Copper peptide complex

GHK-Cu

Also catalogued as Copper tripeptide-1, GHK copper complex, Gly-His-Lys copper.

CAS number: 49557-75-7
Molecular formula: C14H24CuN6O4
Molecular weight: 403.9 g/mol
PubChem CID: —

Identity

CAS numbers: 49557-75-7 · 89030-95-5
Molecular formula: C14H24CuN6O4
Molecular weight: 403.9 g/mol
Residues: 3

Sequence: GHK

The tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine; the listed material is its copper(II) complex.

What it is

GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (GHK). The free tripeptide binds copper(II) with high affinity through the histidine imidazole and the amino terminus, and the complex forms blue to blue-violet solutions and solids.

The tripeptide was first isolated from human plasma in 1973 by Pickart and Thaler. As a cosmetic raw material the complex is catalogued under the INCI name Copper Tripeptide-1.

Regulatory status

GHK-Cu is not an approved drug in any jurisdiction. The complex is catalogued as a cosmetic ingredient under the INCI name Copper Tripeptide-1.

Primary literature

Pickart L, Thaler MM. Tripeptide in human serum which prolongs survival of normal liver cells and stimulates growth in neoplastic liver. Nature New Biology 1973.
PMID 4349963

Citation titles are reproduced verbatim from the journal record. A citation documents the molecule's published identity and history; it is not a claim about the material sold here.

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