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GHK-Cu References: The Cited Literature Behind This Digest

The peer-reviewed studies and reviews this site draws on, each with a DOI or PubMed link. Quantitative claims elsewhere on the site map to the numbers below.

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How to read this list

These are the GHK-Cu references cited throughout this digest, numbered to match the inline markers on every page. The list mixes foundational work (Maquart 1988 on fibroblast collagen, Pickart 2008 on tissue remodeling), the canonical skin-regeneration and gene-data reviews, the controlled hair-loss trial, and the 2024-2026 literature on fibrosis, colitis, hydrogels and short peptides for hair loss. Each entry carries a DOI and a PubMed or PMC link so any claim can be traced to its origin. Where a paper studied the free GHK peptide rather than the copper complex, the body text notes it; copper coordination is required for most documented tissue-repair activities [6].

  1. Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+. FEBS Lett. 1988;238(2):343-346. ↗
  2. Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(7):1987. ↗
  3. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:648108. ↗
  4. Lee WJ, Sim HB, Jang YH, Lee SJ, Kim DW, Yim SH. Efficacy of a Complex of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and Glycyl-Histidyl-Lysine Peptide on Hair Growth. Ann Dermatol. 2016;28(4):438-443. ↗
  5. Hostynek JJ, Dreher F, Maibach HI. Human skin penetration of a copper tripeptide in vitro as a function of skin layer. Inflamm Res. 2011;60(1):79-86. ↗
  6. Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. J Biomater Sci Polym Ed. 2008;19(8):969-988. ↗
  7. Mortazavi SM, Mohammadi Vadoud SA, Moghimi HR. Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective. BioImpacts. 2025. ↗
  8. Mao S, Huang J, Li J, Sun F, Zhang Q, Cheng Q, Zeng W, Lei D, Wang S, Yao J. Exploring the beneficial effects of GHK-Cu on an experimental model of colitis and the underlying mechanisms. Front Pharmacol. 2025;16:1551843. ↗
  9. He Q, Mazzola J, Ladiges W. The naturally occurring peptide GHK reverses age-related fibrosis by modulating myofibroblast function. Aging Pathobiol Ther. 2024. ↗
  10. Bobyntsev II, Chernysheva OI, Dolgintsev ME, Smakhtin MY, Belykh AE. Anxiolytic effects of Gly-His-Lys peptide and its analogs. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2015;158(6):726-728. ↗
  11. Hong M, Gui Y, Xu J, Zhao X, Jiang C, Zhao J, Xin X, Liu D, Tang X, Tang R, An F. Palmitoyl copper peptide and acetyl tyrosine complex enhances melanin production in both A375 and B16 cell lines. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2025. ↗
  12. Fan C, Chen Y, Huang Q, et al. Overview of Short Peptides for Hair Loss. Biomedicines. 2026;14(4):864. ↗
  13. Chen H, Yang P, Xue P, Li S, Dan X, Li Y, Lei L, Fan X. Food-Derived Tripeptide-Copper Self-Healing Hydrogel for Infected Wound Healing. Biomater Res. 2025;29:0139. ↗
  14. Endo T, Miyagi M, Ujiie A. Simultaneous determination of glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine and its metabolite, L-histidyl-L-lysine, in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization. J Chromatogr B Biomed Sci Appl. 1997;692(1):37-42. ↗