain of amino acids joined by amide bonds.
• Peptide stability and degradation — Peptides degrade by a small number of well-characterised chemical routes.
• Peptide purity explained — A purity percentage on its own carries less information than it appears to.