FDA
No application listedNo application naming prezatide or GHK as an active ingredient is listed in Drugs@FDA. Checked 2026-10-05; the control lookup (semaglutide) returned 6 applications.
Drugs@FDA via openFDAGHK-Cu: chemistry, literature and regulatory status
Research-use information. This page summarises published literature and regulator records. It is not guidance for use, not medical advice, and not a statement that any material is suitable for use in people or animals.
What is GHK-Cu?
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a three-residue peptide first isolated from human plasma. The literature describes it in cell-culture and animal work on extracellular-matrix turnover, tissue remodeling and gene expression. It is supplied here as a research material for laboratory use only.
What are the chemical facts for GHK-Cu?
- Name
- GHK-Cu
- Also written
- Copper tripeptide-1
- Sequence
- Gly-His-Lys · Cu(II)
- Length
- 3 residues
- Molecular formula
C14H23CuN6O4+- Average molecular weight
- 402.92 g/mol
- CAS number
89030-95-5(not confirmed in PubChem)- PubChem
- CID 71587328
PubChem records the copper(II) complex as a cation (C14H23CuN6O4+). Supplier materials may be described as the neutral complex or as a salt, so formula and weight can differ by a few mass units between sources.
Chemistry checked against PubChem on 2026-10-05. Where the formula can be computed from the listed sequence, it was, and the two routes agree.
How does the literature describe the mechanism of GHK-Cu?
- GHK binds copper(II) with an affinity similar to the copper transport site on albumin, and the complex is called GHK-Cu.[5]
- The X-ray and solution structures of the copper(II) complexes of GHK have been determined, with spectroscopic data on their redox properties.[4]
- In cultured fibroblasts the GHK-Cu complex increased collagen synthesis over a range of concentrations, independent of any change in cell number.[6]
- Reviews describe effects on extracellular-matrix turnover, including glycosaminoglycan synthesis and metalloproteinase activity, and genome-wide expression datasets.[2],[1]
Receptor and pathway background: Copper-binding tripeptides.
What has published research on GHK-Cu looked at?
6 studies are cited for GHK-Cu. Each is labelled by design below, and each entry says what the paper measured.
- 4 review
- 1 chemistry
- 1 in vitro
PubMed returns 165 records for the search terms published on the method page (15 of them with a review publication type, 2 with a clinical-trial publication type), checked 5 October 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered studies whose intervention matches the name (2 interventional), checked 5 October 2026.
Studies are listed by what they measured. Papers whose titles state an amount or schedule, or describe a clinical outcome of an approved medicine, are not listed. This is a wording rule, not a quality filter; see the method page.
What is the regulatory status of GHK-Cu?
EMA
No centrally authorised medicine listedNo centrally authorised procedure in the EMA medicines database (checked 5 October 2026) names prezatide or copper tripeptide as an active substance. National authorisations are not in this dataset.
EMA medicines dataMHRA
No product document foundNo SmPC, PIL or PAR document in MHRA Products matches the exact name "prezatide" or "GHK-Cu". Checked 2026-10-05; the control lookup (semaglutide) returned 271 documents.
MHRA ProductsWADA
Not namedThe WADA 2026 Prohibited List, in force 1 January 2026 does not name this substance. The list names substances by example, so this is not a statement that it is permitted in sport.
WADA Prohibited List 2026A regulator record is information about a database entry. It is not advice and not a statement that any use is lawful or unlawful in any country. How regulators approach research peptides.
Data dates: regulatory records 2026-10-05; WADA list 2026-10-05.
Which studies are cited for GHK-Cu?
[1] Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19.
Narrative review of reported GHK-Cu actions on extracellular-matrix, tissue-repair and gene-expression data, including genome-wide expression datasets.
[2] Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:648108.
Review of GHK in skin biology: collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis, metalloproteinase modulation and copper-dependent pathways.
[3] Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. The human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of aging: implications for cognitive health. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012;2012:324832.
Review of GHK-Cu in the context of oxidative stress, copper homeostasis and neuroinflammation.
[4] Hureau C, Eury H, Guillot R, Bijani C, Sayen S, Solari PL, et al.. X-ray and solution structures of Cu(II) GHK and Cu(II) DAHK complexes: influence on their redox properties. Chemistry. 2011;17:10151-60.
Solid-state (X-ray) and solution structures of the copper(II) complexes of GHK and DAHK, with spectroscopy of their redox properties.
[5] Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2008;19:969-88.
Review of remodeling-related processes attributed to GHK and GHK-Cu, including copper binding and extracellular-matrix turnover.
[6] Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+. FEBS Lett. 1988;238:343-6.
Measured collagen synthesis in cultured fibroblasts exposed to the GHK-Cu complex over a range of concentrations.
Data dates: citations read from PubMed 2026-10-05.
Where else in the research library is GHK-Cu covered?
Who wrote this page and how is it checked?
Peptency editorial team, last reviewed 5 October 2026. Citations are read back from PubMed, chemistry is checked against PubChem, and regulator records are read from each regulator's own database on the dates shown. The method page lists every source, search term and rule. Corrections are welcome through the contact details on the About page.