GHK-Cu
Also called Copper peptide
What to know about GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide found naturally in human plasma and studied most often in skin, connective-tissue, and cell models.
- How it may work
- Laboratory work suggests copper delivery and altered expression of genes involved in extracellular-matrix turnover, antioxidant responses, and tissue remodelling.
- What research found
- Rat wound experiments and cultured-fibroblast work report changes in collagen-related tissue and glycosaminoglycan production. Evidence depends heavily on route and formulation.
- What is not settled
- Topical cosmetic exposure cannot establish the safety of injected material. FDA flags injectable GHK-Cu for limited safety information, immune-reaction risk, and impurity concerns.
- Research and product status
- GHK-Cu appears in cosmetic products, but that is not equivalent to a licensed injectable medicine.
Research reference
- Research amount range
- 1–2 mg per administration — not a starting amount
- Reference frequency
- Every day — catalogue input, not a personal schedule
- Evidence route
- No human administration route established by this catalogue's evidence tier.
- Reported timing context
- No fixed time of day; kept away from other injections at the same site in reports.
- What people report
- Skin- and connective-tissue contexts are discussed over several weeks.
- Model accumulation timescale
- ~5 hours — about five half-lives with regular repeated exposure; not time to a result
- Storage
- Storage and in-use limits depend on the exact formulation and packaging. A compound name alone cannot establish temperature, diluent, or shelf life. Details
- Reported course context
- 4–8 weeks
- Reported break context
- 2–4 weeks Why
A research and community reference, not medical advice. Figures are descriptive, vary between sources, and are not a recommendation for use.
When results may show
- When change was measured
- GHK-Cu findings most often come from cultured cells, animal wound models, or topical cosmetic work. They do not establish when an injected user should expect a skin, hair, or connective-tissue result.
- When to assess
- No injected human trial provides a reliable reassessment window. Several-week community timelines are not interchangeable with controlled measurements and should be labelled as anecdotal.
- Conditions and limitations
- Topical and injected routes cannot be assumed equivalent. No controlled human evidence establishes a required injection site, stacking partner, meal timing, or copper supplement for an injected protocol.
- When to stop
- No validated injected maintenance or quit rule exists. Do not extend exposure solely because a hoped-for cosmetic change is absent; stop and seek review for a severe or persistent reaction.
Research timing is descriptive, not a promise or personal instruction. A severe or persistent reaction needs prompt clinical review. This is not medical advice.
Combination evidence and cautions
What is known and unknown about GHK-Cu alongside other compounds or medicines.
Key properties
- Formula
- C14H22CuN6O4
- Mol. weight
- 401.91 Da
- CAS
- 89030-95-5
- PubChem CID
- 165429100
External references
Structure note
A diagram is a reference representation of the named chemical structure. It does not establish the composition, purity, or identity of any particular vial.
Cleared quickly; sub-hour estimates in plasma.
Injectable use rests on preclinical work; the human cosmetic evidence is topical and separate. No injected dose-ranging study exists, so no schedule table is shown.
Modelled level — every day
1× is the peak after a single dose.
- Steady-state peak
- 1.00× single dose
- Time to steady state
- 5hours
- Administrations
- 7/ week
Read off the modelled curve, not an even-interval formula
About five half-lives
Where these numbers come from
- GHK-Cu tissue-remodelling literature (Pickart)Copper-peptide evidence is largely in-vitro and topical; injectable systemic amounts are community-derived.