Assembling evidence grade
Loading
Independent evidence before payment.
Copper-binding tripeptide · also: GHK copper
GHK-Cu carries an Evidence Grade of D (Low confidence). The strongest published evidence catalogued is animal.
Grade D rule: Animal evidence only.
The grade reflects the strength of the published evidence, not safety or efficacy. “Confidence” means how settled that grade is given the record — not how likely the compound is to work.
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide widely studied in dermatological and in-vitro contexts, including topical cosmetic research.
Animal and in-vitro results are shown separately and must never be read as established human outcomes.
In plain terms: the research here is 1 animal study and 11 lab-bench studies, with no human trials at all. Results in animals frequently do not repeat in people.
Strongest: randomised or pooled human trials.
none catalogued
Observational, open-label or small human studies.
none catalogued
Preclinical animal models — not a human outcome.
Tripeptide-copper complex GHK-Cu (II) transiently improved healing outcome in a rat model of ACL reconstruction. Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society, 2015.
Cell / tissue studies — not a human outcome.
none catalogued
Proposed mechanism — hypothesis, not evidence of effect.
Therapeutic Peptides in Aesthetic, Metabolic and Endocrine Conditions: Effects, Safety, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives. International journal of molecular sciences, 2026.
Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2026.
Injectable Peptide Therapy: A Primer for Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Physicians. The American journal of sports medicine, 2026.
Therapeutic Peptides in Orthopaedics: Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews, 2026.
An injectable hydroxyapatite microsphere filler loaded with GHK-Cu tripeptide for anti-Inflammatory and antioxidant. Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2025.
Exploring the beneficial effects of GHK-Cu on an experimental model of colitis and the underlying mechanisms. Frontiers in pharmacology, 2025.
Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective. BioImpacts : BI, 2024.
Phenothiazine-Based Cu(II)-Selective Fluorescent Sensor: GHK-Cu Sensing Applications. The Journal of organic chemistry, 2023.
Glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu(2+) rescues cigarette smoking-induced skeletal muscle dysfunction via a sirtuin 1-dependent pathway. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle, 2023.
The potential of GHK as an anti-aging peptide. Aging pathobiology and therapeutics, 2020.
Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. International journal of molecular sciences, 2018.
On “cited by N”: citation counts (Crossref) reflect how often a paper has been referenced — a measure of academic attention, not of validity, safety, or whether a compound works. They do not affect the Evidence Grade, which is set purely by the strength of the evidence tier.
Most human data concerns topical cosmetic use. Systemic claims rest largely on in-vitro work. Not an approved therapeutic.
Used as a topical cosmetic ingredient. It is not an approved injectable medicine; injectable or “research” use is unstudied and unapproved, and a vendor’s material is of unverified identity and purity.
PepCred flags any vendor selling this compound to the public as a consumer-protection concern. Status reflects regulator records; see the regulatory detail below.
Registered studies:
No FDA-approved (US) drug labelling found for this compound. A search of openFDA returned no approved product containing it as an active ingredient.
This reflects US FDA approval only — other regulators (e.g. MHRA, EMA) may differ; see the note below. Absence of an approved label is not, by itself, a safety finding, and a “research use only” label does not establish safety, legality or correct identity.
PepCred note: Used in cosmetics; not an approved drug.
These unranked records show where the name was detected. For an investigational, warned or unapproved compound, no seller, company registration, review score or COA creates an approved human-use route.
None of these is verified for human use.