Unlocking the Benefits and Uses of GHK-Cu Copper Peptide

Only Dr. Pickart can sum up the incredible benefits of GHK-Cu in one sentence, and we think you should read it: 

“…numerous studies over the course of four decades demonstrated that this simple molecule improves wound healing and tissue regeneration (skin, hair follicles, bones, stomach, intestinal linings, and liver), increases collagen and glycosaminoglycans, stimulates synthesis of decorin, increases angiogenesis, and nerve outgrowth; possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and increases cellular stemness and the secretion of trophic factors by mesenchymal stem cells”.

And don’t worry, we’ll go through each and every benefit of GHK-Cu so you can make the best informed choice about this avenue of Peptide Therapy, but to look at the bigger picture, up-to-date, it is established that GHK-Cu can:

• Tighten loose skin and reverse thinning of aged skin.
• Repair protective skin barrier proteins.
• Improve skin firmness, elasticity, and clarity.
• Reduce fine lines and depth of wrinkles, and improve the structure of aged skin.
• Smooth rough skin.
• Reduce photodamage, mottled hyperpigmentation, skin spots and lesions.
• Improve overall skin appearance.
• Stimulate wound healing.
• Protect skin cells from UV radiation.
• Reduce inflammation and free radical damage.
• Increase hair growth and thickness, and enlarge hair follicle size.

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard noted in one of their extensive studies that GHK-Cu can increase or decrease how our genes express themselves, which is the primary mechanism behind GHK-Cu’s anti-ageing abilities.

First of all, GHK-Cu is one of the only peptides that can be applied topically, meaning on the skin, hair and joints.

GHK-Cu is phenomenal for reversing wrinkles, growing thicker hair, helping eradicate gray hair and also reducing inflammation on sore joints.

When you age, your wounds heal slower, and your scars get deeper and more prominent. 

GHK-Cu can be especially helpful to new wounds, fresh scars and even old scars that you want to reduce the look of:

“The most important finding was GHK’s ability to improve wound healing in difficult to heal wounds, such as diabetic wounds in rats. 

GHK-Cu treatment resulted in faster wound contraction and epithelialization, higher level of antioxidants such as glutathione and ascorbic acid, increased synthesis of collagen, and activation of fibroblasts and mast cells”

You may be wondering, what are the key mechanisms of GHK-Cu that make it so capable at improving wounds and scars?

Well, without getting too technical, GHK-Cu has been proven to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels via a process known as angiogenesis.

GHK-Cu not only helps you ‘grow’ new blood vessels but also helps widen and strengthen your existing blood vessels, thus improving blood and nutrient flow to your cells and tissues.

So if you have a sprain, a ligament tear or any other kind of injury, GHK-Cu accelerates this healing by enhancing the development of new tissue.

GHK-Cu also dials down on the collagen building within this tissue-healing action. Yep, GHK-Cu increases the production of collagen, the most abundant protein in our entire body, and an integral part of restoring the strength and integrity of our tissues.

Lastly, GHK-Cu can also sense when a particular tissue is injured and act as a ‘feedback signal’ to the body, meaning GHK-Cu is the peptide that instructs the body to remove scarred tissue while generating new and healthier tissue.

Another fantastic mechanism of GHK-Cu is its ability to reduce your chronic systemic inflammatory load:

“When GHK-Cu was used by mice with [lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury], it attenuated related histological alterations in the lungs and suppressed the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the lung parenchyma. 

The GHK-Cu also increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity while decreasing TNF-α and IL-6 production through the suppression of the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 and p38 MAPK in the nucleus of lung cells.”

How does GHK-Cu do this? Let’s deep dive into the science:

GHK-Cu controls the oxidative damage that occurs post-tissue injury (ex. a strike to the face), and reducing TNF-α induced secretion of IL-6 as described above is likely why this happens.

It turns out, yes! 

So whilst your external appearance is going to get a makeover when using GHK-Cu, this powerful compound can also help reduce the number of free radicals in your body.

GHK-Cu increases the expression of 14 antioxidant genes in the body.

“The antioxidant actions of GHK have been demonstrated in vitro and in animal wound healing studies. 

They include inhibiting the formation of reactive carbonyl species (RCS), detoxifying toxic products of lipid peroxidation such as acrolein, protecting keratinocytes from lethal UVB radiation, and preventing hepatic damage by dichloromethane radicals.”

Isn’t that just amazing?

In one study, GHK-Cu was shown to stimulate fibroblast growth (cells responsible for forming connective tissue) and restore the function of fibroblast growth in cells that were intact, but damaged due to irradiation:

“Radiation damages cell DNA, thus impairing their function. 

Since GHK was able to restore function of irradiated fibroblasts, it has to have effects on DNA repair.

Studies using the Broad Institute’s Connectivity map found that GHK significantly increased the expression of DNA repair genes with 47 genes stimulated and 5 genes suppressed (more than or equal to a 50% increase or decrease)”.

GHK-Cu, combined with Red Light Therapy at the 625-635 nm wavelength compared to Red Light Therapy alone, saw an increase in fibroblast growth factor by 230% and collagen synthesis by 70%. 

Wow! 

Of course, a common question about peptides is whether Peptide Therapy can cause cancer, and for good reasons. 

Any substance which activates cell growth and tissue remodeling can be a significant concern. 

Therefore, it is imperative to note that GHK-Cu also possesses anti-cancer properties.

GHK-Cu can reduce the expression of “metastatic” genes of colon cancer. 

Not only that, GHK suppresses RNA production in 70% of 54 human genes overexpressed in cancer patients. 

This shows that GHK is involved in the gene regulation of various biochemical pathways, and it resets the gene activity back to health, which improves tissue repair.

GHK-Cu can even promote the production of p63, an integral protein for fighting against cellular senescence.

GHK-Cu has a multitude of positive benefits, being that GHK-Cu has potent anti-pain, anti-anxiety and anti-aggression actions. 

GHK has a physical structure similar to cimetidine which is often used to reduce pain in humans.

A manual search of genes affected by GHK found that seven anti-pain genes increased and two genes decreased.

After reading our science backed article on GHK-Cu, we know you will be raving to give it a try, especially if you’re just discovering Peptide Therapy and want something that can be used topically, no injection required!

You can acquire any of our peptides by booking in a consultation with our Integrative and Functional Medicine practitioner, Jessica, who has years of experience working with Peptide Therapy.

These consultations are available for international clients, and are not subject to the UK only.

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