Research Education
PerformanceLabsUK supplies third party tested research reference materials for in vitro laboratory and scientific research use only, not for human or veterinary use.
GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu are both copper-binding tripeptides, and they differ by a single amino acid. That small change puts them in quite different corners of the research literature. This page compares what published studies examine for each, for research reference purposes only.
GHK-Cu (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper) is a naturally occurring peptide with decades of research in extracellular matrix and gene expression studies. AHK-Cu (alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper) is a closely related synthetic peptide, studied mainly in hair follicle and dermal papilla cell research. Same copper-binding motif, different first residue, different research focus.
GHK was first described by Loren Pickart in 1973 as a factor in human plasma. It binds copper(II) with high affinity through its histidine and the peptide backbone, and most research uses it in this copper-bound form. A 2018 review by Pickart and Margolina (International Journal of Molecular Sciences) summarises its study in collagen synthesis, tissue remodelling models and gene expression data.
AHK-Cu swaps the glycine for alanine while keeping the histidine and lysine that form the copper-binding site. Pyo and colleagues (Archives of Pharmacal Research, 2007) studied it in cultured human hair follicles and dermal papilla cells, which remains the main reference point in its literature.
| Feature | GHK-Cu | AHK-Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Sequence | Gly-His-Lys, copper-bound | Ala-His-Lys, copper-bound |
| Origin | Naturally occurring in human plasma | Synthetic analogue |
| Main research focus | Extracellular matrix, collagen, gene expression | Hair follicle and dermal papilla cells |
| Size of literature | Large, from 1973 onwards | Small and more recent |
| Key publication | Pickart and Margolina, International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2018 (review) | Pyo et al., Archives of Pharmacal Research, 2007 |
Because the copper-binding histidine and lysine are shared, both peptides are studied as copper carriers. The first residue changes the peptide's shape and properties slightly, and the two are not interchangeable in the literature: findings reported for GHK-Cu should not be assumed to hold for AHK-Cu, and the reverse. Studies that compare them directly are still limited.
Both are listed as research reference materials: GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu, in our copper and dermal research peptides range. GHK-Cu is also part of the KLOW blend. For more on each, see GHK-Cu copper peptide research and AHK-Cu and the copper tripeptide family.
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All products are supplied strictly for in vitro laboratory research use. Not for human or veterinary consumption.
