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AHK-Cu research

What published studies found for AHK-Cu: 2 papers, 0 in humans, with sample sizes and key results.

D
Little or no evidence
Why: Only one ex vivo hair-follicle/cell study of AHK-Cu plus a cell study of a copper-free AHK conjugate; no animal or human data.

AHK-Cu has almost no published research: a single 2007 laboratory study found it lengthened human hair follicles ex vivo and stimulated dermal papilla cells, and a related vitamin C-conjugated AHK peptide was active in cell culture. No animal efficacy studies or human trials of AHK-Cu were found; human 'copper tripeptide' hair studies concern GHK-Cu or multi-ingredient mixtures.

✓ 1 positive? 1 inconclusive

No human safety or efficacy data for AHK-Cu in the published literature.

US compounding: Not compoundable. Not an FDA-approved drug and not nominated for FDA's 503A bulks list, so US pharmacies can't legally compound it. Status for every peptide.

Browse and filter these papersAHK-Cu prices and vendors

Animal & lab studies

✓ Positivein vitroArch Pharm Res · 2007

The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro.

Cells / labIn vitro / ex vivo study of AHK-Cu (10^-12 to 10^-9 M)

AHK-Cu (10^-12 to 10^-9 M) stimulated elongation of human hair follicles ex vivo and proliferation of cultured dermal papilla cells, with a higher Bcl-2/Bax ratio; the reduction in apoptotic cells was not statistically significant.

Key resultAHK-Cu stimulated hair follicle elongation and dermal papilla cell proliferation; 10^-9 M raised the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and reduced cleaved caspase-3 and PARP, while the reduction in apoptotic cells was not statistically significant
Studied
Human hair follicles ex vivo and cultured dermal papilla cells
Compared with
Untreated
Main outcome
Hair follicle elongation, dermal papilla cell proliferation and apoptosis markers
Authors' conclusion
AHK-Cu promotes growth of human hair follicles, possibly by stimulating dermal papilla cell proliferation and preventing apoptosis.
Limitations
Ex vivo and cell culture only; no in vivo data.
PubMed 17703734DOI
? Inconclusivein vitroDifferentiation · 2018

Vitamin C-linker-conjugated tripeptide AHK stimulates BMP-2-induced osteogenic differentiation of mouse myoblast C2C12 cells.

Cells / labIn vitro study of Vit C-linker-conjugated AHK tripeptide (not AHK-Cu) with BMP-2

A vitamin C-conjugated AHK tripeptide (no copper) enhanced BMP-2-induced osteoblast differentiation of mouse C2C12 cells without significant cytotoxicity; not a test of hair or skin effects.

Studied
Mouse C2C12 myoblast cells
Compared with
BMP-2 alone
Main outcome
Proliferation, alkaline phosphatase, Smad1/5/8 and MAPK signaling, osteogenic gene expression
Authors' conclusion
Vit C-AHK enhanced osteoblast proliferation and differentiation through Smad1/5/8 and MAPK signaling without significant cytotoxicity, providing data for peptide-based bone-regenerative agents.
Limitations
Cell culture only; a vitamin C-conjugated AHK without copper, not AHK-Cu.
PubMed 29567599DOI

Verdicts are judged on each paper's own main outcome; grades run from A (strong human evidence) to D (little or none). Details are read from the abstracts, and figures are reproduced only from openly licensed full texts. Not medical advice.