GHK-Cu in Thailand

GHK-Cu 50 mg research vials in Thailand

What is GHK-Cu? GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide — glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine chelated to a copper(II) ion, also listed as Copper Tripeptide-1. The same name appears on skincare labels, which is why it is easy to confuse two different things. In a serum, GHK-Cu is one cosmetic ingredient inside a finished, tested formulation with its own instructions. What we sell is the raw research material: 50 mg of lyophilised GHK-Cu powder per vial, in packs of 1, 5 or 10, for laboratory work only. It is not a skincare product, it is not made to be applied or injected, and nothing on this page is a skin-benefit claim. Vials are stocked in Bangkok with tracked delivery to Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and the rest of Thailand; browse related materials in the copper peptide research hub.

Research on GHK-Cu dates to the 1970s. It is the most heavily characterised copper peptide in the matrix-biology literature, largely through the work of Loren Pickart and the Reims group led by François-Xavier Maquart, and the evidence base is predominantly fibroblast culture and rodent models, with a separate cosmetic-formulation literature.

Quick facts

Product

GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide-1)

CAS

89030-95-5 is commonly referenced for the copper complex (49557-75-7 for free GHK)

Molecular weight

~340 Da for free GHK; ~400 Da for the 1:1 copper complex

Form

Lyophilised powder, sealed vial

Intended use

laboratory research use only

How GHK-Cu works

The biology of GHK depends on the copper. The tripeptide's glycine amine, histidine imidazole, and backbone nitrogens form a high-affinity square-planar chelate around Cu(II), and it is this complex — not the bare peptide — that carries most of the activity reported in the literature. Because the copper is tightly bound rather than free in solution, GHK-Cu is studied as a way to deliver copper to cells without the uncontrolled redox chemistry that free copper ions produce. GHK sequences occur within the alpha-2(I) chain of type I collagen, which led Maquart and colleagues to propose that proteolysis at an injury site releases GHK locally, where it picks up copper and acts as an endogenous repair signal.

Downstream, dermal fibroblast studies report increased synthesis of collagen types I and III, glycosaminoglycans, and the proteoglycan decorin, alongside modulation of matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors — that is, GHK-Cu is described as tuning both the building and the breakdown side of matrix turnover rather than simply adding collagen. Review work also attributes broad transcriptional effects to GHK across genes tied to remodelling, antioxidant defence, and inflammatory signalling. These are findings from specific published studies, not outcomes attributed to this product.

Key research findings

• In human fibroblast cultures, GHK-Cu stimulated collagen synthesis in a dose-dependent manner from 10⁻¹² M, peaking around 10⁻⁹ M, with the effect occurring independently of any change in cell number (Maquart, FEBS Lett, 1988).
• In a rat wound-chamber model using subcutaneously implanted steel mesh cylinders, GHK-Cu produced a concentration-dependent increase in dry weight, DNA, total protein, collagen, and glycosaminoglycan content, with collagen accumulating at roughly twice the rate of non-collagen protein and elevated type I and type III collagen mRNA (Maquart, J Clin Invest, 1993).
• In a mouse model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis, intraperitoneal GHK-Cu at 0.2, 2, and 20 µg/g on alternate days reduced inflammatory markers and collagen deposition and reversed the MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance via Nrf2, NF-κB, and TGF-β1 pathways (Ma, Life Sci, 2020).

Research applications

• Collagen synthesis and extracellular-matrix remodelling assays in dermal fibroblasts
• Wound-healing and granulation-tissue models
• Matrix metalloproteinase / TIMP balance studies
• Copper-chelation and metal-delivery chemistry
• Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory signalling research (Nrf2, NF-κB)
• Gene-expression profiling under copper-peptide exposure
• Comparative tissue-repair studies alongside BPC-157 and TB-500

Study parameters reported in literature

The underlying literature is expressed on three different scales rather than as a single protocol: fibroblast culture work used ~10⁻¹² to 10⁻⁹ M (Maquart, FEBS Lett, 1988), the mouse fibrosis model used 0.2–20 µg/g intraperitoneally on alternate days (Ma, Life Sci, 2020), and cosmetic-science studies describe topical formulations at roughly 0.1–2%. Parameters vary widely because the published work spans cell culture, rodent models, and topical formulation studies rather than a single standard protocol. This is a descriptive summary of parameters reported in cited research, not a recommendation for use. To model concentrations for a defined protocol, use the GHK-Cu peptide calculator.

Reconstitution & storage

Solvent

Confirm compatibility for this material; copper complexes are sensitive to pH and to reducing or chelating agents, so no diluent is universal

Mixing

Add solvent down the vial wall and swirl gently until dissolved; do not shake

Appearance

Solutions of the copper complex are characteristically deep blue

Storage

Refrigerated (2–8 °C) after reconstitution, in common laboratory practice

Use within

No in-use stability data has been published for this material; set limits from a validated protocol

Freeze / light

Keep lyophilised powder frozen or cold, sealed, and protected from light

Because copper complexes react with some buffer components, laboratory practice is to check compatibility before choosing a diluent such as bacteriostatic water and to prepare solutions fresh. In Thailand's heat and humidity, protect vials from ambient temperature swings during storage and courier handling.

Selected research

• Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ — FEBS Lett, 1988
• In vivo stimulation of connective tissue accumulation by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ in rat experimental wounds — J Clin Invest, 1993
• Protective effects of GHK-Cu in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation pathways — Life Sci, 2020
• GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration — Biomed Res Int, 2015 (review, Pickart)
• Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective — BioImpacts, 2025 (review)
• Browse all indexed GHK-Cu copper peptide literature on PubMed

Related compounds

• BPC-157 — a pentadecapeptide studied for tendon, gut, and tissue repair; often examined alongside GHK-Cu in matrix and angiogenesis research through a different mechanism.
• TB-500 — a synthetic Thymosin Beta-4 fragment studied in cell-migration and repair models; the actin-regulating counterpart to GHK-Cu's matrix-synthesis focus.
• Bacteriostatic water — the standard diluent used to reconstitute lyophilised research peptides.

See also: more copper peptide research compounds.