Topical Peptide GHK-Cu: Research In Hair, Skin

Academics looking to learn more about topical peptide GHK-Cu have found the ideal spot. Recent studies suggest that GHK-Cu may support hair follicle development and expansion. Because of the peptide’s potential to promote the development of new blood vessels, hair follicles receive more blood and are thereby potentially less likely to shrink, become damaged, or become dormant. This helpful manual reviews the key points of previous GHK-Cu studies and explains how the peptide may promote follicle growth in laboratory animals.

GHK-Cu Peptide: What is it?

GHK-Cu is a tripeptide combination with copper in saliva, blood, and urine. It is also believed to be released from injured tissue. After seeing increased fibrinogen levels in the livers of aged animal research models, Dr. Loren Pickart isolated it from plasma albumin for the first time in 1973.

Research indicates that the tripeptide, which consists of the amino acids glycine, histidine, and lysine, may have copper affinity and provide regenerative and protective action. GHK-Cu has been hypothesized to potentially impact skin cell regenerative processes, collagen production, and DNA repair.

According to researchers, the copper ion in GHK-Cu appears to enter cells due to possible coordination with nitrogen from histidine and oxygen from lysine, among other things. Copper oxidation changes are considered essential for dozens of enzymes, including lysyl peroxidase, which appears to regulate connective tissue production; copper is essential for oxygenation, iron metabolism, and neurotransmission, among many other potential biological activities. It is thought that GHK-Cu’s biological activity may be influenced by copper signalling. Stem cells appear to need a certain amount of copper to function properly.

GHK-Cu Peptide and Hair Follicles

Many skin and hair research studies have examined GHK-Cu due to its perceived potential, as first theorized in a 2018 study by Dr.Pickart and colleagues. A synopsis of the key results from the studies suggests that the peptide may influence hair development cycles.

Researchers suggest that GHK may contribute to the length and rapid development of the follicle, which contributes to the structural integrity of the hair via the added influence of collagen, a protein considered to be essential for hair development. Pickart et al. suggested in 1988 that GHK-Cu may have spurred fibroblasts to produce more collagen. They also noted that GHK may have in situ healing impacts due to a GHK triplet in type I collagen.

When rats were exposed to the peptide in one particular study, a comparable copper-binding peptide (PC1031) was suggested to promote follicular growth, as suggested by 1993 research by Uno and Kurata. This spurred research to develop a compound to have an impact similar to PC1031’s.

Copper peptides like GHK-Cu, particularly the sequence (K)GHK, have been hypothesized to influence angiogenesis, according to a 1994 study by Sage et al. The researchers speculated that GHK and other peptides with the GHK sequence appeared to have high angiogenic activity.

In 2000, Simeon et al. suggested that GHK-Cu, when given to rate dermal fibroblast cultures, may enhance the formation of type I collagen, making it a wound-healing agent.

Findings imply that when consistently exposed to the follicle, a topical GHK-Cu combination may increase strength and elasticity while thickening, strengthening, and protecting hair follicles.

GHK-Cu Peptide Potential

Researchers interested in studying follicle development may find GHK-Cu relevant on several scores.

GH-Cu Peptide and Bacteria

Scientists speculate that GHK-Cu may have potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant impacts on skin cells. Data suggests this peptide may potentially act on the skin barrier to tighten and support its density, suppleness, and general cycle of the skin cells.

GHK-Cu Peptide and Wounds

It has been theorized that wound healing may be accelerated and enhanced following exposure to GHK-Cu, whether in skin or other tissue cells.

Topical GHK-Cu appeared to have improved diabetic ulcer healing and infection rates in a 1994 research study; it has been hypothesized that GHK-Cu might provide relief for inflammatory skin disorders, and a 1994 study by Mulder et al. further elucidated on these hyptheses. Scientists suggested in a mouse investigation that GHK-Cu may enhance cell proliferation and angiogenesis.

GHK-Cu Peptide and Photodamage

Sunlight contains vitamin D, which helps to encourage follicle development, but may also impart UV radiation and damage with too much exposure. This disrupts the skin’s cellular structure and triggers the organism to produce superoxide, a chemical that stops hair follicles from developing and puts them into shedding modes. Additionally, when hair falls out and the skin barrier’s natural defenses against sunburn are compromised, photodamage to the epidermis might hasten the demise of any remaining hair follicles.

Compared to alternatives like vitamin K, vitamin C, and retinoic acid, GHK-Cu has been reported to potentially reduce skin photodamage. In addition to potentially reversing sun-damaged skin’s thinning and premature aging, it has been theorized to support the regeneration of skin stem cells.

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References

[i] 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 Jul 7;19(7):1987. doi: 10.3390/ijms19071987. PMID: 29986520; PMCID: PMC6073405.

[ii] Pickart, L., Vasquez-Soltero, J. M., &Margolina, A. (2012). The human tripeptide GHK-Cu in the prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of ageing: implications for cognitive health. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2012. Doi: 10.1155/2012/324832

[iii] Lau SJ, Sarkar B. The interaction of copper(II) and glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a growth-modulating tripeptide from plasma. Biochem J. 1981 Dec 1;199(3):649-56. doi: 10.1042/bj1990649. PMID: 7340824; PMCID: PMC1163421.

[iv] Maquart, F. X., Pickart, L., Laurent, M., Gillery, P., Monboisse, J. C., &Borel, J. P. (1988). Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide‐copper complex glycyl‐L‐histidyl‐L‐lysine‐ Cu2+. FEBS letters, 238(2), 343-346. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(88)80509-x

[v] Uno, H., &Kurata, S. (1993). Chemical agents and peptides affect hair growth. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 101(1), S143-S147. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-202X(93)90516-K

[vi] Lane TF, Iruela-Arispe ML, Johnson RS, Sage EH. SPARC is a source of copper-binding peptides that stimulate angiogenesis. J Cell Biol. 1994 May;125(4):929-43. doi: 10.1083/jcb.125.4.929. PMID: 7514608; PMCID: PMC2120067.

[vii] Siméon, A., Wegrowski, Y., Bontemps, Y., &Maquart, F. X. (2000). Expression of glycosaminoglycans and small proteoglycans in wounds: modulation by the tripeptide–copper complex glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu2+. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 115(6), 962-968.

[viii] Pickart, L., Vasquez-Soltero, J. M., &Margolina, A. (2015). GHK peptide as a natural modulator of multiple cellular pathways in skin regeneration. BioMed Research International, 648108. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/648108