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Online GHK-Cu

The result before the repost.

Original experiments and broader reviews

The GHK-Cu reading shelf

The papers are more varied than the reputation: a collagen culture, a combination scalp treatment, copper passing through skin, and a string of materials experiments.

Return to the result before the repost

A few places worth lingering

For a compact original experiment, the 1988 collagen-culture paper separates increased collagen synthesis from increased cell number. The 2011 skin-penetration paper is useful beside it because biological activity and delivery are different questions.

The hair trial deserves its complete treatment name. The post-laser trial deserves its negative objective result. The 2025 infected-wound paper deserves its mouse model and composite gel. I’d start with those rather than a single grand claim about rejuvenation.

The 2015 skin review and 2018 gene review cover much more ground. Their recurring authorship is visible in the list below; broad claims still need replication beyond the originating group. The 2025 topical review gives the delivery problem a welcome amount of space.

  1. Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+. FEBS Lett. 1988;238(2):343-346. ↗
  2. 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(7):1987. ↗
  3. 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. ↗
  4. Lee WJ, Sim HB, Jang YH, Lee SJ, Kim DW, Yim SH. Efficacy of a Complex of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and Glycyl-Histidyl-Lysine Peptide on Hair Growth. Ann Dermatol. 2016;28(4):438-443. ↗
  5. Hostynek JJ, Dreher F, Maibach HI. Human skin penetration of a copper tripeptide in vitro as a function of skin layer. Inflamm Res. 2011;60(1):79-86. ↗
  6. Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2008;19(8):969-988. ↗
  7. Lee S, Lee SM, Lee SH, Choi WK, Park SJ, Kim DY, et al. In situ photo-crosslinkable hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel embedded with GHK peptide nanofibers for bioactive wound healing. Acta Biomater. 2023. ↗
  8. Jose S, Hughbanks ML, Binder BYK, Ingavle GC, Leach JK. Enhanced trophic factor secretion by mesenchymal stem/stromal cells with Glycine-Histidine-Lysine (GHK)-modified alginate hydrogels. Acta Biomater. 2014;10(5):1955-1964. ↗
  9. Lane TF, Iruela-Arispe ML, Johnson RS, Sage EH. SPARC is a source of copper-binding peptides that stimulate angiogenesis. J Cell Biol. 1994;125(4):929-943. ↗
  10. Molavi AM, Sadeghi-Avalshahr A, Nokhasteh S, Naderi-Meshkin H. Enhanced biological properties of collagen/chitosan-coated poly(epsilon-caprolactone) scaffold by surface modification with GHK-Cu peptide and 58S bioglass. Prog Biomater. 2020;9(1-2):71-82. ↗
  11. Dymek M, Olechowska K, Hac-Wydro K, Sikora E. Liposomes as Carriers of GHK-Cu Tripeptide for Cosmetic Application. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(10):2485. ↗
  12. Endo T, Miyagi M, Ujiie A. Simultaneous determination of glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine and its metabolite, L-histidyl-L-lysine, in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization. J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl. 1997;692(1):37-42. ↗
  13. Bobyntsev II, Chernysheva OI, Dolgintsev ME, Smakhtin MY, Belykh AE. Anxiolytic effects of Gly-His-Lys peptide and its analogs. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;158(6):726-728. ↗
  14. Mortazavi SM, Mohammadi Vadoud SA, Moghimi HR. Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective. BioImpacts. 2025. ↗
  15. Chen H, Yang P, Xue P, Li S, Dan X, Li Y, Lei L, Fan X. Food-Derived Tripeptide-Copper Self-Healing Hydrogel for Infected Wound Healing. Biomater Res. 2025;29:0139. ↗
  16. Hong M, Gui Y, Xu J, Zhao X, Jiang C, Zhao J, Xin X, Liu D, Tang X, Tang R, An F. Palmitoyl copper peptide and acetyl tyrosine complex enhances melanin production in both A375 and B16 cell lines. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2025. ↗
  17. Miller TR, Wagner JD, Baack BR, Eisbach KJ. Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin. Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. 2006;8(4):252-259. ↗
  18. Simeon A, Emonard H, Hornebeck W, Maquart FX. The tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ stimulates matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression by fibroblast cultures. Life Sciences. 2000;67(18):2257-2265. ↗
  19. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. 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;2012:324832. ↗