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Not FDA approved
This peptide is not FDA approved for human use, and because peptides are often incompletely studied you should not use or self-experiment with it outside qualified medical supervision.
Overview
AHK-Cu is the copper complex of the tripeptide Ala-His-Lys. The reviewed source set supports a real compound identity in PubChem and one main indexed hair-follicle paper showing ex vivo follicle elongation and dermal-papilla-cell effects at laboratory concentrations.
It does not support broad claims that AHK-Cu has a well-established human hair-loss, anti-aging, wound-healing, or injectable aesthetic-use program. A large amount of online copy appears to blend AHK-Cu with broader GHK-Cu or generic copper-peptide claims, which should be kept separate.
Reported benefits
- Direct indexed AHK-Cu literature exists for hair-follicle and dermal-papilla experimental work.
- Compound identity is supported by PubChem.
- Stronger claims about broad skin rejuvenation or human hair-loss treatment remain limited.
- Best framed as an exploratory cosmetic or laboratory peptide rather than an established therapy.
Mechanism of action
The best direct indexed AHK-Cu paper supports a narrower mechanism than most marketing copy suggests: in ex vivo human hair follicles and cultured dermal papilla cells, AHK-Cu was associated with follicle elongation, dermal-papilla-cell proliferation, and changes in apoptosis-related signaling. Broader claims about collagen remodeling, wound healing, or interchangeable use with GHK-Cu should be treated as indirect copper-peptide extrapolation unless a source is clearly specific to AHK-Cu.
Reported Use
No FDA dosing guidance
This peptide is not covered by FDA-labeled dosing guidance on this page. Peptides are often investigational or incompletely studied. Do not self-experiment; use only with a doctor or qualified clinician.
Typical dose
No source-backed human injectable dosing protocol was identified for exact AHK-Cu
Frequency
Not established
Injection sites
Current reviewed source set does not support mesotherapy or injectable-use protocols as established AHK-Cu guidance
Best timing
Not established
Effects timeline
Not established
Storage
Do not treat generic injectable copper-peptide handling as validated AHK-Cu protocol
Cycle length
Not established
Break between
Not established
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Quick Signals
At A Glance
A faster read on evidence, focus, structure, and status.
Evidence
Mostly preclinical
The reviewed source set identified one main indexed AHK-Cu hair-follicle paper plus compound-registry support, not a br…
1 indexed studiesCurrent level
Preclinical
Scale: low evidence to established use
Safety
Side Effects And Safety
Switch between common side-effect notes and stop criteria to keep safety context visible.
Reported or plausible side effects
- Topical or cosmetic-use risk is mainly local irritation, allergy, or formulation intolerance.
Key cautions
- No established human safety program was identified for exact AHK-Cu.
- Invasive use introduces sterility and local-reaction risk that is not justified by the reviewed source set.
- Claims about broad safety, synergy, or superior performance over other copper peptides are not directly established for exact AHK-Cu.
- Formulation pH and copper stability are practical product-quality issues, not proof of medical efficacy.
Molecule
Molecular Information
Core structure fields that help explain what kind of peptide this is and how much sequence detail is available.
Molecular weight
451.39 Da
Chain length
3 amino acids (tripeptide)
Sequence type
Copper-chelating tripeptide
Derived from
Synthetic copper complex of the AHK tripeptide
Amino acid sequence source string
Ala-His-Lys complexed with copper
Copper coordination and hydrochloride-associated registry form in the reviewed PubChem record
Context
Important Context
The main context that changes how confidently this peptide should be interpreted.
Research status
The reviewed source set identified one main indexed AHK-Cu hair-follicle paper plus compound-registry support, not a broad human clinical program. Much online copy appears to blend AHK-Cu with GHK-Cu or generic copper-peptide claims.
Regulatory and sport status
FDA review shows it is not FDA approved. based on reviewed openFDA query. Sport review: not specifically named on current WADA list; athlete-specific review advised for non-topical or compounded use.
Route Notes
Route-Specific Notes
Only shown when the source material adds route-specific details beyond the quick-start guide.
Injectable
- Administration: No source-backed human injectable administration protocol was identified.
- Absorption: No direct human pharmacokinetic or injectable-use program was identified.
- Cycle: Not established
- Additional: Current reviewed source set does not justify treating mesotherapy or injectable use as established AHK-Cu guidance.
Compare
How Well Documented Is It?
A quick five-point snapshot of how visible and well-documented this peptide is. Higher values mean more coverage or clearer status in that area, not better medical performance.
Research
How much published research coverage this peptide has in the linked sources, with an approval-context floor for clearly established drug products.
Source: PubMed
Regulatory
How clearly the approval or regulatory status is documented for this entry.
Source: openFDA drugsfda API
Sport
How clearly sports or competition status is documented in the linked review sources.
Source: WADA Prohibited List
Breadth
How broadly this peptide appears across discussion topics and use-case groupings in the catalog.
Source: Curated site taxonomy
Sequence
How much structure or residue-sequence detail is available for this entry.
Source: Catalog seed
Protocols
Research Protocols
Common protocol-style rows shown in a consistent table layout so every peptide page is easy to compare.
| Goal | Dose | Route | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hair-follicle and dermal-papilla experimental study | 10^-12 to 10^-9 M | Ex vivo human hair follicles and cultured dermal papilla cells | Laboratory exposure conditions, not a consumer protocol |
Research
What It Has Been Studied For
Plain-language summaries of the main health areas where this peptide shows up in the linked research.
Stacking
What People Commonly Stack It With
A plain-language view of compounds that are commonly discussed alongside this peptide in the source material.
Practical
Preparation, Quality, And Expectations
Operational checklist blocks designed for quick scanning and repeatable page structure.
How to reconstitute
- •No validated consumer reconstitution protocol was identified for exact AHK-Cu.
- •Do not treat generic mesotherapy or powder-mixing instructions as source-backed medical guidance.
- •Identity, copper content, pH, and sterility should be considered formulation-specific unless independently documented.
Quality indicators
Good signs
- Exact AHK-Cu identity is documented.
- Copper content and analytical records are available.
- Claims clearly distinguish AHK-Cu data from GHK-Cu or generic copper-peptide claims.
Avoid
- Broad anti-aging or wound-healing claims presented as if they are clearly specific to AHK-Cu.
- Injectable or mesotherapy guidance presented as established.
- Vague formulation identity, unstable appearance, or missing analytical data.
- Marketing that implies sports permissibility or strong clinical proof.
What to expect
No reliable human expectation timeline was established for exact AHK-Cu.
The strongest direct paper is a laboratory hair-follicle and dermal-papilla study, not a consumer timeline study.
References
Research And Source List
Structured reference cards with source metadata and a direct link so users can inspect the original study/source.
PubMed search
Exact-name AHK-Cu query
Exact-name query used to confirm the current indexed AHK-Cu literature set.
The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro
Main direct indexed AHK-Cu paper
Main direct indexed AHK-Cu paper covering ex vivo human hair follicles and cultured dermal papilla cells.
PubChem compound record
PubChem CID 168431292
Compound registry record supporting the molecular identity fields used for AHK-Cu.
openFDA AHK-Cu query
FDA database query
Approval-database query used for status review; no FDA-approved AHK-Cu product was identified in the reviewed source set.
WADA Prohibited List
Official anti-doping reference
Official anti-doping reference used for current named-listing review.
WADA S0 page
Non-approved substances
Official WADA page for non-approved substances, included as follow-up context for athlete-specific review.