GHK-CU

Here is the product page for GHK-Cu, formatted with plain text to ensure it renders correctly on your site without the need for additional math rendering libraries.

GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide-1)

GHK-Cu is a highly specialized coordination complex formed by the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine and a copper(II) ion. The peptide coordinates with the Cu2+ ion through the imidazole nitrogen of the histidine residue and the peptide backbone, establishing a stable square-planar complex. This specific coordination geometry is responsible for the compound’s characteristic blue-green appearance. First isolated from human plasma in 1973, GHK-Cu serves as a critical reference material in metallopeptide research, specifically functioning as a biological copper-delivery vehicle that maintains stability for transport while remaining labile enough to release copper to higher-affinity enzymatic acceptors.

Technical Specifications

Research Applications & Mechanism of Interest

The primary research utility of GHK-Cu lies in its role as a copper-delivery vehicle within biochemical systems. It is not a passive carrier but a dynamically stable complex used to explore copper-dependent enzymatic processes.

Primary fields of in vitro laboratory investigation include:

• Enzymatic Activity Assays: Serving as a substrate or cofactor source in studies involving lysyl oxidase, a copper-dependent amine oxidase essential for collagen and elastin crosslinking.

• Metallopeptide Stability: Investigating the binding kinetics and dissociation constants of GHK-Cu complexes in varying aqueous environments.

• Cell Migration Models: Utilizing the complex in fibroblast scratch-assay models to observe copper-dependent signaling in cellular motility and repair pathways.

• Enzyme Interaction Research: Mapping the release kinetics of Cu2+ ions to higher-affinity target proteins within controlled cell-free environments.

Critical Handling Protocol: Non-Metallic Labware

Handling Requirement: The coordination chemistry of GHK-Cu is extremely sensitive to metal contamination. You must utilize non-metallic (plastic or borosilicate glass) laboratory ware only.

Contact with stainless steel, contaminated glassware, or metal spatulas will trigger the displacement of the copper center from the peptide backbone. Fading of the blue-green color is a definitive indicator of complex degradation and signifies that the material is no longer suitable for accurate analytical research. Avoid all chelators and strong reducing agents in your buffer systems, as these will destabilize the complex.

Research Use Disclaimer

This product is developed, synthesized, and distributed strictly as a Research Use Only (RUO) laboratory reference material intended exclusively for non-clinical analytical and scientific investigation. It is not an FDA-approved drug formulation, active pharmaceutical ingredient, therapeutic agent, cosmetic, or dietary supplement, and is strictly prohibited for human or veterinary consumption. Kimera Chems supplies these high-purity reference materials solely to accredited academic institutions, professional research centers, and qualified investigators.

Note: Kimera Chems makes no claims regarding cosmetic or therapeutic benefits in human subjects (e.g., skin repair, hair regrowth). All applications are limited to in-vitro and analytical laboratory research.