Peptide education
GHK-Cu
Also known as: Copper tripeptide-1 · Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper — Naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide
GHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide found naturally in human plasma that declines with age. Topical cosmetic evidence and injectable claims are frequently conflated — they should not be.
Regulatory status
No FDA approval as a drug. Common in topical cosmetics (legal as cosmetic ingredient); injectable use is flagged in FDA compounding communications.
What the evidence shows
Topical: multiple small controlled cosmetic studies show improvements in skin density and wrinkle measures. Injectable/systemic: essentially no controlled human evidence; claims extrapolate from in-vitro gene-expression work.
Human evidence
Topical cosmetic trials (small, industry-associated). No controlled systemic/injectable trials.
Animal & preclinical evidence
Wound-healing and remodeling models across species.
Proposed mechanism
Modulates gene expression associated with tissue remodeling, stimulates collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis in skin models, and acts as a copper chaperone in wound-healing signaling.
Potential risks
- Injectable use has no human safety characterization
- Copper-related toxicity is theoretically dose-relevant systemically
- Cosmetic-grade material is not injection-grade
Contraindications
- Wilson’s disease or copper-metabolism disorders
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding (systemic use)
- Anyone conflating topical evidence with injectable use
Common research endpoints
- Skin density and elasticity (topical)
- Wrinkle depth measures (topical)
- Wound closure rate (animal models)
Questions to ask a licensed clinician
- Does any evidence support the route of administration I am considering?
- Is my interest better served by evidence-backed topical formulations?
- How does copper load matter at systemic doses?
References
- Pickart L, Margolina A (2018). Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. SourceReview
Related compounds
- BPC-157 — Preclinical-dominant
Related tools
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