Evidence Grade E — Very limited evidence. 0 published studies. 0 registered clinical trials.
Medically reviewed by a licensed medical professional
AHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide related to but distinct from the better-known GHK-Cu. It differs by a single amino acid and has been investigated for effects on hair follicle cells. The evidence base is substantially thinner than for GHK-Cu — essentially a single published study. It has no pharmaceutical or cosmetic regulatory approval as a standalone ingredient.
Copper Peptide AHK-Cu is also known by these brand and alternate names:
No published studies found on PubMed.
AHK-Cu has no marketing authorisation. The primary peer-reviewed evidence is a single in vitro/ex vivo study demonstrating effects on hair follicle cells. No human clinical trials have been published.
The evidence base for AHK-Cu is substantially thinner than for the related compound GHK-Cu (#85). Products available through unregulated channels lack pharmaceutical quality assurance.
Research suggests AHK-Cu may stimulate hair follicle dermal papilla cell proliferation and modulate cell survival pathways. These observations come from a single in vitro study and patent data. No in vivo human studies have been conducted.
Research consists of a single peer-reviewed study (Pyo et al. 2007) plus patent data. No human clinical trials have been conducted. No independent replication exists. No head-to-head comparison with GHK-Cu has been performed. Claims of superiority or equivalence to GHK-Cu are not supported by published data. The evidence base is orders of magnitude weaker than that of the related compound GHK-Cu. Products from unregulated channels lack pharmaceutical quality assurance.
PeptideTrace tracks 0 registered clinical trials for Copper Peptide AHK-Cu sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov.
No trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov for this compound.
AHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide with the sequence Ala-His-Lys complexed with a Cu2+ ion. Its molecular weight is approximately 416.9 Da (CAS 767286-83-9). Developed by ProCyte Corporation (US Patent 5538945A), AHK-Cu differs from the better-known GHK-Cu by a single amino acid substitution (Ala replaces Gly at position 1). This structural modification was intended to optimize biological activity while maintaining copper chelation capacity.
Research suggests AHK-Cu promotes dermal papilla cell proliferation at concentrations of 10^-12 to 10^-9 M. The proposed mechanism involves increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio (anti-apoptotic), decreased caspase-3 and PARP cleavage (reduced programmed cell death), increased VEGF expression (angiogenesis), and decreased TGF-beta1 (reduced fibrosis). The copper ion may contribute to superoxide dismutase activity and collagen cross-linking. ProCyte's original patent described mouse intradermal injection producing hair growth at 14-20 days.
The primary peer-reviewed study is Pyo et al. (2007), an in vitro/ex vivo investigation showing AHK-Cu stimulated dermal papilla cell proliferation and modulated apoptosis markers. ProCyte's patent data demonstrated hair growth promotion in mouse intradermal injection models at 14-20 days. No human clinical trials have been published. No head-to-head comparison versus GHK-Cu exists, despite the structural similarity. The evidence base for AHK-Cu is dramatically narrower than for GHK-Cu, which has over 4,000 gene expression studies and multiple clinical trials.
The information on this page is provided for educational and research reference purposes only. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.
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GHK has no pharmaceutical authorisation. Small cosmetic studies of the copper-complexed form (GHK-Cu) have reported improvements in skin appearance measures. No pharmaceutical clinical trials for injectable use have been completed. As with GHK-Cu (#85), the cosmetic evidence base for topical use should be distinguished from claims about injectable use. Gene expression profiling studies have reported broad effects, but observational genomic changes do not constitute evidence of therapeutic efficacy. This entry overlaps substantially with GHK-Cu (#85).
GHK-Cu has no pharmaceutical authorisation from any regulatory agency. It is widely available as a cosmetic ingredient in over-the-counter skincare products, where it is marketed for skin conditioning. A small study comparing GHK-Cu cream to vitamin C and retinoic acid creams reported improvements in skin appearance measures. No pharmaceutical clinical trials for injectable GHK-Cu have been completed. The compound's cosmetic use (topical, in formulated skincare products) should be clearly distinguished from its unregulated availability as an injectable research compound. These represent fundamentally different risk profiles.
Argireline has no pharmaceutical authorisation. It is widely available as a cosmetic ingredient in over-the-counter skincare products. Small industry-sponsored studies have reported wrinkle depth reductions of 17–30% with topical application. The key scientific question is whether sufficient peptide penetrates intact skin to reach neuromuscular junctions and produce a meaningful effect. The molecule's size exceeds the conventional limit for transdermal absorption. Argireline's cosmetic use in formulated skincare products represents a fundamentally different risk profile from injectable use.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making decisions about your health.
