What it is
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring tripeptide (glycine-histidine-lysine) bound to a copper ion. It is found in human plasma, saliva, and urine. Plasma concentration declines significantly with age — a fact often cited in commercial materials, though the therapeutic implications of this decline remain unclear. It was first isolated by Loren Pickart in 1973.
In plain English
GHK-Cu is a tiny chain of three amino acids (glycine, histidine, and lysine — amino acids are the building blocks of proteins) stuck to a copper atom. Your body makes it naturally and it shows up in your blood, saliva, and urine. The amount in your blood drops a lot as you age. Sellers often point to that drop as a reason to take GHK-Cu, but whether putting it back actually does anything useful is still unclear. Loren Pickart first isolated it in 1973.
How it works
- 01
GHK-Cu binds copper ions and shuttles them into cells, where copper acts as a cofactor for enzymes involved in collagen and elastin synthesis.
In plain English
GHK-Cu grabs onto copper and carries it into cells. Copper is needed by enzymes that build collagen and elastin — two proteins that give skin and connective tissue their strength and stretch.
- 02
In vitro studies show GHK-Cu modulates expression of genes involved in tissue remodeling, including matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases.
In plain English
In lab-dish studies, GHK-Cu changes which genes cells turn on — including genes that control how tissue is broken down and rebuilt during healing.
- 03
It has documented antioxidant activity, scavenging reactive oxygen species in cell culture systems.
In plain English
In lab dishes, GHK-Cu soaks up damaging molecules called free radicals — the same kind of "antioxidant" activity you hear about with vitamins C and E.
- 04
Topical application produces measurable changes in skin biomarkers (collagen synthesis, glycosaminoglycan production) at therapeutic concentrations.
In plain English
When applied to skin at the right strength, it causes measurable increases in collagen production and in skin-cushioning molecules called glycosaminoglycans.