[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":249},["ShallowReactive",2],{"compound-ghk-cu":3,"compound-related-ghk-cu":233,"compound-reading-ghk-cu":240},{"id":4,"title":5,"alsoKnownAs":6,"body":7,"casNumber":74,"category":206,"description":196,"extension":207,"faq":208,"meta":215,"molecularFormula":82,"molecularWeight":90,"name":5,"navigation":216,"path":217,"presentations":218,"purity":221,"rank":222,"relatedCompounds":223,"relatedResearch":225,"seo":228,"sequence":229,"stem":230,"summary":231,"__hash__":232},"compounds\u002Fcompounds\u002Fghk-cu.md","GHK-Cu","Copper tripeptide-1 · Gly-His-Lys copper complex",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":195},"minimark",[10,15,19,27,31,102,106,109,112,115,119,122,150,153,157,160,166,172,178,182,185,188,192],[11,12,14],"h2",{"id":13},"what-ghk-cu-is","What GHK-Cu is",[16,17,18],"p",{},"GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine.\nThe peptide itself occurs naturally in human plasma, where its concentration is\nreported to decline substantially with age — an observation that has driven much\nof the research interest in it.",[16,20,21,22,26],{},"What distinguishes it from every other compound in this catalogue is that it is\na ",[23,24,25],"strong",{},"coordination complex",", not a peptide alone. The copper ion is held by the\nhistidine imidazole nitrogen and the peptide backbone in a specific geometry, and\nthe complex — not the free tripeptide — is the species the research literature\nconcerns.",[11,28,30],{"id":29},"molecular-profile","Molecular profile",[32,33,34,47],"table",{},[35,36,37],"thead",{},[38,39,40,44],"tr",{},[41,42,43],"th",{},"Property",[41,45,46],{},"Value",[48,49,50,59,67,75,83,91],"tbody",{},[38,51,52,56],{},[53,54,55],"td",{},"Also known as",[53,57,58],{},"Copper tripeptide-1",[38,60,61,64],{},[53,62,63],{},"Sequence",[53,65,66],{},"Gly-His-Lys",[38,68,69,72],{},[53,70,71],{},"CAS number (complex)",[53,73,74],{},"89030-95-5",[38,76,77,80],{},[53,78,79],{},"Molecular formula",[53,81,82],{},"C14H22CuN6O4",[38,84,85,88],{},[53,86,87],{},"Molecular weight",[53,89,90],{},"~403.9 Da",[38,92,93,96],{},[53,94,95],{},"Appearance",[53,97,98,101],{},[23,99,100],{},"Deep blue to blue-violet"," powder",[11,103,105],{"id":104},"the-colour-is-a-specification","The colour is a specification",[16,107,108],{},"GHK-Cu is blue. Not off-white, not faintly tinted — visibly, unmistakably blue,\nfrom the d-d electronic transitions of the coordinated copper(II) ion.",[16,110,111],{},"This makes it the one compound on this site where a visual check carries real\ninformation. Uncomplexed GHK tripeptide is a white powder and costs\nsignificantly less to produce. Material sold as GHK-Cu that arrives white is\neither not complexed, or not GHK at all.",[16,113,114],{},"The corollary is that colour is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.\nBlue tells you copper is present; it does not tell you the peptide is correct,\nthat the stoichiometry is right, or that the complex is pure. That still requires\nthe analysis.",[11,116,118],{"id":117},"research-context","Research context",[16,120,121],{},"Published work on GHK and its copper complex includes:",[123,124,125,132,138,144],"ul",{},[126,127,128,131],"li",{},[23,129,130],{},"Extracellular matrix remodelling"," — reported effects on collagen and\nglycosaminoglycan synthesis in cultured dermal fibroblasts, and on the balance\nbetween matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors.",[126,133,134,137],{},[23,135,136],{},"Gene expression"," — broad transcriptional profiling studies have reported\nchanges across large numbers of genes in cultured human fibroblasts.",[126,139,140,143],{},[23,141,142],{},"Copper delivery"," — the complex is studied as a physiological copper\ntransport form, which places it in trace metal biology as well as in dermal\nresearch.",[126,145,146,149],{},[23,147,148],{},"Angiogenesis and wound models"," — largely in-vitro and preclinical.",[16,151,152],{},"Supplied for in-vitro laboratory research only. No therapeutic claim is made and\nno dosing or administration guidance is provided.",[11,154,156],{"id":155},"analytical-notes","Analytical notes",[16,158,159],{},"Characterising a metal complex raises questions that a plain peptide does not.",[16,161,162,165],{},[23,163,164],{},"Purity of what, exactly."," An HPLC purity figure for GHK-Cu describes the\nchromatographic profile of the material, but copper complexes can behave\nawkwardly on reversed-phase columns — the complex can partially dissociate on\nthe column depending on mobile phase conditions, producing peaks for both the\ncomplexed and free peptide. A method that has not been developed for the complex\ncan produce a purity figure that means something other than it appears to.",[16,167,168,171],{},[23,169,170],{},"Copper content is a separate question."," The peptide can be 99% pure and the\ncopper stoichiometry still be wrong. Complete characterisation of a metal complex\ninvolves establishing the metal content, not only the organic component. If a\ncertificate reports only HPLC purity, it has not addressed the copper.",[16,173,174,177],{},[23,175,176],{},"Mass spectrometry sees the isotope pattern."," Copper has two stable isotopes\n(⁶³Cu and ⁶⁵Cu) in roughly a 69:31 ratio, which produces a distinctive isotopic\nsignature in the mass spectrum. Its presence is good confirmatory evidence that\nthe copper is actually coordinated to the molecule being measured.",[11,179,181],{"id":180},"handling-and-storage","Handling and storage",[16,183,184],{},"Store sealed at −20 °C, protected from light and moisture. GHK-Cu is\nhygroscopic; a vial left open will take up atmospheric water. Bring to room\ntemperature before opening.",[16,186,187],{},"In solution, copper complexes are pH-sensitive and can dissociate outside their\nstable range. Store reconstituted solution at 2–8 °C, protected from light, and\nprepare fresh where the work depends on the complex being intact.",[11,189,191],{"id":190},"what-we-supply","What we supply",[16,193,194],{},"Released against a ≥99% purity specification, with HPLC and mass spectrometry on\nevery batch and a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis that records appearance\nalongside the analytical results. Select batches additionally receive\nindependent third-party purity verification.",{"title":196,"searchDepth":197,"depth":197,"links":198},"",2,[199,200,201,202,203,204,205],{"id":13,"depth":197,"text":14},{"id":29,"depth":197,"text":30},{"id":104,"depth":197,"text":105},{"id":117,"depth":197,"text":118},{"id":155,"depth":197,"text":156},{"id":180,"depth":197,"text":181},{"id":190,"depth":197,"text":191},"Cosmetic & Longevity","md",[209,212],{"question":210,"answer":211},"What makes GHK-Cu different from other research peptides?","It is a metal complex rather than a peptide alone. The copper(II) ion is not an impurity or an additive — it is coordinated by the histidine imidazole and the peptide backbone, and it is integral to the molecule's activity. Analysing it therefore involves confirming the complex, not just the tripeptide.",{"question":213,"answer":214},"Should GHK-Cu be a coloured powder?","Yes. The copper complex is distinctly blue, ranging from deep blue to blue-violet depending on concentration and hydration state. A white or off-white powder sold as GHK-Cu is either the uncomplexed GHK tripeptide or something else entirely. It is one of the very few peptide products where appearance alone is diagnostic.",{},true,"\u002Fcompounds\u002Fghk-cu",[219,220],"50 mg vial","100 mg vial","≥99%",30,[224],"mots-c",[226,227],"how-to-read-a-peptide-coa","interpreting-hplc-chromatograms",{"title":5,"description":196},"Gly-His-Lys (copper(II) complex)","compounds\u002Fghk-cu","A naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide, studied for effects on extracellular matrix remodelling and gene expression in dermal fibroblasts.","qDUS_4dPhLkjO2yORvSmr6HionFxvLwSMndC-XReJSs",[234],{"path":235,"name":236,"alsoKnownAs":237,"summary":238,"category":206,"molecularWeight":239,"purity":221},"\u002Fcompounds\u002Fmots-c","MOTS-c","Mitochondrial ORF of the 12S rRNA type-c","A mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded in mitochondrial rather than nuclear DNA, studied in metabolic regulation and cellular stress signalling.","~2,174 Da",[241,245],{"path":242,"title":243,"description":244},"\u002Fresearch\u002Fhow-to-read-a-peptide-coa","How to Read a Peptide Certificate of Analysis","A field-by-field walkthrough of a peptide COA — what each number establishes, which fields are load-bearing, and what a missing batch number tells you about the rest of the document.",{"path":246,"title":247,"description":248},"\u002Fresearch\u002Finterpreting-hplc-chromatograms","Reading an HPLC Chromatogram: What the Trace Shows That the Percentage Doesn't","A purity figure is one number extracted from a picture. How to read the picture — baseline, peak shape, resolution, where the impurities sit, and what an integration boundary can hide.",1787473952615]