Reference
What is GHK-Cu?
GHK is a tripeptide, and its name is literally its sequence: glycine, histidine, lysine. Three residues is about as short as a peptide gets while still being called one. GHK-Cu is the same tripeptide bound to a copper ion, which is what is usually meant when the name is used.
Classification
| Type | Peptide |
| Chain length | 3 amino acid residues |
| Family | Copper-binding tripeptide |
| Origin | First described by Loren Pickart in the early 1970s, as a factor present in human plasma |
| Supplied as | Lyophilised powder in a sealed vial |
It is one of the few compounds in this range that was discovered rather than designed. Pickart identified it in human plasma in the early 1970s; the synthetic material sold today is the same sequence made deliberately. Because the copper is part of the complex rather than an impurity, a mass figure for GHK-Cu counts both the peptide and the metal.
Where it sits by length
At 3 residues, GHK-Cu is one of the shortest chains it is still conventional to call a peptide. The boundary is a convention, not a rule of chemistry — chains up to roughly fifty residues are generally called peptides.
What this page does not cover
Nothing here describes what GHK-Cu does, what it is used for, or whether it is safe. We publish analytical results and ship parcels; we give no guidance on dosing, preparation or use, and that applies to our reference pages as much as to the product pages. The person to ask about any of that is a registered prescriber.
Related by family
Where it came from
GHK is one of the few compounds in this range that was found in a body rather than drawn on a board. Loren Pickart traced it out of human plasma in the early 1970s.
1973 — San Francisco, California. When was GHK-Cu discovered?
More on GHK-Cu
- GHK-Cu — prices and sizes
- Buying GHK-Cu in New Zealand
- When was GHK-Cu discovered?
- The GHK-Cu certificate of analysis
See GHK-Cu in the range · What is a peptide? · Discovery timeline · All reference
