GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is a peptide, indexed here under Tissue repair peptides.
Identity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Classification | Peptide |
| Primary class | Tissue repair peptides |
| CAS registry number | Unknown No CAS-format synonym was present on the retrieved PubChem record. |
| PubChem CID | 139035031[1] |
| UniProt accession | Unknown No UniProt query was run in v1. |
| Molecular formula | C14H21CuN6O4-[1] |
| Molecular weight | 400.9 g/mol[1] |
| Amino-acid sequence | Unknown Not reported by the PubChem property set retrieved for this record; no sequence database query was run in v1. |
| Reported half-life | Unknown No pharmacokinetics source was retrieved in v1. PubChem does not carry half-life as a property, so this is recorded as not yet sourced rather than estimated. |
What the cited literature examines
GHK-Cu is a copper complex of the tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine. A 2012 paper in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity addresses the human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of ageing, and a 2018 International Journal of Molecular Sciences paper reviews regenerative and protective actions of the peptide in the light of gene expression data.
Animal-model reports in the retrieved set include a 2016 Oncotarget paper on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice, a 2020 Life Sciences paper on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, and a 2017 Wound Repair and Regeneration paper on GHK-Cu liposomes in scald wounds in mice.
[3, 4, 5, 6, 7]Reported mechanism
A copper-binding tripeptide complex; the retrieved literature describes antioxidative activity and gene-expression effects rather than a single receptor target.
[3, 4]Stated in the titles of the cited 2012 Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity and 2018 International Journal of Molecular Sciences papers.
Targets named in the cited records: copper ion binding.
FDA application register
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.[2]
Scope statement: this records the result of a single automated query against the openFDA drugsfda endpoint on the stated date. It is not legal advice and is not a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legality assessment.
Retrieved 2026-10-09.
Amounts reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset states an amount, so none is shown. Where an amount is recorded it is what a named study reported administering in its own stated model, in the past tense, and is not a protocol.
No study-reported dose was taken from a source read in v1. Literature-reported values are only recorded where the retrieved citation metadata states the figure.
Adverse effects reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset reports an adverse effect for this compound, so no row is shown. Absence of a row records the absence of a retrieved report, nothing more.
No adverse-effect row was taken from a source read in v1. Rows are only recorded with the study model named and the reporting citation attached.
Other names
GHK-Cu appears under these other names in the cited records or in common usage. Each one resolves to this page rather than to a separate page of its own.
- copper tripeptide
- copper tripeptide-1
- glycyl-histidyl-lysine copper
- copper peptide
- copper peptides
- GHK peptide
Where this page sits
Research records
Cited research records for GHK-Cu, each with its identifier, the publication type it is indexed as, and the study model stated by its assigned subject headings.
Compounds indexed next to it
- BPC-157 — Tissue repair peptides
- Thymosin beta 4 — Tissue repair peptides
Class page: Tissue repair peptides. Full index: all indexed compounds.
Questions this page answers
What does the cited literature examine for GHK-Cu?
GHK-Cu is a copper complex of the tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine. A 2012 paper in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity addresses the human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of ageing, and a 2018 International Journal of Molecular Sciences paper reviews regenerative and protective actions of the peptide in the light of gene expression data.
Which class is GHK-Cu indexed under?
GHK-Cu is indexed under Tissue repair peptides. This grouping covers peptides whose retrieved research literature is predominantly concerned with tissue repair endpoints in laboratory and animal models, rather than a single shared receptor.
What does the FDA application register show for GHK-Cu?
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.
Sources
- PubChem Compound Summary for CID 139035031, Copper tripeptide. PubChem, National Library of Medicine (2026). pubchem:139035031
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, no application records returned. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:ghk-cu
- The human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of aging: implications for cognitive health. Oxid Med Cell Longev (2012). pmid:22666519
- Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. Int J Mol Sci (2018). pmid:29986520
- The tri-peptide GHK-Cu complex ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice. Oncotarget (2016). pmid:27517151
- Protective effects of GHK-Cu in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation pathways. Life Sci (2020). pmid:31809714
- GHK-Cu-liposomes accelerate scald wound healing in mice by promoting cell proliferation and angiogenesis. Wound Repair Regen (2017). pmid:28370978
On each stated value was matched to the record cited for it. That is record matching, not an appraisal of the research. Compiled and checked by: Peptide Monographs editorial desk. No qualified clinical reviewer.