What it is
AHK-Cu is a peptide made of 3 amino acids, alanine, histidine, and lysine, bound to one copper ion. It is made in a lab. It is almost the same as GHK-Cu. The only change is the first amino acid. GHK-Cu starts with glycine. AHK-Cu starts with alanine. GHK-Cu is found in human blood. AHK-Cu is not. It is used in skin and hair products under the name copper tripeptide-3. See the GHK-Cu entry for that compound. Other names: Copper Tripeptide-3, Ala-His-Lys Copper.
What researchers study it for
- Hair follicle growth in lab cultures
- Dermal papilla cells, the cells at the base of a hair follicle that control hair growth
- Cell death signals in scalp cells
- Skin care formulas
What the studies found
1. Human hair follicles grew longer in a lab dish.
A 2007 study kept human hair follicles alive in a dish and added very small amounts of AHK-Cu. The follicles grew longer. Dermal papilla cells from the scalp divided more. Proteins that push cells to die went down. Proteins that keep cells alive went up. This is the only study that tested AHK-Cu directly. Lab tissue and cells only.
How much research exists
One direct study of AHK-Cu, done in lab tissue and cells. Most claims about AHK-Cu are borrowed from GHK-Cu research. No animal study or human trial of AHK-Cu has been published.
Facts
- Formula: C15H24CuN6O4
- Weight: about 416 g/mol
- CAS number: 682809-81-0 (could not confirm)
- Sequence: Ala-His-Lys, bound to copper
- Time in the blood: never measured
- Storage: powder in the freezer away from light. Keep mixed solution in the fridge.
Legal status
Used as a cosmetic ingredient in skin and hair products. Not approved by the FDA or any other agency as a drug.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.