AHK-Cu

AHK-Cu is the copper complex of the tripeptide alanyl-histidyl-lysine. The histidine imidazole and the backbone nitrogens coordinate a single copper(II) ion into a square-planar chelate — the same coordination chemistry that makes the better-known GHK-Cu complex stable. The copper is not an additive sitting alongside the peptide; it is part of the molecule, and the complex behaves differently from either the free tripeptide or a copper salt on its own.

Shipped as a 10 mg lyophilized powder in a sealed glass vial. Copper peptide complexes are light- and oxidation-sensitive, so the vial stays sealed and cold until reconstituted. Supplied for laboratory research use only.

AHK-Cu is studied largely as coordination chemistry and as a cell-culture reagent, often alongside its GHK-Cu analog. Areas of study include:

• Copper coordination — stability constants of the complex and how readily copper exchanges with cellular ligands such as albumin.
• Comparative studies against GHK-Cu, where a single residue difference at the first position is the variable.
• Matrix protein expression — collagen and related readouts in fibroblast culture, with the complex applied as an in vitro condition.
• Copper-dependent enzyme chemistry, including superoxide dismutase, where copper acts as a cofactor.
• Complex stability in aqueous buffer and across storage.

These are in vitro findings. We make no claim about outcomes in any organism.