GHK-CU.INFO is a reader's guide to the copper peptide. We do not sell anything.
GHK-Cu
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GHK-Cu
.INFO
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For information only. GHK-Cu is used in cosmetics but is not an approved medicine. See a doctor or dermatologist about skin or health concerns.
Findings

What the Research Shows

How to read this page: Most GHK-Cu studies were done in cell cultures or animals, often with the peptide applied at tiny doses. Few controlled trials in people have been published, and most of those involve cosmetic creams.

Below, the evidence is grouped by type, starting with the laboratory and ending with people.

In the Laboratory

  • Copper uptake (Nature, 1980): the peptide formed complexes with copper and increased copper uptake into cultured liver cancer cells.
  • Collagen production (FEBS Letters, 1988): in fibroblast cultures, collagen synthesis began to rise at concentrations as low as a trillionth of a mole per litre and peaked at one billionth. Cell numbers did not change.
  • Iron release (1990): GHK-Cu reduced the release of iron from ferritin in a test system, which the authors linked to less oxidative damage in injured tissue.
  • Lung fibroblasts and genes (Genome Medicine, 2012): GHK reversed a gene pattern tied to emphysema severity. In fibroblasts from COPD lungs, it restored their ability to contract and remodel collagen gels.

In Animals

  • Rat wound chambers (J Clin Invest, 1993): repeated injections of GHK-Cu raised collagen, protein, DNA and glycosaminoglycan content in a dose-dependent way. A control tripeptide had no effect.
  • Reviews by Pickart and colleagues also describe faster healing in several species and protection of the liver and stomach lining in rodents. These summaries come mainly from the peptide's original research group.

In People

  • After laser resurfacing (Arch Facial Plast Surg, 2006): 13 patients who had CO2 laser treatment around the mouth used skincare with or without GHK-Cu. Blinded assessment found no difference in redness, wrinkles or overall skin quality. Patients using GHK-Cu did report higher satisfaction.
  • Cosmetic studies: reviews by the peptide's discoverer report that creams improved firmness, fine lines and pigmentation in controlled studies of aged skin. Many of these were small, industry-linked or not published in full, so independent confirmation is limited.
  • Injected GHK-Cu: we found no published controlled trials of injected GHK-Cu in humans.

Weighing It Up

GHK-Cu has a consistent record in cell and animal studies of supporting collagen and tissue repair. The human evidence is much weaker and comes mostly from topical cosmetics. Claims that it "resets" thousands of genes are based on computer analysis of lab data, not on outcomes in patients.

Unanswered Questions

  • Do topical products deliver enough peptide through intact skin to matter?
  • What does long-term exposure to added copper peptides do in the body?
  • The earliest study reported that it stimulated tumour cell growth; later reviews describe anti-cancer effects. Which is relevant in which setting?
  • How pure and stable is material sold outside regulated cosmetic supply chains?

Sources

  1. Pickart L, Thaler MM. Tripeptide in human serum which prolongs survival of normal liver cells and stimulates growth in neoplastic liver. Nat New Biol. 1973;243:85-87. PMID 4349963
  2. Pickart L, et al. Growth-modulating plasma tripeptide may function by facilitating copper uptake into cells. Nature. 1980;288:715-717. PMID 7453802
  3. Freedman JH, et al. Structure of the glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-copper(II) complex in solution. Biochemistry. 1982;21:4540-4544. PMID 6291585
  4. Maquart FX, et al. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+. FEBS Lett. 1988;238:343-346. PMID 3169264
  5. Miller DM, et al. Effects of glycyl-histidyl-lysyl chelated Cu(II) on ferritin dependent lipid peroxidation. Adv Exp Med Biol. 1990;264:79-84. PMID 2244543
  6. Maquart FX, et al. In vivo stimulation of connective tissue accumulation by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ in rat experimental wounds. J Clin Invest. 1993;92:2368-2376. PMID 8227353
  7. Miller TR, et al. Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin. Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2006;8:252-259. PMID 16847171
  8. Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2008;19:969-988. PMID 18644225
  9. Campbell JD, et al. A gene expression signature of emphysema-related lung destruction and its reversal by the tripeptide GHK. Genome Med. 2012;4:67. PMID 22937864
  10. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK peptide as a natural modulator of multiple cellular pathways in skin regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:648108. PMID 26236730
  11. Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19:1987. PMID 29986520