GHK-Cu
Copper tripeptide complex (GHK-Cu), lyophilised. For in vitro research use only.
Key facts
- Compound:
- GHK-Cu
- Purity:
- ≥99%, verified by HPLC
- Identity confirmed by:
- LC-MS, independent third-party lab
- Molecular weight:
- 340.38 g/mol
- Certificate of analysis:
- available on request, verifiable by lot number
- Ships from:
- Vancouver, BC — typically 2–5 business days, tracked and insured, no customs
- Intended use:
- in vitro laboratory research only — not for human or veterinary consumption
Page last updated
GHK-Cu is a copper(II)–tripeptide complex (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine). As a copper peptide it is blue in solution and is best kept from light.
Buy GHK-Cu in Canada direct from Popular Peptides. Available in 100 mg and 50 mg, ≥99% purity, molecular weight 340.38 g/mol. Every batch is assayed by HPLC and LC-MS at an independent laboratory, and the batch-specific Certificate of Analysis is available on request. Each vial carries a lot number you can check yourself at popularpeptides.ca/verify before it goes near an experiment. Tracked, insured delivery from Vancouver, BC — typically 2 to 5 business days, with no customs step and no brokerage fee.
Supplied lyophilised for in vitro laboratory research use only; not intended for human or veterinary use.
Primary literature
- Skin Regenerative and Anti-Cancer Actions of Copper Peptides — Cosmetics, 2018
Pickart & Margolina on GHK-Cu as a gene modulator; reports GHK altering expression of a large fraction of human genes.
Cited for research context. A citation is not a claim that this compound is safe, effective, or approved for any use.
⚠️ Research Use Only. This compound is intended for in vitro research and laboratory use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption.
GHK-Cu — compound background
Tripeptide-copper(II) complex (Gly-His-Lys : Cu²⁺)
GHK was identified by Loren Pickart in 1973 as a factor in human plasma whose concentration declines markedly with age. The decisive later finding was that its activity depends on chelated copper(II) — the peptide and the metal function as a unit. GHK-Cu is therefore a coordination complex, not simply a peptide, and it is the only such compound in this catalogue.
Solubility & reconstitution
Freely water-soluble, and unmistakable: GHK-Cu solutions are a distinct blue. That colour is the copper(II) coordination itself, which makes this the one compound here whose integrity you can partly assess by eye. A properly reconstituted vial gives a clear, evenly blue solution.
Storage
Sealed at -20 °C, dry and dark. The dry complex is stable; moisture is the main enemy. Refrigerate at 2–8 °C, protected from light. Solution pH matters unusually much here: the copper-histidine coordination weakens as pH falls, and the complex can dissociate in acidic conditions.
Commonly worked with for 2–4 weeks at 2–8 °C.
Stability
For GHK-Cu, colour is data. A solution that has gone pale, colourless, or green rather than clear blue is signalling that the coordination chemistry has changed, and no peptide-based intuition covers that.
Reading the Certificate of Analysis
Peptide purity alone is insufficient for a coordination complex. The informative figure is copper content — ideally by ICP-MS or atomic absorption — confirming the intended peptide-to-copper stoichiometry. A COA reporting only HPLC purity describes the ligand while saying nothing about whether the metal is present in the right proportion.
Background and handling information is educational, for in-vitro laboratory research use only — not medical advice, dosing, or usage guidance, and not a description of use in humans or animals.
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GHK-Cu laboratory reference
GHK-Cu is tripeptide-copper(ii) complex (gly-his-lys : cu²⁺). Handling requirements follow from that chemistry rather than from generic peptide guidance — the pages below cover each aspect specifically for this compound.
Lyophilized and reconstituted storage conditions, plus the practical working window.
Diluent selection, dissolution behaviour, and the calculator preset for this compound.
Which solvents work, why, and what abnormal dissolution behaviour indicates.
The specific chemical routes by which this molecule breaks down, and how to limit each.
Which assays are informative for this molecule, and what to actually check on its COA.
Compound-specific bench practices, and the errors most often made with this molecule.
What to inspect on arrival, and which conditions actually warrant rejecting a vial.
Questions specific to this compound — structure, chemistry, and common misconceptions.
GHK-Cu compared with
Reference content is educational laboratory-handling information for in-vitro research use only — not medical advice, not usage guidance, and not a protocol.