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GHK-Cu

Copper Tripeptide-1, Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine Copper, Prezatide Copper

A naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide that promotes wound healing, collagen production, and anti-aging effects in skin and tissues.

Quick Stats
Studies 149
Trials 1
Formula C14H22CuN6O4
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pubmed 1994

Basic fibroblast growth factor (basic FGF) in isolated ovine thyroid follicles: thyrotropin stimulation and effects of basic FGF on DNA synthesis, iodine uptake and organification, and the release of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and IGF-binding proteins.

Hill. D J DJ; Phillips. I D ID; Wang. J F JF; Becks. G P GP

This study looked at how thyroid‑stimulating hormone (TSH) makes thyroid cells in sheep produce more of a protein called basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF). It found that moderate levels of TSH raise the amount of basic FGF mRNA and protein inside the cells and in the surrounding matrix, but very high TSH levels are less effective. The work is purely basic science about thyroid cell biology and does not involve the peptide GHK‑Cu or suggest any practical health protocol.

pubmed 1990

Effects of glycyl-histidyl-lysyl chelated Cu(II) on ferritin dependent lipid peroxidation.

Miller. D M DM; DeSilva. D D; Pickart. L L; Aust. S D SD

The copper binding tripeptide, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine [GHK:Cu(II)] has a plethora of biological effects related to the wound healing process. The presence of iron complexes in damaged tissues is detrimental to wound healing, due to local inflammation, as well as microbial infection mediated by iron. To test if the wound healing properties of GHK:Cu(II) are due to an affect on iron metabolism, we examined the effects of GHK:Cu(II) on iron catalyzed lipid peroxidation. GHK:Cu(II) inhibited lipid peroxidation only if the iron source was ferritin. Whereas GHK:Cu(II) inhibited ferritin iron release it did not exhibit significant superoxide dismutase-like or ceruloplasmin-like activity. We propose that GHK:Cu(II) binds to the channels of ferritin involved in iron release and physically prevents the release of Fe(II). Thus, a biological effect of GHK:Cu(II), possibly related to wound healing, may be the inhibition of ferritin iron release in damaged tissues, preventing inflammation and microbial infections.

pubmed 1989

Characterization of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins from sheep thyroid cells.

Bachrach. L K LK; Liu. F R FR; Burrow. G N GN; Eggo. M C MC

This study looked at how sheep thyroid cells make proteins that bind insulin‑like growth factors (IGFs). It found that under normal lab conditions the cells release several small, non‑glycosylated binding proteins, and that adding growth‑stimulating signals (EGF or phorbol esters) makes the cells produce larger, glycosylated versions. The work is purely basic science and doesn’t give any guidance on using GHK‑Cu or any other peptide for health or performance.

pubmed 1990

Characterization of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins secreted by isolated sheep thyroid epithelial cells.

Wang. J F JF; Becks. G P GP; Buckingham. K D KD; Hill. D J DJ

Researchers looked at the proteins that thyroid cells release which can bind insulin‑like growth factors (IGF‑I and IGF‑II). They found several different IGF‑binding proteins of various sizes and showed that hormones in the culture media change how much of each protein is released. The work is basic science and does not give any direct tips for using the GHK‑Cu peptide or for health‑optimizing protocols.

pubmed Mar 25, 2023

Differential Effects of Histidine and Histidinamide versus Cysteine and Cysteinamide on Copper Ion-Induced Oxidative Stress and Cytotoxicity in HaCaT Keratinocytes.

Ha. Jae Won JW; Choi. Joon Yong JY; Boo. Yong Chool YC

Metal chelators are used for various industrial and medical purposes based on their physicochemical properties and biological activities. In biological systems, copper ions bind to certain enzymes as cofactors to confer catalytic activity or bind to specific proteins for safe storage and transport. However, unbound free copper ions can catalyze the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing oxidative stress and cell death. The present study aims to identify amino acids with copper chelation activities that might mitigate oxidative stress and toxicity in skin cells exposed to copper ions. A total of 20 free amino acids and 20 amidated amino acids were compared for their copper chelation activities in vitro and the cytoprotective effects in cultured HaCaT keratinocytes exposed to CuSO<sub>4</sub>. Among the free amino acids, cysteine showed the highest copper chelation activity, followed by histidine and glutamic acid. Among the amidated amino acids, cysteinamide showed the highest copper chelation activity, followed by histidinamide and aspartic acid. CuSO<sub>4</sub> (0.4-1.0 mM) caused cell death in a concentration-dependent manner. Among the free and amidated amino acids (1.0 mM), only histidine and histidinamide prevented the HaCaT cell death induced by CuSO<sub>4</sub> (1.0 mM). Cysteine and cysteinamide had no cytoprotective effects despite their potent copper-chelating activities. EDTA and GHK-Cu, which were used as reference compounds, had no cytoprotective effects either. Histidine and histidinamide suppressed the CuSO<sub>4</sub>-induced ROS production, glutathione oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation in HaCaT cells, whereas cysteine and cysteinamide had no such effects. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) showed copper-chelating activity at 0.5-1.0 mM (34-68 mg mL<sup>-1</sup>). Histidine, histidinamide, and BSA at 0.5-1.0 mM enhanced the viability of cells exposed to CuCl<sub>2</sub> or CuSO<sub>4</sub> (0.5 mM or 1.0 mM) whereas cysteine and cysteinamide had no such effects. The results of this study suggest that histidine and histidinamide have more advantageous properties than cysteine and cysteinamide in terms of alleviating copper ion-induced toxic effects in the skin.

pubmed Mar 27, 2020

The potential of GHK as an anti-aging peptide.

Dou. Yan Y; Lee. Amanda A; Zhu. Lida L; Morton. John J; Ladiges. Warren W

GHK (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine) is a naturally occurring peptide found in human serum with levels averaging 200 ng/ml at age 20 but declining to an average of 80 ng/ml by age 60. The molecule has a very high affinity for copper and forms the chelate GHK-Cu. The peptide as well as its Cu (II) chelate have anti-inflammatory and tissue remodeling properties. GHK-Cu has been shown to promote skin remodeling, wound healing and regeneration, and has prominent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in in vitro and in vivo studies. In addition, preliminary observations suggest GHK can partially reverse cognitive impairment in aging mice by targeting anti-inflammatory and epigenetic pathways. The evidence as presented provides the rationale to further investigate this naturally occurring peptide in preclinical and clinical aging studies.

pubmed Mar 31, 2014

Developments in the synthesis and biological activity of glycyl-L-histydyl- L-lysine derivatives.

Kukowska. M M; Dzierzbicka. K K

Three decades of extensive research on biological activity of natural tripeptide Gly-His-Lys has established the substructure for development of its novel derivatives which give hope for widening the application in the field of medicine and dermatology. Synthetic approaches to obtain Gly-His-Lys and its modifications provide both classical solution method and solid phase peptide synthesis, usage of different protecting groups and methods of peptide bond formation. In our present review, we emphasize on the methods of the synthesis described in the literature and present the aspects of Gly-His-Lys structure modifications that played a key role in scientific research.

pubmed 1984

In vitro development of third- and fourth-stage larvae of Dirofilaria immitis: comparison of basal culture media, serum levels and possible serum substitutes.

Lok. J B JB; Mika-Grieve. M M; Grieve. R B RB; Chin. T K TK

The study looked at how different lab liquids and supplements affect the growth of heartworm larvae in a dish. It found that common growth media work similarly, fetal calf serum helps the larvae the most, and a commercial supplement works like the serum. The peptide GHK (the focus of interest) did not help the larvae grow at all.

pubmed Jul 1, 1987

NMR studies on binary and ternary Pd(II) complexes formed by the growth-modulating tripeptide glycylhistidyllysine and nucleotides.

Laussac. J P JP; Pasdeloup. M M; Hadjiliadis. N N

The study looks at how a small blood peptide (glycyl‑histidyl‑lysine) and some nucleotides bind to palladium ions, using NMR spectroscopy to figure out the structures of these complexes. It’s a basic chemistry investigation and doesn’t test any health effects or practical uses.

pubmed 1995

Glycyl-histidyl-lysine interacts with the angiotensin II AT1 receptor.

Garc&#xed;a-S&#xe1;inz. J A JA; Olivares-Reyes. J A JA

Gly-His-Lys, a tripeptide isolated from human plasma that increases the growth rate of many cells, stimulated in dose-dependent fashion the activity of phosphorylase a in isolated rat hepatocytes. Such effect was associated to increases in both IP3 production and [Ca++]i. Interestingly, these effects of Gly-His-Lys were antagonized by losartan, a nonpeptide angiotensin II receptor antagonist (AT1 selective), which suggested that these receptors were involved in its effect. Binding competition experiments using the radioligand [125I][Sar1-Ile8]angiotensin II clearly indicated that Gly-His-Lys interacts with AT1 receptors. It was also observed that other histidine-containing tripeptides were also capable of interacting with these receptors.

pubmed 1980

Culture of hormone-dependent functional epithelial cells from rat thyroids.

Ambesi-Impiombato. F S FS; Parks. L A LA; Coon. H G HG

Primary cultures of rat thyroid cells were made in medium supplemented with 0.1--0.5% calf serum and containing six hormones or growth factors: insulin, thyrotropin, transferrin, hydrocortisone, somatostatin, and glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine acetate. The FRTL strain was purified by successive colonial isolations and was found to maintain highly differentiated features (secretion into the culture medium of physiological amounts of thyroglobulin and concentration of iodide by 100-fold). The FRTL strain has been observed for more than 3 years in continuous culture. It has maintained the same biochemical and morphological characteristics that typified the primary cultures of thyroid follicular cells immediately after their enzymatic release from the rat thyroid. Thyroid epithelial cells that were grown under more conventional cell culture conditions failed to retain these specialized characteristics. We show that maintenance in vitro of these specialized functions of rat thyroid follicular cells is dependent on low serum concentrations and supplementation with hormones in the primary cultures. Our observations indicate that this culture strategem may be aplicable to the general problem of maintenance of differentiated characteristics in cultures of other epithelial cells.

pubmed 2015

[Effect of Gly-His-Lys peptide and its analogs on pain sensitivity in mice].

Bobyntsev. I I II; Chernysheva. O I OI; Dolgintsev. M E ME; Smakhtin. M Iu MIu; Belykh. A E AE

The intraperitoneal administration of Gly-His-Lys tripeptide to male BALB/c mice 12 min before the beginning of the study at doses 0.5, 1.5, 5, 15, and 50 mg/kg produced analgesic effect in the hot-plate test, which was manifested by an increase in the duration of the latent period of the paw-licking reaction. The replacement of L-lysine by D-lysine in the tripeptide molecule was accompanied by significant weakening of the analgesic effect after administration in the same doses. The attachment of D-alanine to N- or C-end of Gly-His-Lys peptide led to leveling of the analgesic effect. On the contrary, after the administration of these analogs, the duration of the latent period of the paw-licking reaction was increased in almost all experimental groups of animals and reached in some cases significant differences that were indicative of the manifestation of algic effects of the modified peptides.

pubmed Jul 11, 1979

Effect of transition metals on recovery from plasma of the growth-modulating tripeptide glycylhistidyllysine.

Pickart. L L; Thaler. M M MM; Millard. M M

Isolation and purification of growth-modulating peptides from biological sources is often accompanied by excessive losses of bioactive material. During the isolation of a growth-modulating tripeptide glycylhistidyllysine (GHL) from human plasma, copper and iron were found to co-isolate with the peptide. Studies with [3H]GHL demonstrated that these metals interfere at several steps of the procedure for the isolation of GHL from plasma (gel filtration chromatography, high-pressure silica-gel). Removal of these metals with an insoluble chelating resin (Cellex 100) enhanced recovery of [3H]GHL from plasma 8-fold. These results suggest that removal of transition metals may aid in the recovery of peptides which are difficult to isolate from biological sources.

pubmed Jun 2, 2022

Biomimetic Hydrogel Scaffolds with Copper Peptide-Functionalized RADA16 Nanofiber Improve Wound Healing in Diabetes.

Yang. Xinlei X; Zhang. Yu Y; Huang. Cheng C; Lu. Lei L; Chen. Junying J; Weng. Yajun Y

Wound healing in diabetes is retarded by the dysfunctional local microenvironment. Although there are many studies using hydrogels as substitutes for natural extracellular matrices (ECMs), hydrogels that can mimic both the structure and functions of natural ECM remain a challenge. Self-assembling peptide RADA16 nanofiber has distinct advantages to provide a biomimetic extracellular matrix nanofiber structure. However, it still lacks biological cues to promote angiogenesis that is of vital significance for diabetic wound healing. With a customized copper peptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine (GHK) functionalized RADA16, an integrated approach using functionalized RADA16 nanofiber to chelate copper ion, is innovatively proposed in this present study. The acquired composite hydrogel holds the biomimetic nanofiber architecture, and exhibits promoting angiogenesis by both enhancing adhesion and proliferation of endothelial cells (EC) in vitro and neovascularization in vivo. It shows that the functionalized nanofiber scaffolds significantly accelerated wound closure, collagen deposition, and tissue remodeling both in healthy and diabetic mice. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis give evidence that an upregulated expression of eNOS and CD31 in the copper peptide-functionalized RADA16 treated group. It can be envisioned that this scaffold can serve as a promising dressing for diabetic wound healing.

pubmed 1987

Effects of glycyl-histidyl-lysine on Morris hepatoma 7777 cells.

Barra. R R

Glycyl-histidyl-lysine (GHL) has been shown to have growth stimulatory effects on a number of different cell types including hepatocytes and hepatoma cells. In this study, the effects of GHL on Morris hepatoma 7777 cells were investigated. The greatest stimulatory effects on 3H-thymidine and 3H-leucine incorporation were observed at a GHL concentration of 2 ng/ml. In randomly proliferating cells, the incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA increased by 50% and that of 3H-leucine into protein by 29%. In addition, synergistic effects were observed when insulin and glucagon were included with GHL in the incubation mixture. Experiments with cells rendered quiescent by serum starvation indicated that cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle are more sensitive to GHL stimulation. In these experiments, 3H-thymidine incorporation increased earlier and peaked at a higher value than in the control cells. This finding suggests that GHL may play a role in stimulating quiescent cells to re-enter the cell cycle.