Dermatology · Investigational
Copper Peptide (Prezatide Copper Acetate)
No lawful US pathway
01 · Overview
Prezatide copper acetate is the copper complex of the tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine (GHK-Cu), a peptide originally isolated from human plasma. In fibroblast cultures, GHK-Cu stimulated collagen synthesis (PMID 3169264) and increased production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 along with its inhibitors TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, suggesting a role in matrix remodeling (PMID 11045606).
Copper is a required cofactor for lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin, and GHK binds copper tightly, though a direct effect of GHK-Cu on lysyl oxidase in skin has not been firmly established.
02 · Research summary & key findings
In a rat wound-chamber model, GHK-Cu increased collagen, glycosaminoglycan, and total protein accumulation in a concentration-dependent manner (PMID 8227353). In a randomized, evaluator-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers, topical GHK-Cu gel increased ulcer closure compared with vehicle (PMID 17147644), but a randomized trial in venous stasis ulcers found no difference between a tripeptide-copper cream and placebo (PMID 1495150). Large modern randomized trials, including for cosmetic skin aging, are lacking.
03 · Regulatory status
Copper Peptide (Prezatide Copper Acetate) is in the investigational stage. While preclinical and early-phase data exist, it has not received regulatory approval for clinical use in the United States.
No lawful pathway today
Copper Peptide (Prezatide Copper Acetate) is not FDA-approved and does not currently have a lawful prescription or compounding pathway in the United States, so we do not sell it and will not book a consultation for it. That can change: in 2026 FDA began reviewing several peptides for compounding. If you are working on the goal it is studied for, a licensed clinician can tell you what is lawfully available, which may be something else.
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Copper Peptide (Prezatide Copper Acetate) is an investigational compound, is not FDA-approved, and has no lawful US compounding pathway, so we do not offer it and no clinician we work with will prescribe it. Products sold online as “research chemicals” are not made or tested to the standards required of medicines. If you are working on longevity and healthy ageing, a licensed clinician can tell you at a free consultation whether an FDA-approved or lawfully compounded treatment fits you, or whether nothing does.
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04 · Administration routes
- Topical
References
- [1]The tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ stimulates matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression by fibroblast cultures Life Sci, 2000. PMID 11045606
- [2]A prospective randomized evaluator-blinded trial of two potential wound healing agents for the treatment of venous stasis ulcers J Vasc Surg, 1992. PMID 1495150
- [3]Enhanced healing of ulcers in patients with diabetes by topical treatment with glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine copper Wound Repair Regen, 1994. PMID 17147644
- [4]Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ FEBS Lett, 1988. PMID 3169264
- [5]In vivo stimulation of connective tissue accumulation by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ in rat experimental wounds J Clin Invest, 1993. PMID 8227353
Primary literature
- PubMed: "Copper Peptide"
Peer-reviewed literature indexed by the National Library of Medicine.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: "Copper Peptide"
Registered interventional and observational studies, including status and phase.
- PubChem: "Copper Peptide"
Chemical structure, molecular properties, and bioactivity data.
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