The study shows that the tripeptide GHK (glycyl‑L‑histidyl‑L‑lysine) can bind copper ions strongly enough to compete with albumin, the main copper‑carrying protein in blood. At equal amounts of albumin and GHK, about 42% of copper sticks to the peptide, while under normal body conditions only a small fraction (≈6%) is tied up in low‑molecular‑weight complexes like GHK‑Cu.

The interaction between Cu(II) and the growth-modulating tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine in the presence and absence of L-histidine was investigated by potentiometric titration and visible-absorption spectrophotometry at 25 degrees C in 0.15 M-NaCl. Analyses of the results in the pH range 3.5--10.6 indicated the presence of multiple species in solution in the binary system and extensive amounts of the ternary complexes in the ternary system. The species distribution and the stability constants, as well as the visible-absorption spectra of the species, were evaluated. The combined results were used to propose the structure of some of the complexes. The influence of the epsilon-amino group of the peptide in the enhancement of the stability constants was reflected prominently when compared with those complexes formed by either glycyl-L-histidine or glycyl-L-histidylglycine. The results obtained from the equilibrium-dialysis experiments showed that this tripeptide was able to compete with albumin for Cu(II) at pH 7.5 and 6 degrees C. At equimolar concentrations of albumin and the peptide, about 42% of the Cu(II) was bound to the peptide. At the physiologically relevant concentrations of Cu(II), albumin, L-histidine and this peptide, about 6% of the Cu(II) was associated with the low-molecular-weight components. This distribution could be due to the binary as well as the ternary complexes. The possible physiological role of these complexes in the transportation of Cu(II) from blood to tissues is discussed.