Technical Specifications
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|
| CAS Number | 89030-95-5 (copper complex) |
| Molecular Weight | 401.91 Da (copper complex) |
| Purity | ≥98% (HPLC) |
| Form | Lyophilized blue-green powder |
| Net Peptide Content | 50 mg per vial |
GHK-Cu (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II) complex) is a naturally occurring tripeptide-copper coordination compound first isolated from human plasma albumin in 1973 by Dr. Loren Pickart at the University of California, San Francisco. Supplied as a lyophilized powder for in vitro research, intended strictly for qualified researchers, GHK-Cu has been the subject of over 150 peer-reviewed publications spanning wound healing, tissue regeneration, skin biology, pulmonary medicine, neuroscience, and gene expression research. The peptide is present endogenously in human plasma at approximately 200 ng/mL at age 20, declining to approximately 80 ng/mL by age 60—a decline that parallels observable decreases in regenerative capacity throughout the human lifespan.
The Cu(II) ion coordinates through the nitrogen of the histidine imidazole side chain, the alpha-amino nitrogen of glycine, and the deprotonated amide nitrogen of the glycine-histidine peptide bond, creating a characteristic 3N1O coordination geometry producing the compound's distinctive blue-green coloration. The GHK-Cu complex exhibits exceptionally high thermodynamic stability with a binding constant of log₁₀ K = 16.44 and a conditional dissociation constant (Kd) of 7.0 ± 1.0 x 10⁻¹⁴ M.
Key Research Highlights
| Research Area | Key Finding |
|---|
| Gene Regulation | Modulates 31.2% of human genes (>4,000 genes); 59% upregulated, 41% downregulated (Pickart & Margolina, 2018) |
| Acute Lung Injury | Blocked NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation, inhibited p38 MAPK, reduced TNF-α/IL-6 and neutrophil infiltration (Park et al., 2016) |
| Pulmonary Fibrosis | Reversed MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance, modulated Nrf2/NF-κB/TGFβ1 pathways, reversed EMT markers (Ma et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2017) |
| Colitis Model | Intestinal pathway modulation including SIRT1/STAT3 signaling and tight junction protein upregulation (Mao et al., 2025) |
Research Applications
- Extracellular matrix synthesis and collagen production research
- Wound healing and tissue regeneration studies
- Pulmonary fibrosis and acute lung injury models
- Anti-inflammatory signaling pathway investigation
- Antioxidant defense and oxidative stress research
- Angiogenesis and vascular growth factor studies
- Genome-wide gene expression modulation research
- Protein aggregation and neurodegeneration studies
Research Use Only. This product is supplied for in vitro laboratory investigation by qualified researchers. Not for human or veterinary consumption, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or cure of any condition. Not approved by the FDA for human use.
