The letters GHK appear in two chemical records. One is a tripeptide. The other is a copper complex of that peptide. This guide shows how the records differ and where the catalog details are stated.
A short catalog name can point to more than one database record. GHK is used for the tripeptide. GHK-Cu is used for a copper complex of that peptide. The shared letters are not enough to treat the records as interchangeable.
PubChem has one record for the peptide and more than one record for a copper complex. Compare identifier, title and formula. Note which record a text actually cites before comparing it with a product.
PubChem CID 73587 is titled glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, with molecular formula C14H24N6O4 and molecular weight 340.38. The title gives the order glycyl, L-histidyl and L-lysine. The formula does not contain copper.
That record identifies the peptide in the database. It does not state the salt form, amount or contents of a particular vial, and it is not an analysis document for a catalog product.
PubChem CID 71587328 is titled Prezatide copper, with molecular formula C14H23CuN6O4+ and molecular weight 402.92. PubChem CID 139035031 is titled Copper tripeptide, with molecular formula C14H21CuN6O4− and molecular weight 400.90. Both formulas contain copper, and both differ from the peptide record. They are not the same row as each other either.
A catalog name such as GHK-Cu points to a copper complex, not to the copper-free peptide. The name alone does not select which complex record is meant, and it does not state the salt form, amount or document for an individual package. Those details are on the product page and in documents that are actually published.
Which CID, or equivalent identifier, is cited? Does the formula include copper? Does the text describe the peptide’s structure or the complex’s record? A text that only says GHK does not show which record is meant.
Keep the amount separate as well. A figure in mg states the quantity given, not whether the record is the peptide or the complex. The quantity guide below covers that difference. Two products sitting next to each other in a catalog are not the same substance for that reason.
The link below goes to the GHK-Cu catalog entry. That page states the name, formats and price that can be ordered. Analytical values appear only when a document is published. The PubChem records above do not verify the store’s material.
This guide is about separating two chemical names. It does not describe dosing, preparation or use in humans or animals.
For laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use.