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Peptide

GHK-Cu

GHK-Cu (Copper peptide GHK-Cu) is a naturally occurring tripeptide containing glycine, histidine, lysine, and a copper ion. It was first identified in human plasma and has been extensively studied for wound healing, tissue regeneration, and anti-aging applications. Research suggests it may stimulate collagen synthesis, promote wound healing, and exhibit anti-inflammatory properties.

Research notice. This page is for education and research. Peptides may not be FDA-approved for human use and may only be legally available for research. Talk to a qualified clinician before considering any peptide.

Best evidence
Grade B
Conditions studied
2
Outcomes
10
Graded outcomes
0253

Evidence by condition

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

2 conditions, plus general outcomes

Skin Health: outcomes studied for GHK-Cu
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Wound Healing Rate

Moderate Increase

Improves (the measure goes up)Moderate effect7 studies320 people
Collagen Synthesis

Moderate Increase

Improves (the measure goes up)Moderate effect5 studies185 people
Skin Thickness

Small Increase

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect7 studies140 people

General

General: outcomes studied for GHK-Cu
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Liver Protection

8 preclinical studies support this finding. Primarily preclinical evidence.

Improves (the measure goes up)Moderate effect8 studies

Studies that measured liver protection

Safety/Tolerability

4 preclinical studies support this finding. Primarily preclinical evidence.

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect4 studies
Pulmonary Function

4 preclinical studies support this finding. Primarily preclinical evidence.

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect4 studies
Anti-Cancer Activity

2 preclinical studies support this finding. Primarily preclinical evidence.

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect2 studies

Studies that measured anti-cancer activity

Lipid Profile

2 preclinical studies support this finding. Primarily preclinical evidence.

Improves (the measure goes down)Small effect2 studies

Studies that measured lipid profile

Angiogenesis

2 preclinical studies support this finding. Primarily preclinical evidence.

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect2 studies

Hair Health: outcomes studied for GHK-Cu
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Hair Growth

Small Increase

Improves (the measure goes up)Small effect3 studies95 people

Studies that measured hair growth

Key findings

  • Wound Healing RateSkin HealthImproves (the measure goes up)
  • Collagen SynthesisSkin HealthImproves (the measure goes up)
  • Liver ProtectionImproves (the measure goes up)

Studies cited

49 studies from PubMed

  1. Golgi-targeted copper delivery strategy via enhancing copper-dependent proteins' activity for fascia regeneration.Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society, 2026 · PMID 41371501
  2. An injectable hydroxyapatite microsphere filler loaded with GHK-Cu tripeptide for anti-Inflammatory and antioxidant.Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2025 · PMID 40716276
  3. Food-Derived Tripeptide-Copper Self-Healing Hydrogel for Infected Wound Healing.Biomaterials research, 2025 · PMID 39902373
  4. Nanoengineered Self-Assembling Peptides with Increased Proteolytic Stability Promote Wound Healing.ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2025 · PMID 39937124
  5. Copper Complexes with New Glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Hyaluronan Conjugates Show Antioxidant Properties and Osteogenic and Angiogenic Synergistic Effects.Bioconjugate chemistry, 2025 · PMID 40123442
  6. Are We Ready to Measure Skin Permeation of Modern Antiaging GHK-Cu Tripeptide Encapsulated in Liposomes?Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2025 · PMID 39795193
  7. Rigid-flexible nanocarriers loaded with active peptides for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory applications in skin.Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2024 · PMID 38394858
  8. The glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu(2+) tripeptide complex attenuates lung inflammation and fibrosis in silicosis by targeting peroxiredoxin 6.Redox biology, 2024 · PMID 38879894
  9. Thermodynamically stable ionic liquid microemulsions pioneer pathways for topical delivery and peptide application.Bioactive materials, 2024 · PMID 38026438
  10. Behavioral and neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease are attenuated in 5xFAD mice treated with intranasal GHK peptide.Aging pathobiology and therapeutics, 2024 · PMID 40766919
  11. Novel Applications of CE-ICP-MS/MS: Monitoring of Antiaging GHK-Cu Cosmetic Component Encapsulation in Liposomes.Electrophoresis, 2024 · PMID 39451062
  12. In situ photo-crosslinkable hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel embedded with GHK peptide nanofibers for bioactive wound healing.Acta biomaterialia, 2023 · PMID 37832839
  13. Differential Effects of Histidine and Histidinamide versus Cysteine and Cysteinamide on Copper Ion-Induced Oxidative Stress and Cytotoxicity in HaCaT Keratinocytes.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 2023 · PMID 37107176
  14. New Biotinylated GHK and Related Copper(II) Complex: Antioxidant and Antiglycant Properties In Vitro against Neurodegenerative Disorders.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2023 · PMID 37764500
  15. Intranasal GHK peptide enhances resilience to cognitive decline in aging mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2023 · PMID 38014118
  16. Behavioral and neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease are attenuated in 5xFAD mice treated with intranasal GHK peptide.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2023 · PMID 38045355
  17. Structural basis for lipid and copper regulation of the ABC transporter MsbA.Nature communications, 2022 · PMID 36435815
  18. Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu(2+) attenuates cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary emphysema and inflammation by reducing oxidative stress pathway.Frontiers in molecular biosciences, 2022 · PMID 35936787
  19. Polyaspartic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-Methyl propane sulfonic acid and sodium alginate based biocompatible stimuli responsive polymer gel for controlled release of GHK-Cu peptide for wound healing.Journal of biomaterials applications, 2022 · PMID 35341370
  20. Biomimetic Hydrogel Scaffolds with Copper Peptide-Functionalized RADA16 Nanofiber Improve Wound Healing in Diabetes.Macromolecular bioscience, 2022 · PMID 35598070
  21. The potential of GHK as an anti-aging peptideAging Pathobiol Ther, 2020 · PMID 35083444
  22. Protective effects of GHK-Cu in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation pathways.Life sciences, 2020 · PMID 31809714
  23. Effect of oligoarginine conjugation on the antiwrinkle activity and transdermal delivery of GHK peptide.Journal of peptide science : an official publication of the European Peptide Society, 2020 · PMID 31788907
  24. Expression and Purification of Recombinant GHK Tripeptides Are Able to Protect against Acute Cardiotoxicity from Exposure to Waterborne-Copper in Zebrafish.Biomolecules, 2020 · PMID 32825031
  25. Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene DataInt J Mol Sci, 2018 · PMID 29986520
  26. GHK-Cu-liposomes accelerate scald wound healing in mice by promoting cell proliferation and angiogenesis.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society, 2017 · PMID 28370978
  27. The Effect of the Human Peptide GHK on Gene Expression Relevant to Nervous System Function and Cognitive Decline.Brain sciences, 2017 · PMID 28212278
  28. The effects of hydroporation on melasma with anti-aging cocktail.Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2017 · PMID 28133891
  29. Physicochemical characterization of native glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine tripeptide for wound healing and anti-aging: a preformulation study for dermal delivery.Pharmaceutical development and technology, 2016 · PMID 25384620
  30. Natural Tripeptide-Based Inhibitor of Multifaceted Amyloid β Toxicity.ACS chemical neuroscience, 2016 · PMID 27355515
  31. Selected Biomarkers Revealed Potential Skin Toxicity Caused by Certain Copper Compounds.Scientific reports, 2016 · PMID 27892491
  32. The tri-peptide GHK-Cu complex ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice.Oncotarget, 2016 · PMID 27517151
  33. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin RegenerationBiomed Res Int, 2015 · PMID 26236730
  34. Microneedle-Mediated Delivery of Copper Peptide Through Skin.Pharmaceutical research, 2015 · PMID 25690343
  35. Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on wound healing in an irradiated rat model.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2013 · PMID 23744835
  36. Stem cell recovering effect of copper-free GHK in skinJ Pept Sci, 2012 · PMID 23019153
  37. Effect of Gly-Gly-His, Gly-His-Lys and their copper complexes on TNF-alpha-dependent IL-6 secretion in normal human dermal fibroblasts.Acta poloniae pharmaceutica, 2012 · PMID 23285694
  38. The human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of aging: implications for cognitive health.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2012 · PMID 22666519
  39. In vitro evaluation of compression-coated glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu(II) (GHK-Cu2+)-loaded microparticles for colonic drug delivery.Drug development and industrial pharmacy, 2011 · PMID 21457130
  40. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodelingJ Biomater Sci Polym Ed, 2008 · PMID 18644225
  41. A therapeutic approach for diabetic wound healing using biotinylated GHK incorporated collagen matrices.Life sciences, 2007 · PMID 17049946
  42. Biotinylated GHK peptide incorporated collagenous matrix: A novel biomaterial for dermal wound healing in ratsJ Biomed Mater Res A, 2005 · PMID 15803494
  43. Expression of glycosaminoglycans and small proteoglycans in wounds: modulation by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu(2+)J Invest Dermatol, 2000 · PMID 11121126
  44. Fibroblast-cytokine-extracellular matrix interactions in wound repair.Current topics in pathology. Ergebnisse der Pathologie, 1999 · PMID 10339902
  45. SPARC is a source of copper-binding peptides that stimulate angiogenesis.The Journal of cell biology, 1994 · PMID 7514608
  46. The coordination of copper(II) to 1-hydroxy-4-(glycyl-histidyl-lysine)-anthraquinone; a synthetic model of anthraquinone anti-cancer drugs.Journal of inorganic biochemistry, 1992 · PMID 1321888
  47. [Effect of a copper-chelating peptide on the anticancer activity of anthraquinones].Journal de pharmacie de Belgique, 1990 · PMID 2086758
  48. Effects of glycyl-histidyl-lysyl chelated Cu(II) on ferritin dependent lipid peroxidation.Advances in experimental medicine and biology, 1990 · PMID 2244543
  49. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+FEBS Lett, 1988 · PMID 3169264