What is GHK-Cu?

What is GHK-Cu?

GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide supplied for research purposes in a pre-filled multi-dose injection pen.

It is studied in skin, collagen and tissue-remodelling research, with its copper-complex chemistry at the centre. Research results vary with dose and protocol.

Mechanism of action

GHK is the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, present in human plasma, saliva and urine. It has a very high affinity for copper(II) and in circulation is found mostly as the GHK-Cu complex. According to Pickart's work, its plasma concentration falls from about 200 ng/ml at age 20 to about 80 ng/ml at age 60, a decline that has been linked to the loss of the skin's regenerative capacity.

In culture and in animal models GHK-Cu stimulates the synthesis of collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans, increases decorin expression, modulates metalloproteinase activity and attracts immune cells and fibroblasts to the wound bed. Analysis of the Broad Institute Connectivity Map data further suggests that it modulates the expression of several thousand genes, many of them in the opposite direction to aged tissues.

Most of the human data comes from cosmetic trials with topical application. Subcutaneous administration, which is what the pen delivers, rests on the pharmacology of the complex and on animal models, not on controlled clinical trials.

What the published research says

1. 1.
   Pickart and Margolina, Int J Mol Sci, 2018PMID 29986520

   Review of the regenerative and protective actions of GHK-Cu in the light of the gene-expression data: collagen, antioxidation, anti-inflammation and repair in skin, lung and nervous system.

2. 2.
   Pickart, J Biomater Sci Polym Ed, 2008PMID 18644225

   Summary of the tripeptide's effects on tissue remodelling: stimulation of collagen and glycosaminoglycans, attraction of repair cells and results in wounds in animal models.

3. 3.
   Pickart et al., Biomed Res Int, 2015PMID 26236730

   Skin-focused review: GHK as a modulator of multiple cellular pathways in dermal regeneration, with the topical cosmetic trials available up to that date.

What side effects does GHK-Cu have?

• Generally described in the research literature as well tolerated at the doses studied.
• Mild, transient injection-site reactions are the most frequently mentioned effect.

How is GHK-Cu dosed?

It is usually dosed daily, 0.5–2 mg subcutaneously, often in 4–8-week cycles. Each dose is set precisely on the pen.

Storing the pen

Keep the pen between 2 and 8 °C, protected from light and never frozen. Unopened it has a 24-month shelf life; from the first puncture, 12 months. If no fridge is available it keeps for up to 30 days at room temperature, below 30 °C. Let it reach room temperature before giving a dose. The dial sets each dose directly in milligrams: there is no reconstitution, no bacteriostatic water and no volume calculation.

How do you get GHK-Cu?

Body Pharm's GHK-Cu pen is a sealed, HPLC-verified device with a published certificate of analysis (CoA) and discreet delivery in Spain. It is sold exclusively for research purposes.

How much does GHK-Cu cost per month?

From 99 € per pen: a single pen covers a multi-week research cycle at 1–2 mg a day.

How it compares

GHK-Cu is the catalogue peptide aimed at the dermal matrix: collagen, elastin, wound-bed signalling. BPC-157 and TB-500 are researched in tendon, muscle and mucosa; melanotan II in pigmentation. The three lines overlap in the skin category, but their mechanisms do not substitute for one another.

One detail worth bearing in mind when reading the literature: almost all the GHK-Cu reviews come from the same author, Loren Pickart, who also marketed products containing the peptide.

• How to dose GHK-Cu
• What is BPC-157 + TB-500?
• Peptides for skin