GHK Basic

GHK Basic is the metal-free form of the tripeptide GHK (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine), a naturally occurring sequence of glycine, L-histidine, and L-lysine. In its apo form it carries no bound metal, distinguishing it from the pre-formed blue-green GHK-Cu copper complex (CAS 89030-95-5) in which the same tripeptide is coordinated to a copper(II) ion. GHK occurs endogenously in human plasma, with reported levels declining markedly with age. The histidine imidazole and the N-terminal amine and lysine side chain give GHK a high intrinsic affinity for copper(II), and as the free apo-peptide it has been studied in preclinical and in vitro research as a copper-binding ligand and as a signaling molecule implicated in extracellular-matrix remodeling, collagen and metalloproteinase regulation, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory gene-expression pathways. GHK Basic is intended for research use only and is not for human consumption.

GHK Basic has been investigated for its copper-coordination chemistry and its role as a modulator of tissue-remodeling gene expression. The free apo-peptide binds copper(II) with high affinity through its N-terminal amine, the histidine imidazole nitrogen, and the deprotonated amide nitrogen, forming the GHK-Cu species that figures in much of the published literature; researchers have studied this exchange as a mechanism by which GHK may shuttle copper between extracellular carriers and cells in vitro. In cultured fibroblast and skin-cell models, GHK and GHK-Cu have been associated with stimulation of collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis and with modulation of matrix metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors. Gene-expression profiling studies have reported that GHK-Cu alters the transcription of a broad set of genes linked to tissue remodeling, antioxidant defense, and inflammatory signaling. These observations derive from preclinical and in vitro research and characterize the compound’s studied biochemistry rather than any therapeutic effect.

Copper Binding and Skin-Regeneration Signaling

Pickart, Vasquez-Soltero, and Margolina (2015) reviewed GHK and GHK-Cu as modulators of multiple cellular pathways, summarizing in vitro and preclinical data on the peptide’s copper-binding behavior and its associations with collagen synthesis, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory signaling in skin-cell models [1].

Gene-Expression Modulation

Pickart and Margolina (2018) reviewed gene-expression data indicating that GHK-Cu influences the transcription of a large set of genes involved in tissue remodeling, DNA repair, and antioxidant and inflammatory pathways, framing the apo-peptide’s copper-coordination chemistry as central to these reported effects [2].

Collagen Synthesis in Fibroblast Culture

Maquart et al. (1988) reported that the GHK-copper complex stimulated collagen synthesis in cultured fibroblasts, providing an early in vitro basis for subsequent extracellular-matrix research on the tripeptide [3].