AHK-Cu, Ala-His-Lys Copper Complex
Evidence Grade E — Very limited evidence. 0 published studies. 0 registered clinical trials.
AHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide related to but distinct from the better-known GHK-Cu. It differs by a single amino acid and has been investigated for effects on hair follicle cells. The evidence base is substantially thinner than for GHK-Cu — essentially a single published study. It has no pharmaceutical or cosmetic regulatory approval as a standalone ingredient.
No published studies found on PubMed.
AHK-Cu has no marketing authorisation. The primary peer-reviewed evidence is a single in vitro/ex vivo study demonstrating effects on hair follicle cells. No human clinical trials have been published.
The evidence base for AHK-Cu is substantially thinner than for the related compound GHK-Cu (#85). Products available through unregulated channels lack pharmaceutical quality assurance.
Research suggests AHK-Cu may stimulate hair follicle dermal papilla cell proliferation and modulate cell survival pathways. These observations come from a single in vitro study and patent data. No in vivo human studies have been conducted.
Research consists of a single peer-reviewed study (Pyo et al. 2007) plus patent data. No human clinical trials have been conducted. No independent replication exists. No head-to-head comparison with GHK-Cu has been performed. Claims of superiority or equivalence to GHK-Cu are not supported by published data. The evidence base is orders of magnitude weaker than that of the related compound GHK-Cu. Products from unregulated channels lack pharmaceutical quality assurance.
No trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov for this compound.
The information on this page is provided for educational and research reference purposes only. This is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.
GHK-Cu has no pharmaceutical authorisation from any regulatory agency. It is widely available as a cosmetic ingredient in over-the-counter skincare products, where it is marketed for skin conditioning. A small study comparing GHK-Cu cream to vitamin C and retinoic acid creams reported improvements in skin appearance measures. No pharmaceutical clinical trials for injectable GHK-Cu have been completed. The compound's cosmetic use (topical, in formulated skincare products) should be clearly distinguished from its unregulated availability as an injectable research compound. These represent fundamentally different risk profiles.
Epitalon has no marketing authorisation from any major regulatory agency. No controlled human clinical trials have been conducted. Animal lifespan studies in mice reported by the Khavinson group form the core evidence base. The telomerase activation claims are based on in vitro studies and mouse models from a single research programme. Independent replication of the key findings has not been published. The relationship between in vitro telomerase activation and any clinical outcome in humans is not established. Products available through unregulated channels lack pharmaceutical quality assurance.
FOXO4-DRI has no marketing authorisation. No human clinical trials have been conducted. The evidence comes from a single high-profile publication (Cell, 2017) demonstrating effects in three mouse models. The senolytic field is an active area of pharmaceutical research, but FOXO4-DRI faces significant challenges for clinical translation, including its large size (46 amino acids), manufacturing complexity, and the absence of human pharmacokinetic or safety data. Products available through unregulated channels — which would need to reliably synthesise a 46-amino-acid all-D-amino-acid peptide — face exceptional quality assurance challenges.
