Also known as Copper Tripeptide AHK · Ala-His-Lys Copper
Copper-binding tripeptide (Ala-His-Lys) studied for hair-follicle stimulation and dermal repair.
AHK-Cu is the copper complex of the tripeptide alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, structurally related to GHK-Cu but studied primarily in hair-follicle biology rather than facial-skin remodeling.
AHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide alanyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (AHK). It shares the histidine–lysine copper-binding motif of the better-known GHK-Cu but differs at the first residue (alanine in place of glycine), and the research interest is oriented toward the hair follicle rather than facial skin.
Like other copper peptides it is studied as both a copper-delivery vehicle and a signaling molecule. The evidence base is preclinical — cell and ex-vivo follicle models — and it is used as a cosmetic ingredient rather than an approved drug.
Copper delivery with VEGF upregulation and anti-apoptotic signaling in dermal papilla cells.
Behind every vial of AHK-Cu is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how AHK-Cu, specifically, is brought into being.
AHK-Cu begins not as a powder but as a specification. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.
Assembling AHK-Cu means roughly 3 coupling cycles on the synthesizer — one protected residue added at a time, which is also 3 chances for an incomplete coupling to seed a deletion impurity. It is a short sequence, which makes the build comparatively tractable — but short does not mean trivial, and purity is still won or lost downstream.
The crude mixture — AHK-Cu plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one.
A real batch of AHK-Cu proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of AHK-Cu — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.
Producing AHK-Cu to a genuine purity spec means solid-phase synthesis, preparative HPLC purification, and batch quality control — none of it cheap, and none of it something you can verify by eye.
Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.
AHK-Cu is the copper complex of the tripeptide alanyl-histidyl-lysine, a copper peptide studied primarily for hair-follicle stimulation and dermal repair.
They share the same histidine–lysine copper-binding motif but differ at the first residue. GHK-Cu is the reference compound for facial-skin remodeling; AHK-Cu research is oriented toward the hair follicle.
Dermal-papilla-cell proliferation, hair-follicle elongation, and angiogenesis (VEGF) — mostly in cell and ex-vivo models. It is used as a cosmetic ingredient, not an approved drug.
No. It is a research and cosmetic compound, not an approved drug. This page is a research and educational reference.
Endogenous copper-binding tripeptide widely studied in skin and hair biology.
ViewPalmitoylated matrikine peptide that signals fibroblasts to synthesize collagen — contains no copper.
ViewSynthetic cyclic analog of α-MSH; non-selective melanocortin receptor agonist.
View