GHK-Cu

What is GHK-Cu?

GHK is a tripeptide of glycine, L-histidine and L-lysine, named from the single-letter codes of its residues. It has a strong, specific affinity for copper ions, and GHK-Cu is the complex it forms with Cu2+, bound through coordination bonds from the histidine side chain and the peptide backbone. PubChem lists the complex under CAS number 89030-95-5 (CID 71587328) as C14H23CuN6O4+, molecular weight 402.92 g/mol; the free peptide GHK is C14H24N6O4, 340.38 g/mol. It is also known as copper tripeptide-1.

The copper-bound form is the unit of study in most of the published literature, rather than free peptide plus free copper. That is a structural chemistry point that affects experimental design: researchers generally treat the complex itself as the compound, which is why Celyfe supplies it as the complex. The guide What is GHK-Cu? explains the coordination chemistry in more detail.

How GHK-Cu is used in the Celyfe system

GHK-Cu is carried in two Celyfe pens, each a pre-filled, pre-mixed 3ml cartridge dispensing 0.01ml per click across 300 clicks. Certificates for the GLOW and KLOW pens are being re-issued and are not yet published, so no GLOW or KLOW test result is claimed here.

• GLOW Pen: GHK-Cu 75mg with BPC-157 15mg and TB-500 15mg, 105mg in total, 0.350mg per click.
• KLOW Pen: the same three plus KPV 15mg, 120mg in total, 0.400mg per click.
• The WOLVERINE Pen, the two-peptide base of BPC-157 and TB-500, does not contain GHK-Cu.

What the research literature covers

Both the GLOW and KLOW product pages list an International Journal of Molecular Sciences article titled Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. The GLOW page also lists a Biomolecules review titled Peptides: Emerging Candidates for the Prevention and Treatment of Skin Senescence: A Review. The guide describes the field as cell and tissue culture work, largely in fibroblast models, on collagen and the extracellular matrix, together with gene-array studies that measure how exposure to GHK-Cu changes patterns of gene activity in cultured cells.

The GLOW product FAQ addresses the obvious question directly: GHK-Cu appears in the collagen and extracellular-matrix literature, which is where the GLOW name comes from, but the page describes composition, format and handling only and makes no cosmetic or therapeutic claim. Every Celyfe pen is supplied for in-vitro research use only.

Handling, storage and quality

GHK-Cu pens are pre-mixed solutions, so they are refrigerated at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, kept sealed and protected from light, and never frozen. One handling note is specific to this compound: the copper complex prefers a near-neutral solution, so the GLOW and KLOW product pages advise diluting into a buffer rather than an acid to preserve the complex. Check the batch certificate for the recorded appearance and storage window of the lot.

A certificate of analysis for a combination pen should report a separate result for each component present. Certificates for the GLOW and KLOW pens are being re-issued and are not yet published, so no GLOW or KLOW test result is claimed here. A certificate is a chemical quality record for the formulation as manufactured, not a statement about any combined effect of the components.

Related compounds and comparisons

GHK-Cu vs BPC-157 explains why the two appear together rather than as alternatives: GHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide studied in tissue and cellular models, BPC-157 a synthetic pentadecapeptide studied in signalling models, different sequences on different pathways in one research set. For choosing between the pens, WOLVERINE Pen vs GLOW Pen shows what adding GHK-Cu to the BPC-157 and TB-500 pair changes, and GLOW Pen vs KLOW Pen shows what KPV adds on top.

The compound library holds one other metal, zinc, as a mineral entry. It is not in any pen and is unrelated to the copper complex chemistry of GHK-Cu.