Description
GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide-1) | 50 mg
Bio Glow Wellness · Research use only
Research use only. Not for human or animal consumption. Bio Glow Wellness supplies this compound to laboratories, universities and independent researchers for in vitro and analytical work. It is not a medicine, a supplement, or a therapeutic product, and it is not sold for any personal use.
About GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is a three residue peptide, glycine then histidine then lysine, bound to a copper ion. The peptide portion occurs naturally in human plasma, where its concentration is known to fall with age. It has an unusually strong affinity for copper(II), and the complex the two form is the molecule studied in the literature. Copper is not an additive here. It is part of what the molecule is.
The blue colour of the powder is the most obvious way this compound differs from the other peptides on this site. That colour is the copper coordination itself, and a batch that arrives white rather than blue is a reason to question what was shipped.
GHK-Cu Explained Simply
Read this first. The section below is written in ordinary language so that a non-specialist can follow what this compound is and where it shows up in the scientific record. It is not medical advice, it is not a claim that the compound does anything in a person or an animal, and it is not a protocol. Bio Glow Wellness sells GHK-Cu for laboratory research only.
The short version
A short natural human peptide that carries a copper ion. Studied for decades in skin and connective tissue research. Supplied as a laboratory research chemical only.
What it actually is
Copper is an essential trace metal, but a free copper ion is reactive and damaging, so the body keeps it bound to carriers. GHK is one of those carriers. It is three amino acids long and it grips copper tightly enough to move it around safely while still being able to release it where it is needed. Researchers became interested in the pair together rather than separately, because most of the activity described in the literature disappears if the copper is removed.
Where it turns up in research
- Skin fibroblast and collagen synthesis studies in culture
- Wound repair models in animals
- Copper transport and trace metal handling research
- Gene expression profiling, where the peptide has been reported to shift large numbers of transcripts
- Antioxidant and metalloenzyme research, including superoxide dismutase
- Hair follicle biology in cell models
What the published work shows so far
The published work reports that GHK-Cu influences the behaviour of skin fibroblasts in culture, including collagen and glycosaminoglycan production, and that it affects the expression of a large number of genes in cell models. Animal wound studies report faster closure. Cosmetic research on topical formulations exists and is the most human-adjacent portion of the record, but it concerns finished topical products under specific conditions rather than a research powder. Bio Glow Wellness makes no claim about what this compound does in a person.
Why researchers keep returning to it
Two things make it useful at the bench. It is a well characterized copper carrier, so it is a convenient tool for studying how cells handle the metal. And it has a long enough publication history, going back to the 1970s, that new results can be positioned against existing work. Both are statements about research utility, not about effect in a person.
What nobody can claim about GHK-Cu
- It cannot be described as an anti-ageing treatment, a skin therapy, or a remedy for any condition.
- Cosmetic studies on formulated topical products cannot be presented as evidence for a research powder.
- It cannot be sold or described as a cosmetic ingredient, a supplement or a drug.
- Findings in cultured cells cannot be restated as human outcomes.
- No claim can be made about copper status, deficiency or nutrition on the basis of this material.
- It is not approved by the FDA for any therapeutic use.
Where the information above comes from
Identifiers and the copper coordination chemistry come from public chemistry references. The research summary reflects the general shape of the peer-reviewed literature, which spans cell biology, dermatological research and cosmetic science and is preclinical where it concerns this material in this form. Read the primary sources directly.
Physical and Chemical Data
Reference values for GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide-1). Lot-specific results are on the Certificate of Analysis supplied with the batch.
| Molecular formula | C14H22CuN6O4 |
| Molecular weight | 401.9 g/mol (copper complex). The free peptide GHK is 340.4 g/mol. |
| Chain length | 3 residues, complexed with copper(II) |
| Sequence | Gly-His-Lys, coordinated to a single Cu(II) ion |
| CAS number | 89030-95-5 |
| Classification | Copper(II) complex of a naturally occurring human tripeptide |
| Synonyms | Copper tripeptide-1 · Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II) · Cu-GHK |
| Appearance | Blue to blue-violet lyophilized solid. The colour comes from the copper and is expected. |
| Reported solubility | Reported soluble in water at laboratory working concentrations |
Molecular Design and Stability
The binding site is the point of the molecule. The free amino group of glycine, the backbone nitrogen between glycine and histidine, and the imidazole ring of histidine together form a square planar coordination geometry around the copper ion, with the lysine side chain projecting away from it. That arrangement is stable enough to hold copper through handling yet loose enough to exchange it under physiological conditions, which is the property the literature keeps returning to.
As a lyophilized solid the complex is stable and holds its blue colour. In solution it is sensitive to pH: strongly acidic conditions will strip the copper and leave the free peptide, which is a different molecule with a different published record. Prepare working solutions near neutral pH and do not store the vial reconstituted.
Laboratory Applications
Researchers working with this compound have used it to investigate:
- Fibroblast culture studies of collagen and extracellular matrix production
- Rodent wound closure models
- Copper chelation and metal transfer experiments
- Transcriptomic profiling in cell models
- Antioxidant enzyme and oxidative stress assays
- Comparative work against the free GHK peptide without copper
These are descriptions of published experimental work. They are not suggestions for what a buyer should do with the material, and they are not evidence of any effect outside the model in which it was observed.
What the Literature Covers
1. Discovery as a plasma factor
GHK was first described in the 1970s as an activity present in human plasma that influenced the behaviour of cultured liver tissue, and was subsequently identified as this tripeptide. That origin as a naturally occurring human factor, rather than a designed molecule, shapes the whole literature.
2. Extracellular matrix work
The largest body of research concerns connective tissue. Published studies report effects on collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan production by fibroblasts in culture, and on the enzymes that remodel matrix. This is the area where the compound is best characterized.
3. Copper as the active partner
A recurring finding is that the peptide alone behaves differently from the complex. That makes the compound as much a copper delivery study as a peptide study, and it means results obtained with free GHK should not be attributed to GHK-Cu or the reverse.
4. Gene expression surveys
More recent work has used expression profiling and reported that the compound shifts a large number of transcripts in cell models. Broad expression changes are interesting but hard to interpret. They describe what a cell did in a dish, not what the compound is for.
5. Cosmetic science and where it stops
Copper tripeptide has a genuine history in cosmetic formulation research, which is the closest this compound comes to human data. Those studies test finished products at defined concentrations under controlled conditions. A research powder is not a cosmetic product, and this material is not supplied for that purpose.
Batch Documentation
Every shipment is tied to the paperwork for the lot it came from.
- A Certificate of Analysis is supplied for the batch shipped, where one is available for that lot.
- The COA states the analytical methods used and the results for that specific lot. It is the authoritative record for the material in hand.
- Figures on a COA describe one batch only. They are not carried over to other lots and should not be read as a standing specification for the product.
- Testing is performed by an independent third-party analytical laboratory. The laboratory is named on the certificate.
- Published certificates are collected in the Certificate of Analysis library. Our guide to reading a certificate explains what each section reports and what it does not.
Storage and Handling Guidance
General handling practice for lyophilized research peptides:
- Keep the sealed vial cool, dry and out of direct light.
- For anything beyond short-term storage, refrigerate or freeze in line with the handling standard your laboratory already follows for lyophilized material.
- Limit how often a vial is opened and closed. Each cycle exposes the powder to ambient humidity.
- Reconstituted material is generally less stable than the dry powder. Where a study calls for solution, common practice is to aliquot to the working volume rather than store the whole vial in solution.
- Let a refrigerated vial reach room temperature before opening it, so condensation does not form on the contents.
Bio Glow Wellness does not supply reconstitution volumes, concentrations, schedules or any other instruction for administration to a person or an animal. Handling decisions belong to the researcher and to the standards of the facility doing the work.
Common Questions
Can this be used by a person?
No. It is supplied for in vitro laboratory research only. It is not approved for human or veterinary use, it is not a drug or a supplement, and Bio Glow Wellness will not supply it for any other purpose.
What do researchers use GHK-Cu for?
It is used in connective tissue and skin cell research, in studies of how cells handle copper, and in gene expression work. The study design determines the application.
Do you provide dosing or reconstitution instructions?
No. Bio Glow Wellness does not publish dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Study design, handling and safety practice are the responsibility of the researcher and their institution.
Is a Certificate of Analysis included?
Where one is available for the lot shipped, yes. The COA is specific to that batch and reports the methods run and the results obtained for it. Availability varies by lot.
How is the material supplied?
As a blue to blue-violet lyophilized powder in a sealed vial. The colour is the copper coordination and is expected. The milligram figure is the quantity in the vial, not a potency or a dose.
Do you ship internationally?
Orders ship within the United States. Buyers outside the United States are responsible for their own import rules, and orders may be declined where the compound is restricted.
Terms of Sale and Disclaimers
- Sold for laboratory research, analytical and in vitro use only.
- Not for human consumption, not for veterinary use, and not for any form of administration to a living subject.
- Not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Nothing on this page is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.
- No statement on this page is a representation that the compound is safe or effective for any use.
- The purchaser is responsible for meeting every federal, state and local requirement that applies to buying, holding, using and disposing of research compounds, and for confirming the compound is lawful in their jurisdiction before ordering.
- By ordering, the purchaser confirms they are a qualified researcher or are buying on behalf of a research organization.
