AHK-Cu (copper tripeptide): what it is, how it is supplied, and how it differs from GHK-Cu

AHK-Cu is a tripeptide: alanine, histidine, lysine (Ala-His-Lys): bound to one copper(II) ion.

It is the close relative of GHK-Cu: the only difference in sequence is the first residue, alanine instead of glycine, which adds one methyl group.

The free tripeptide (AHK) has a molecular weight of about 354 Da; the copper complex is about 418 Da.

Like GHK-Cu, it is easy to recognize on a bench:

• The color. The copper(II) ion gives the lyophilized powder a blue-to-violet tint. A white "AHK-Cu" powder is either the copper-free tripeptide or something else.
• The mass. AHK sits 14 Da above GHK, which is how the two are told apart on a mass spectrum; on a laboratory report, the compound is named.

AHK-Cu appears in the literature far less often than GHK-Cu: a handful of primary papers, most of them in cultured-cell models, against decades of work on its glycine sibling.

That is a fact about the documentation, not about the reagent, and it is worth knowing before ordering.

In the catalog, AHK-Cu is sold as a research reagent: a sealed, labeled vial of lyophilized powder. Research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.

The two are often sold on the same page and sometimes confused in listings. As objects, here is how they differ.

Because the two powders look identical, the name, sequence and mass stated on the label and the product page are what tell them apart. The full comparison, down to how each tripeptide holds its copper, is in GHK-Cu vs AHK-Cu.

Research AHK-Cu comes as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder in a glass vial closed with a rubber septum and an aluminum crimp cap. The label states the compound, the net quantity in milligrams and the words "research use only".

The catalog offers three sizes: 50 mg, 100 mg and 150 mg: and the price per milligram is listed for each.

The live table at the top of this page is read directly from the catalog, so the prices shown there are the prices in force today. See AHK-Cu in the catalog for availability.

What "50 mg" means on the label

The number is the net mass of AHK-Cu powder in the vial, as filled, and it is the quantity printed on the label.

The vial is over-sized; the powder occupies only the bottom. That is normal for lyophilized material and is not a short fill.

Why the powder can look like a cake, a film or loose crystals

Freeze-drying leaves the peptide as a porous cake. During shipping the cake can break into a film on the glass or into loose blue-violet particles. The appearance does not change the quantity or the purity.

For AHK-Cu, a usable certificate from any supplier carries:

• The laboratory's name and a verifiable identifier. Independent labs (Janoshik is the reference for this market) give each test a number that anyone can look up on the lab's site.
• The lot number: with the task number and verification key the laboratory confirms.
• HPLC purity as a measured percentage. "≥ 98 %" printed without a task number the lab confirms is a claim, not a measurement.
• Identity: the report names AHK-Cu as the compound found, with the quantity in mg. Some labs add a mass spectrum as an option (about 354 Da for the free peptide, 14 Da above GHK).
• The date of the test. A certificate older than a few months describes a lot that has probably sold through.
• A photograph of the tested vial wearing the supplier's own label. A manufacturer's certificate showing a bare vial says nothing about what this supplier bottled.

The full checklist, with examples of what a doctored certificate looks like, is in how to read a peptide COA.

Further reading: how a lab report is verified, GLOW peptide blend and KPV peptide data sheet.

AHK-Cu is stable as a lyophilized powder when it is kept cold, dark and dry. The catalog's storage line for the sealed vial:

• Temperature: −20 °C for long-term storage, in the sealed vial, away from light and moisture.
• Light: keep the vial in its box or in an opaque container. The copper complex is light-sensitive.
• Moisture: the powder is hygroscopic. Let a cold vial reach room temperature before removing it from its bag, so no condensation forms on the glass.
• Shelf life: 24 months from the fill date for a sealed vial stored as above.

Shipping at ambient temperature for a few days does not degrade the sealed powder; that is why research peptides ship without cold packs. The general rules, size by size, are in lyophilized peptides: storage and shelf life.

"AHK-Cu" returns fewer sellers than GHK-Cu, and a larger share of them are cosmetic brands or resellers relabelling a manufacturer's lot. To sort them, ask six questions of the product page: not of the marketing.

1. What does the supplier's lab documentation cover? Before buying from any supplier, check which compounds and sizes its reports name, and that each one can be looked up on the laboratory's site.
2. Is the vial sealed, with a printed label naming the compound, its net mass in mg and "research use only"?
3. Is the listing clearly AHK-Cu, not GHK-Cu? Same color, same look: the name, sequence (Ala-His-Lys) and mass on the product page tell them apart.
4. Does the supplier ship from EU stock, tracked, in a few days?
5. Does the page describe the product only (composition, purity, storage) with "research use only" stated plainly? A supplier that publishes usage content is a supplier that is easy to shut down; that risk transfers to any order in transit.
6. Is the price read per mg, size by size? It is the fairest way to compare two listings of the same compound.

The wider checklist (payment, packaging, what to do if a parcel is stopped) is in where to buy research peptides in Europe. For the better-documented copper tripeptide, see the GHK-Cu buying guide.

The price of research AHK-Cu depends on the size of the vial, whether a third-party test was paid for the lot, and where it ships from.

The catalog table at the top of this page shows the current price per vial and per milligram for each size.

What the price includes at OXpeptides: a sealed, labeled vial and the lyophilized compound inside, named with its net quantity in mg on the label. Ships from the EU · tracked: €9.90, free from €120.

See AHK-Cu in the catalog →