GHK-Cu Peptide in Skin, Hair, and Lung Health

More than just fighting wrinkles?

GHK-Cu is a short peptide in a complex with copper. It is often used to reduce the signs of skin aging. While there are some good studies on it for reducing the outward signs of aging, that is just the tip of the GHK-Cu iceberg.

Let's dive into the science of what this little peptide can do in the body, and also throw in a dash of cold hard reality — it's not a miracle cure-all.

What is GHK-Cu?

GHK stands for Gly–His–Lys, which are the abbreviations for the amino acids, glycine, histidine, and lysine that make up this peptide (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine).

Terminology timeout: A peptide consists of a short chain of amino acids (less than 20), while proteins are longer chains of amino acids.

GHK naturally resides in your bloodstream in small amounts. It can easily bind to copper; thus, you will usually see the peptide as GHK-Cu, with Cu being the chemical symbol for copper.

Researchers think GHK naturally liberates from extracellular matrix proteins, specifically a collagen chain, in response to soft tissue damage. GHK then promotes wound healing and regeneration of tissues.[ref][ref]

It goes downhill in aging…

GHK levels decline with age. (Yeah, everything seems like it “declines with age”. It’s a phrase I write a lot.)

At age 20, the average level of serum GHK levels is 200 ng/ml, but that declines to an average of 80 ng/ml by the time you hit your 60s.[ref]

GHK is produced from the degradation of a specific extracellular matrix protein expressed in endothelial cells and from type I collagen. It is released at the site of an injury for local healing effects such as skin repair and modulation of the immune response.[ref][ref]

Let’s take a look at how and why GHK peptide could be useful to reverse problems of aging:

GHK and Gene Expression:

A gene expression analysis computer model shows that GHK changes the gene expression of thousands of genes -- upregulating some and downregulating others. Of note, GHK upregulates several DNA repair genes as well as downregulates IGF1.[ref]

DNA repair genes help to keep mutation from occurring, preventing cancer formation as well as preserving the integrity of the genome. A 2010 study identified GSK as the most likely substance (out of 1300 bioactive compounds) to be able to reverse gene expression in metastatic-prone aggressive colon cancer.[ref] However, there are no clinical trials on it for cancer.

Lung health - COPD, pneumonia, ARDS

Acute lung injury, including ARDS, is characterized by inflammation and tissue injury in the small alveoli. This is what kills people with pneumonia, Covid, etc.

To create a tissue model of lung injury, researchers use lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Found on the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, lipopolysaccharides cause a big immune response in the body. When added to the lungs, LPS causes an inflammatory response injuring the lung tissue due to high levels of ROS (reactive oxygen species). Under the inflammatory conditions, GHK-Cu modulated TNF-alpha and IL-6 (inflammatory cytokines) and prevented excess inflammation. This reduced tissue damage in the lungs when exposed to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS).[ref]

Why is this a big deal? If it works in humans, this could potentially be a way to reduce lung damage during ARDS or pneumonia. Pneumonia is often caused by gram-negative (LPS) bacteria. Cell culture studies show that GHK reduces ROS levels in cells.[ref]

There is also research into the role of GHK-Cu in COPD. In COPD, there are changes in the type I and III collagen in the lungs and a decrease in elasticity.

A small study showed that people with COPD have about half the serum level of GHK compared to age-matched healthy controls. In mice exposed to cigarette smoke (to mimic COPD), treatment with GHK-Cu improved muscle dysfunction and the ability to exercise. Another cell study showed that GHK could restore function in COPD lung tissue.[ref][ref]

Skin: Looking young again?

The majority of research on GHK-Cu centers around its effects on skin regeneration and wound healing. Research shows that GHK-Cu promotes collagen formation in the skin, which reduces fine lines and improves elasticity.[ref]

In skin culture studies, GHK-Cu increases the survival of stem cells in the skin. Stem cells regenerate skin cells more quickly in younger skin than in older skin, so increasing stem cell survival might promote the youthfulness of the skin.[ref][ref]

Similar to the effect seen in lung injury models, GHK-Cu also decreases inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha) in skin cells.[ref]

While GHK-Cu is heavily promoted as an anti-aging serum, be aware that there is little in the way of randomized clinical trial data.

Hair growth:

In an animal model of hair loss, GHK-Cu in solution or in a liposomal form has been shown to increase hair growth and increase VEGF expression, thus likely improving blood circulation to the hair follicle.[ref]

A clinical trial using a complex of 5-ALA (another peptide) plus GHK found that the peptide complex increased the hair count significantly compared to the placebo over a 6-month trial period.[ref] I would want to see more studies before investing a lot of money in GHK-Cu for hair regrowth, but the plus side is that it likely doesn’t have any negative side effects.

Where to get GHK-CU:

There are a number of sites online selling GHK-Cu peptide as a powder or in capsules. Most of these peptide sites are selling it as a research chemical. Do your due diligence before buying from these types of peptide sellers — some are apparently better than others. Look for a third-party certificate of analysis, and check for company reviews on Reddit or other forums. The kicker is that many of the “peptides for research purposes” type stores don’t take credit cards, so always check their methods of payment before you start an order.

If you want to try GHK-Cu topically for skin health, that is much easier to do. There are a lot of options online for GHK-Cu serums, often called copper peptide serums. Some of the copper peptide serums seem like a scam. Some are overly expensive because they are being promoted by influencers making a bunch of money. Some are weak and don’t contain enough of the peptide to make a difference.

The peptide is a very blue color due to the copper in it, so look for a strong color if you decide to try it as a skin serum.

Personally, I picked up a bottle of The Ordinary copper peptide serum a couple of weeks ago. I like it, and it makes my skin feel good. I chose the brand because I was familiar with it and had used one of their other products before. However, I have no idea if it is the best option out there.

If you have a favorite brand of skin care product, you may want to see if they also offer a copper peptide or GHK-Cu option. Another option would be to purchase the GHK-Cu powder somewhere and mix it with your favorite skin serum. (Here’s a powdered form on Amazon as an example — but it seems too expensive and doesn’t have enough reviews for me to take a chance on it.)

Conclusion:

My take on it: While it is likely not the fountain of youth, the research on GHK-Cu does show that it likely improves the look and feel of skin, may help with wound healing, and promotes hair growth.

The question is whether your source for purchasing GHK-Cu is legit and whether the concentration is high enough to make a difference. The studies looking at GHK-Cu for the regeneration of lung function in COPD are particularly interesting since that is something that doesn’t have any good therapeutic options right now. However, I didn’t find much in the way of studies on taking GHK-Cu orally or in an inhaler setup, so I don’t know how it would be taken.