Pre-clinical mechanism
GHK-Cu binds Cu(II) at physiological pH and has been shown in cell culture to modulate copper-dependent enzymes, upregulate decorin and TIMP expression, stimulate fibroblast proliferation and alter gene expression patterns associated with extracellular-matrix remodelling.
Key pre-clinical findings
- Fibroblast culture: dose-dependent increase in collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis (Maquart et al., 1988).
- Murine hair-follicle studies: enlargement of follicles and prolonged anagen phase (Uno & Kurata, 1993).
- Gene-expression profiling: modulation of ~4,000 human genes back toward a younger expression signature in cultured cells (Pickart et al., 2012).
Primary literature
GHK peptide as a natural modulator of multiple cellular pathways in skin regeneration
Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A · BioMed Research International · 2015
Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+
Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, et al. · FEBS Letters · 1988
The human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of aging
Pickart L, Margolina A · Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity · 2012