Quick Summary
- GHK-Cu (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II), CAS: 49557-75-7) is a naturally occurring tripeptide-copper complex with a molecular weight of 403.93 Da, first isolated from human plasma by Pickart and Thaler in 1973 at a concentration of approximately 200 ng/mL in young adults.
- Genome-wide expression profiling revealed that GHK-Cu modulates the activity of over 4,000 human genes at nanomolar concentrations — resetting gene expression patterns associated with aging, fibrosis, and tissue damage toward profiles characteristic of younger, healthier tissue (Pickart et al., Int J Mol Sci, 2018 — PMID: 30011848).
- Plasma GHK-Cu concentration declines approximately 60% with age — from ~200 ng/mL at age 20 to ~80 ng/mL by age 60 — correlating with reduced wound healing capacity, decreased collagen synthesis, and progressive tissue deterioration observed in aging research models.
- GHK-Cu search interest has grown over 1,000% year-over-year, making it the fastest-growing compound by search volume in the YPB healing and recovery category, driven by expanding applications across wound healing, dermal, and neuroprotection research.
- Research-grade GHK-Cu is available through the YPB research catalog in a 100mg configuration and as part of the GLOW Blend (Research Use Only) with batch-specific COAs.
GHK-Cu (CAS: 49557-75-7) is a naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide composed of three amino acids — glycine, histidine, and lysine — complexed with a copper(II) ion. Updated April 2026. First isolated from human blood plasma by Loren Pickart and Marguerite Thaler in 1973, GHK-Cu was initially identified through an unusual observation: young human plasma could stimulate aged liver tissue to produce proteins characteristic of younger cells, and the active factor responsible was traced to this small copper peptide.
Think of GHK-Cu as a master reset signal. Where most research peptides activate a single receptor or pathway, GHK-Cu operates at the level of gene expression itself — turning up genes associated with tissue repair, stem cell activity, and antioxidant defense while turning down genes associated with inflammation, fibrosis, and tissue destruction. Published microarray data shows this gene modulation encompasses over 4,000 human genes, representing roughly 31% of the genes that change expression between aged and young tissue.
This breadth of action explains why GHK-Cu research spans an unusually wide range of applications: wound healing, skin rejuvenation, hair follicle biology, lung tissue repair, neuroprotection, bone remodeling, and anti-fibrotic research. No other tripeptide in the published literature has demonstrated this scope of gene-level influence at physiological concentrations.