Dermal
A synthetic copper-binding tripeptide examined in hair-follicle, dermal papilla cell, and extracellular-matrix research models.
AHK-Cu is a synthetic copper(II)-complexed tripeptide composed of three amino acids — alanine, histidine, and lysine — coordinated to a copper ion. It belongs to the copper-tripeptide family and is structurally a single-residue variant of the more extensively studied GHK-Cu, differing by an alanine-for-glycine substitution at the N-terminus. In the research literature it appears primarily in dermatology and hair-biology model systems — cultured dermal papilla cells and ex vivo human hair-follicle organ culture — and in copper-peptide biochemistry contexts.
Type
Synthetic copper(II)–tripeptide coordination complex
Molecular formula
C15H26N6O4
Molecular weight
~416.9 g/mol (AHK-Cu complex); free AHK tripeptide 354.40 g/mol
CAS number
682809-81-0
Amino acids
3
Sequence
Ala-His-Lys + Cu(II)
Modification
Copper(II) chelation via histidine imidazole and backbone nitrogen donor atoms; commonly supplied as the monohydrochloride salt.
AHK-Cu is a copper(II)-complexed tripeptide in which the histidine imidazole side chain provides the principal metal-anchoring site, with copper(II) coordinated through nitrogen donor atoms — imidazole nitrogen together with backbone amide and terminal amine nitrogens — forming a stable chelate analogous in coordination motif to the GHK-Cu square-planar complex. The compound differs from GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide-1, Gly-His-Lys+Cu²⁺) only by an alanine-for-glycine substitution at the N-terminus, adding a methyl group that modestly increases lipophilicity and alters the three-dimensional geometry of the copper complex while preserving the conserved His-Lys copper-binding motif. In dermal model systems, the copper-tripeptide class is examined at the cellular level using endpoints including fibroblast and dermal papilla cell proliferative activity as a measured variable, and VEGF and TGF-β1 expression levels as molecular endpoints.
Research Focus
Studied in hair-follicle and dermal papilla cell biology, dermal fibroblast and extracellular-matrix research contexts, and copper-tripeptide coordination chemistry.
The primary AHK-Cu-specific study — Pyo et al. (2007), published in Archives of Pharmacal Research from the Department of Dermatology at Seoul National University College of Medicine — examined L-alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu²⁺ in two model systems: ex vivo human hair-follicle organ culture and cultured human dermal papilla cells (DPCs), the specialized mesenchymal fibroblasts at the base of the follicle. The study used follicle elongation rate and DPC proliferative activity as quantitative endpoints in each respective model system. Apoptosis-pathway endpoints in DPCs were further assessed using Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide labeling by flow cytometry, while the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and cleaved forms of caspase-3 and PARP were examined by western blot. This study constitutes the principal primary literature specific to AHK-Cu in hair-follicle and dermal papilla cell biology.
Beyond the follicle-specific model, the copper-tripeptide class to which AHK-Cu belongs is studied in dermal fibroblast and extracellular-matrix (ECM) research contexts. The Pyo et al. (2007) work frames copper-tripeptide complexes in the context of dermal fibroblast proliferation and the expression of VEGF and TGF-β1 as endpoints of interest. The substantial body of fibroblast and ECM literature — encompassing collagen-pathway, matrix-remodeling, and matrix metalloproteinase endpoint work — was generated predominantly with GHK-Cu (Gly-His-Lys+Cu²⁺, Copper Tripeptide-1) rather than with AHK-Cu specifically; copper's role as a cofactor for ECM-related enzymes provides mechanistic context for the class, but GHK-Cu findings are not attributed to AHK-Cu in this dossier.
A strand of literature characterizes how short histidine-containing peptides coordinate copper(II) ions, using potentiometric, UV/Vis, circular dichroism, and EPR methods. These studies establish that the imidazole nitrogen of histidine is the principal anchoring donor for Cu²⁺, with deprotonated amide nitrogens and the terminal amine completing the coordination sphere — a structural framework underlying the mechanistic understanding of AHK-Cu's metal-binding mode. Primary coordination-chemistry work on the specific Ala-His-Lys sequence is sparse; most published structural studies address GHK (Gly-His-Lys), Ala-His-Ala, the albumin N-terminal DAHK (Asp-Ala-His-Lys) motif, or related His-containing analogues rather than the AHK sequence directly.
AHK-Cu appears in the broader copper-peptide and angiogenesis research landscape. Primary studies of copper and VEGF expression in keratinocyte and dermal models (Sen et al., 2002) and review syntheses of the copper-tripeptide field — including comprehensive reviews of tripeptides in wound-repair and dermal research model contexts (Adnan et al., 2025) and gene-expression data syntheses for GHK-Cu (Pickart and Margolina, 2018; Pickart et al., 2015) — provide the surrounding scientific landscape. A 2025 clinical report (Kuceki et al., JAAD International) evaluated a combination microneedling/delivery protocol that included a copper peptide alongside other agents in a hair-loss model research context; because the design combined multiple agents, no independent contribution of the copper-peptide component can be attributed, and the compound was not specifically identified as AHK-Cu. The AHK-Cu-specific primary literature remains limited — anchored principally by the single Pyo et al. (2007) study — and GHK-Cu findings are not attributed to AHK-Cu throughout this dossier.
Lyophilized
Store sealed, protected from light and humidity, at freezer temperature for long-term stability in research settings.
Reconstituted
Refrigerate and protect from light
copper-peptide chelate stability is pH-sensitive.
As a copper chelate, integrity depends on maintaining the metal-peptide coordination; avoid competing chelators and extreme pH.
Reviews
Adnan SB, Maarof M, Fauzi MB, Md Fadilah NI (2025). International Journal of Medical Sciences — Review of tripeptides including copper-tripeptides in wound-repair and skin-biology research model contexts
Pickart L, Margolina A (2018). International Journal of Molecular Sciences — GHK-Cu copper tripeptide gene-expression data synthesis review (broader copper-peptide context)
Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A (2015). BioMed Research International — GHK peptide cellular-pathway modulation review in skin-biology research contexts (broader copper-peptide context)
Reviews
Pickart L (2008). Journal of Biomaterials Science Polymer Edition — Review of GHK tripeptide biology and tissue remodeling; ECM and repair research context (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Clinical
Kuceki G, Coppinger AJ, Ragi SD, Johnson LS, Goren A, Kalil LL, Cirino P, Wambier CG (2025). JAAD International — Combination microneedling-delivery protocol evaluation including copper peptide, minoxidil, and dutasteride in androgenetic alopecia (broader copper-peptide context; copper peptide not isolated, not identified as AHK-Cu)
Miller TR, Wagner JD, Baack BR, Eisbach KJ (2006). Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery — Randomized clinical evaluation of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Primary research
Pyo HK, Yoo HG, Won CH, Lee SH, Kang YJ, Eun HC, Cho KH, Kim KH (2007). Archives of Pharmacal Research — AHK-Cu in ex vivo human hair-follicle organ culture and cultured dermal papilla cells; apoptosis-pathway endpoints assessed
Sen CK, Khanna S, Venojarvi M, Trikha P, Ellison EC, Hunt TK, Roy S (2002). American Journal of Physiology – Heart and Circulatory Physiology — Copper-induced VEGF expression examined in keratinocyte models and dermal models (broader copper-peptide biology context)
Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP (1988). FEBS Letters — GHK-Cu stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures; concentration-response characterization (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Wegrowski Y, Maquart FX, Borel JP (1992). Life Sciences — GHK-Cu dose-dependent stimulation of sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis in fibroblast cultures (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Trachy RE, Fors TD, Pickart L, Uno H (1991). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences — Peptide copper complex hair-follicle-stimulating properties examined in C3H mouse model (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Uno H, Kurata S (1993). Journal of Investigative Dermatology — Chemical agents and peptides including copper-binding peptides examined in hair-growth primate and rat models (broader copper-peptide context)
Siméon A, Monier F, Emonard H, Gillery P, Birembaut P, Hornebeck W, Maquart FX (1999). Journal of Investigative Dermatology — MMP expression and activation in rat wounds modulated by GHK-Cu; in vivo wound model (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Siméon A, Emonard H, Hornebeck W, Maquart FX (2000). Life Sciences — GHK-Cu stimulation of MMP-2 expression in cultured rat fibroblasts; copper-dependent effect (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Siméon A, Wegrowski Y, Bontemps Y, Maquart FX (2000). Journal of Investigative Dermatology — GAG and small proteoglycan expression in rat wounds modulated by GHK-Cu; fibroblast culture endpoints (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Pollard JD, Quan S, Kang T, Koch RJ (2005). Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery — Copper tripeptide (GHK-Cu) effects on normal and irradiated fibroblast proliferation and growth-factor expression; in vitro serum-free model (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Kloepper JE, Sugawara K, Al-Nuaimi Y, Gáspár E, van Beek N, Paus R (2010). Experimental Dermatology — Objective anagen/catagen distinction criteria established for human hair-follicle organ culture model systems
Hostynek JJ, Dreher F, Maibach HI (2010). Inflammation Research — In vitro human skin retention and penetration characterization of GHK-Cu across skin layers (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Sakuma S, Ishimura M, Yuba Y, Itoh Y, Fujimoto Y (2018). International Journal of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Pharmacology — GHK tripeptide examined as endogenous antioxidant; hydroxyl and peroxyl radical diminution in cell-free assay (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Choi HR, Kang YA, Ryoo SJ, Shin JW, Na JI, Huh CH, Park KC (2012). Journal of Peptide Science — Copper-free GHK tripeptide stem-cell marker restoration in skin; epidermal basal cell integrin expression endpoints (broader copper-tripeptide class context)
Also known as: Copper Tripeptide-3, L-Alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu(II)
Research Use Only
These products are intended for research purposes only and are not for human consumption. Not FDA approved. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
