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Home/Compounds/GHK
Healing

GHK

Also known as: Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine

Endogenous tripeptide (Gly-His-Lys); the copper-bound form (GHK-Cu) is the well-studied ligand.

B
Grade B
Human observational studies
Human studies24
PubMed citations30
Routetopical, subcutaneous
Regulatory (US)Compounding legal
Last verified2 days ago

Mechanism of action

Tripeptide that acts as a copper carrier in the body. Pure GHK is often studied separately from GHK-Cu but has overlapping wound-healing and extracellular-matrix modulation activity.

Evidence summary

24
Human studies
30
PubMed citations
2
Clinical trials
B
Evidence grade

Evidence summary in progress. See the citations section below for the underlying research papers.

Dosing protocols

Educational information only. Consult a licensed provider before using any peptide.
Administration routes
topicalsubcutaneous

Side effects & safety

No FDA label or editorial side-effect profile is on file for this compound yet. See the clinical trials and citations sections for study-reported safety data.

Interactions

No documented drug interactions on file.

Regulatory status

United States
Not FDA approved

Not FDA approved. Used in cosmetic formulations and available through compounding pharmacies.

Compounding
Permitted

Available through compounding pharmacies with valid prescription.

Regulatory data last verified 4/19/2026

Citations

PMID 41476424Mayfield CK, Bolia IK et al. · Injectable Peptide Therapy: A Primer for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Physicians.The American journal of sports medicine (2026)HumanPMID 41511598Alferova ME, Bobyntsev II et al. · Anxiolytic Effect of GHK-PGP Peptide and Its Structural Analogues in a Test with Punished Behavior.Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine (2026)HumanPMID 41859865Skurski P, Anusiewicz I · Carbonless amino acids and a carbonless GHK peptide.Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP (2026)PMID 41490200Rahman OF, Lee SJ et al. · Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions.Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews (2026)HumanPMID 40672369Mao S, Huang J et al. · Exploring the beneficial effects of GHK-Cu on an experimental model of colitis and the underlying mechanisms.Frontiers in pharmacology (2025)HumanPMID 40823151He Q, Mazzola J et al. · The naturally occurring peptide GHK reverses age-related fibrosis by modulating myofibroblast function.Aging pathobiology and therapeutics (2025)HumanPMID 39963574Mortazavi SM, Mohammadi Vadoud SA et al. · Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective.BioImpacts : BI (2025)HumanPMID 40716276Hu D, Zhang X et al. · An injectable hydroxyapatite microsphere filler loaded with GHK-Cu tripeptide for anti-Inflammatory and antioxidant.Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces (2025)PMID 38045355Tucker M, Liao GY et al. · Behavioral and neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease are attenuated in 5xFAD mice treated with intranasal GHK peptide.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology (2025)HumanPMID 37144381Nikolaeva V, Kamalov M et al. · Evaluation of GHK peptide-heparin interactions in multifunctional liposomal covering.Journal of liposome research (2024)PMID 38879894Bian Y, Deng M et al. · The glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu2+ tripeptide complex attenuates lung inflammation and fibrosis in silicosis by targeting peroxiredoxin 6.Redox biology (2024)HumanPMID 38387323Islam R, Bilal H et al. · Tripeptides Ghk and GhkCu-modified silver nanoparticles for enhanced antibacterial and wound healing activities.Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces (2024)HumanPMID 35083444Dou Y, Lee A et al. · The potential of GHK as an anti-aging peptide.Aging pathobiology and therapeutics (2024)HumanPMID 36528123Jeong EK, Selvaraj B et al. · Synthesis and neuroprotective effects of H2S-donor-peptide hybrids on hippocampal neuronal cells.Free radical biology & medicine (2023)HumanPMID 37624577An P, Zhang Z et al. · Ultrasensitive and Label-Free Detection of Copper Ions by GHK-Modified Asymmetric Nanochannels.Analytical chemistry (2023)PMID 37896245Dymek M, Olechowska K et al. · Liposomes as Carriers of GHK-Cu Tripeptide for Cosmetic Application.Pharmaceutics (2023)HumanPMID 37832839Lee S, Lee SM et al. · In situ photo-crosslinkable hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel embedded with GHK peptide nanofibers for bioactive wound healing.Acta biomaterialia (2023)PMID 37764500Tosto R, Vecchio G et al. · New Biotinylated GHK and Related Copper(II) Complex: Antioxidant and Antiglycant Properties In Vitro against Neurodegenerative Disorders.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) (2023)HumanPMID 36905132Deng M, Zhang Q et al. · Glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu2+ rescues cigarette smoking-induced skeletal muscle dysfunction via a sirtuin 1-dependent pathway.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle (2023)HumanPMID 38014118Tucker M, Keely A et al. · Intranasal GHK peptide enhances resilience to cognitive decline in aging mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology (2023)Human

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