AHK-Cu 100mg Peptide
For in-vitro laboratory research only. Not for human or animal administration.
Batch #: VPAK100100
Get Notified When Available
This product is currently out of stock. Enter your email and we'll notify you the moment it's back.
Research Use Only
For in-vitro laboratory research by qualified professionals only. Not for human or animal administration. Not a drug, food, cosmetic or dietary supplement. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease. Batch-specific Certificates of Analysis available for all products.
AHK-Cu 100mg: overview
What the vial contains and what the material is, stated as specifications rather than as outcomes.
AHK-Cu supplied as a lyophilized powder in a sealed single-use vial containing 100 mg of material. Released to a specification of >99% purity by HPLC. Soluble in bacteriostatic water. Supplied for in-vitro laboratory research only. Not a drug, food or supplement. Not for human or veterinary use.
Volta does not provide dosing, administration or protocol guidance for any material listed.
AHK-Cu 100mg specifications
Every field the product record holds. A field with no value is omitted rather than printed as a dash.
- Fill
- 100mg
- Form
- Lyophilized powder
- Solubility
- Soluble in bacteriostatic water
- Shelf life
- 24 months from date of manufacture
AHK-Cu analytical verification and batch documentation
What the purity figure on this page is, who measured what, and which of the two a reader is looking at.
Specification. Every batch is released to >99% purity by HPLC. That is a threshold Volta sets, and it is a promise rather than a measurement.
Measurement. No certificate for this compound is published on the site yet. A batch-specific Certificate of Analysis is available on request, and the batch history lists the ones already published. Until one is published for this material, the figure above is the release specification and nothing on this page is a laboratory result.
Checking a certificate. The batch number printed beside the price is derived from the compound code and the vial strength; the lot number on a certificate is transcribed from the document. They are produced independently, so comparing them is a real check. How to read one is set out in the quality and testing methodology page.
For in-vitro laboratory research by qualified professionals only. Not for human or animal administration. Not a drug, food, cosmetic or dietary supplement. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease.
Copper peptides work by delivering Cu(II) in a form that is bioavailable but redox-buffered, which matters because free copper is cytotoxic. AHK-Cu and GHK-Cu share that mechanism but differ in the reported downstream emphasis: GHK-Cu literature centres on collagen synthesis and wound remodelling, while AHK-Cu is more often studied in the context of VEGF expression and dermal papilla cell proliferation. This 100mg vial is a large presentation appropriate for topical formulation work and extended cell culture series, where copper peptides are typically used at low concentration over many replicates.
- Released to a >99% purity specification by HPLC
- Lyophilized powder, 100mg per vial
- Soluble in bacteriostatic water
- For laboratory research use only
Frequently Bought Together
AHK-Cu 100mg
100mg
$64 USD
Bundle & Save
$103 USD
Save $5.15 USD
$135 USD
Save $13.50 USD
$194 USD
Save $29.10 USD
$229 USD
Save $45.80 USD
Click any product above to toggle selection
Related research materials
AHK-Cu 100mg: what is in the vial
The arithmetic specific to this 100mg vial, and what a milligram of AHK-Cu costs in each strength the catalogue carries. Concentrations are stated, not recommended.
Vial contents
100 mg
Lyophilised powder, reconstituted by the buyer
Cost of material
$0.64 / mg USD
CA$0.92 / mg in Canadian dollars
Concentration at each diluent volume
100 mg of dry material reaches these concentrations in the volumes below. A U-100 syringe marking is 0.01 ml by definition, so the last column is a unit conversion at each concentration rather than a quantity to use.
| Diluent added | Concentration | In 0.1 ml | Per U-100 unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ml | 100 mg/ml | 10 mg | 1 mg |
| 2 ml | 50 mg/ml | 5 mg | 500 mcg |
| 3 ml | 33.33 mg/ml | 3.33 mg | 333.3 mcg |
| 5 ml | 20 mg/ml | 2 mg | 200 mcg |
For a volume this table does not list, the reconstitution calculator takes any vial size and diluent volume.
AHK-Cu purity and identity: how the figure is measured
What >99% (HPLC) means, the masses an identity check has to land on, and the entries that make a certificate of analysis checkable rather than decorative.
Stated purity
>99% (HPLC)
Area percent of the main peak by reversed-phase HPLC
Detection
214 nm
Why 214 nm
The sequence carries neither tryptophan nor tyrosine, so it has no absorbance at 280 nm. Detection is at 214 nm, on the peptide bond itself.
This matters when reading someone else's certificate: a purity figure quoted at 280 nm for a compound with no aromatic residue is measuring an absorbance the molecule does not have.
What a certificate for AHK-Cu should carry
A purity percentage on its own is not checkable. These are the entries that make one verifiable, and their absence is the most common weakness in a research-peptide certificate.
The chromatogram, not only the number
A stated area percent with no trace behind it cannot be read for the shape of the main peak or for what eluted beside it. The HPLC interpreter walks through what a trace shows.
Net peptide content, separately from gross mass
A lyophilised peptide is a salt, usually of trifluoroacetic or acetic acid, plus residual water. The vial's stated milligrams are gross; net peptide content is the fraction of that mass which is the molecule. The two differ by ten to twenty percent routinely, and only one of them is what the price is per milligram of. The net peptide content calculator converts between them.
The counterion, named
Which salt form the powder is in changes the net content and the pH the powder dissolves at. A certificate that never names it leaves both unknowable.
Water content, by a stated method
Loss on drying and Karl Fischer titration give different numbers, and a water figure with no method attached cannot be compared with anyone else's.
A laboratory and a report identifier
Without both, nothing on the document can be traced back to the laboratory that issued it. The red flag checker lists the rest.
Batch certificates are published as page images in the certificate library. The source PDFs are never served: a certificate is the most forgeable document a supplier publishes, and an editable copy carrying an accredited laboratory's letterhead is worth more to a counterfeiter than to a customer.
AHK-Cu storage and stability
Handling as the product record states it, followed by the degradation chemistry this particular sequence is and is not exposed to.
Handling
Store lyophilized peptide at -20°C in a dry, dark environment. Reconstitute in bacteriostatic water. Once reconstituted, store at 2-8°C and use within 30 days. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Lyophilized powder is stable at room temperature for shipping and short-term storage.
What holds up
The degradation routes this compound is not exposed to, which is as specific a fact as the ones it is.
No oxidation-labile side chain
no Met, Cys or Trp in the sequenceThe three residues that oxidise readily are all absent, so the most common degradation route for a research peptide does not apply to this one. Air in the vial headspace is not the risk here that it is for a methionine-containing compound.
No deamidation site
no Asn or Gln in the sequenceDeamidation is the slow clock on most reconstituted peptides, and it needs an asparagine or a glutamine to run. This sequence has neither, so time in solution does not convert it to a one-dalton-heavier, more acidic relative.
No ultraviolet chromophore
no Trp or Tyr in the sequencePhoto-oxidation of peptides runs mainly through the aromatic side chains, and this sequence has none. Storing in the dark remains good practice for the excipients and the diluent, but the molecule itself has no strong absorber for ultraviolet light to act on.
Net hydrophilic
GRAVY -1.77A negative grand average of hydropathy means the side chains are on balance polar, which is the profile that stays in solution rather than associating. Freeze-thaw cycles are still worth avoiding, but this compound is not one of the hydrophobic sequences that aggregate irreversibly at an ice front.
Solubility window
calculated pI 10.1, net charge 1.1 at pH 7A peptide is least soluble within about a pH unit of its isoelectric point, where it carries no net charge. This one is far enough from neutral that it holds a real charge in an ordinary diluent, which is what keeps it dissolved.
Derived from the primary sequence AHK, calculated isoelectric point 10.11, GRAVY -1.767. Check the arithmetic with the peptide property calculator and the freeze-thaw estimator.
AHK-Cu compared with GHK-Cu and Snap-8
Pharmacological class, half-life, evidence grade, competition status and cost per milligram, side by side.
| Compound | Class | Half-life | Evidence | WADA | Cheapest per mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AHK-Cu (Copper AHK)this page | Cosmetic / Research | Not established | DPreclinical Only | Not listed | $0.64100mg vial, out of stock |
| GHK-Cu | Skin & Tissue Repair | ~30 minutes plasma | FNo Regulatory Activity | Not listed | $0.59100mg vial |
| Snap-8 | Cosmetic Peptide | Not established | FNo Regulatory Activity | Not listed | $3.2010mg vial, out of stock |
| Melanotan II | Melanocortin Agonist | ~36 minutes IV; longer SC due to depot effect | FNo Regulatory Activity | Prohibited | $3.2010mg vial |
Evidence grades and half-lives are as recorded in the compound database, which cites its own sources on each compound page. Per-milligram prices are the cheapest strength each compound is currently listed at, in US dollars, and an out-of-stock note means that figure is not purchasable today. Cross-trial comparisons of efficacy are not comparisons: no head-to-head trial exists for most of these pairs.
AHK-Cu in Canada
Price in Canadian dollars, where the parcel ships from, and how long it takes.
Price in CAD
CA$92
The figure charged, not a converted estimate
Ships from
British Columbia
A domestic parcel, so no import clearance step
Transit
2 to 5 business days
After 1 to 2 business days of handling
Free standard shipping
Over CA$250
A bar set for this market, not converted from the US one
AHK-Cu 100mg ships from British Columbia to Canadian addresses, so the parcel never crosses a border. That removes the failure a Canadian buyer of research peptides is usually weighing: an inbound international shipment can be held for import clearance or seized, and a domestic one has no clearance step to be held at.
Shipping is quoted live against the delivery address at checkout rather than estimated here, and both the standard and express tiers show their price and transit window before a payment method is chosen. The figure the page shows is the figure the rail charges: all three settlement rails price shipping through the same functions the quote does.
The Canadian figure above is not a loose conversion. Each product's US dollar base is chosen so that the live conversion lands on the Canadian shelf price set for this market, and the result is pushed up to a whole dollar rather than left carrying cents, so one figure serves the page, the feed and every payment rail. See the shipping policy for carriers and cut-off times, and the legal position on research peptides in Canada for the regulatory picture.
AHK-Cu Mechanism of Action
AHK-Cu is the tripeptide alanyl-histidyl-lysine complexed with copper(II). It differs from the much better studied GHK-Cu by a single residue: alanine in the first position where GHK has glycine. Both bind copper through the same arrangement, with the histidine imidazole nitrogen, the N-terminal amine and a backbone nitrogen forming the coordination site.
The mechanism attributed to both molecules is copper delivery rather than the peptide acting on a receptor. Copper is a required cofactor for lysyl oxidase, which cross-links collagen and elastin, and for superoxide dismutase, and free copper is cytotoxic, so a carrier that binds it tightly enough to transport but loosely enough to release is doing something a simple chelator cannot. That redox-buffered delivery is the shared basis of the copper peptide class.
Where AHK-Cu is distinguished from GHK-Cu is in reported emphasis rather than in demonstrated mechanism. It is presented as the follicular counterpart, studied in dermal papilla cell and angiogenesis models rather than in general wound repair. The single directly relevant study, on human hair growth in vitro, is the basis of that positioning, and it is a narrow foundation for a distinction between two molecules that differ by one methyl group.
Copper coordination
The histidine imidazole, N-terminal amine and a backbone nitrogen form the copper(II) binding site, the same arrangement used by GHK-Cu.
Redox-buffered delivery
Copper is bound tightly enough to be carried and loosely enough to be released, which matters because free copper is cytotoxic while bound copper is useless.
Cofactor supply
Delivered copper is a required cofactor for lysyl oxidase, which cross-links collagen and elastin, and for superoxide dismutase.
Reported follicular emphasis
The single directly relevant study examined effects on human hair growth in vitro, which is the basis for positioning this molecule toward dermal papilla and follicular models.
Distinction from GHK-Cu unproven
No published study compares the two molecules directly, so the claim that one is follicular and the other dermal is an emphasis rather than a demonstrated difference.
AHK-Cu and Copper Tripeptide Research Findings
Only the first entry studied AHK-Cu. The rest concern GHK-Cu and establish the shared copper chemistry, and each says which molecule it used.
Effect of a tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro
The one directly relevant study examined a tripeptide-copper complex in a human hair growth model, and it is the source of this compound's association with follicular applications.
In vitroCopper tripeptide stimulated connective tissue accumulation in vivo
A rat wound chamber study reported that the glycyl-histidyl-lysine copper complex stimulated accumulation of collagen and glycosaminoglycans. Studied with GHK-Cu, not AHK-Cu.
Rodent modelCopper tripeptide described as a tissue remodelling signal
A review collected the effects of the GHK tripeptide on matrix synthesis and on matrix-degrading enzymes, framing the class as remodelling signals rather than simple growth stimuli. Studied with GHK.
MechanisticBroad transcriptional effects reported for the related tripeptide
Analyses reported that GHK alters expression across large gene sets. The breadth of that claim is a reason for caution, and it concerns GHK rather than AHK.
In vitroCopper peptide effects in a combination cosmetic formulation
A GHK-Cu complex combined with a botanical extract was reported to attenuate Th2 cytokine signalling and promote keratinocyte regeneration. Because the preparation was a combination, the copper peptide's individual contribution cannot be isolated.
In vitroAHK-Cu Molecular Information
| Sequence | Ala-His-Lys |
| Free Tripeptide Formula | C15H26N6O4 |
| Free Tripeptide Molecular Weight | 354.41 g/mol, computed from the sequence |
| Copper Complex Molecular Weight | Approximately 415 to 417 g/mol depending on protonation and salt form |
| Relationship to GHK-Cu | Differs by one residue, alanine in place of glycine at position 1 |
| Coordination Site | Histidine imidazole nitrogen, N-terminal amine and a backbone nitrogen |
| CAS Number | Not stated on the product listing |
| Reported Emphasis | Dermal papilla and follicular models rather than general wound repair |
| Appearance | Deep blue to violet powder when complexed with copper |
One Residue From a Much Better Studied Molecule
AHK-Cu and GHK-Cu differ by a single methyl group: alanine against glycine in the first position. Everything about the copper coordination is the same, because the binding site is formed by the histidine, the N-terminal amine and the backbone, none of which changes.
That closeness cuts two ways. It makes the GHK-Cu literature genuinely informative about the copper chemistry, since the delivery mechanism cannot plausibly differ much. It also makes the claim that the two molecules have different tissue emphases a claim requiring evidence, because a one-methyl difference is a small thing to hang a distinct biological profile on.
No published study compares them directly. The follicular positioning of AHK-Cu rests on one in vitro hair growth study, and the dermal positioning of GHK-Cu rests on a much larger literature that simply happened to be conducted in wound and skin models.
The Colour Test Applies Here Too
As with GHK-Cu, the copper complex is deep blue to violet while the free tripeptide is a white powder. A material sold as AHK-Cu that arrives white is the uncomplexed peptide, and that is visible without any instrument.
Chelating agents in a buffer will strip copper from the complex, converting it back toward free peptide. For this class buffer composition affects identity rather than only stability, and loss of colour on storage or dilution indicates the complex has dissociated.
The product listing gives no CAS number, which is worth noting: without one, and with the free peptide and the complex differing in mass by roughly 61 daltons, the reported mass and the observed colour are the only identity checks available.
What the Single Study Can and Cannot Support
One in vitro study on human hair growth is the entire direct evidence base. In vitro hair growth models measure things like hair follicle organ culture elongation or dermal papilla cell proliferation, which are informative about mechanism and weakly predictive of outcomes in a person.
There is no human trial of AHK-Cu, no approval in any jurisdiction, and no independent replication of the single study. Claims that circulate about this compound for hair applications trace back, in almost every case, to that one paper.
Material supplied for research is for in-vitro laboratory use only, and nothing here is guidance for use in humans or animals.
Handling and Analytical Considerations
The tripeptide is short and contains no oxidation-prone cysteine or methionine, so the peptide portion is comparatively robust. The copper centre is the fragile part, and it is also the functional part.
As with all copper peptides, the practical consequence is that a buffer containing a chelator will quietly convert the product into something else. That change does not necessarily show up as a shift in a purity figure, but it does show up in the colour, which makes visual inspection genuinely useful for this class rather than merely conventional.
AHK-Cu Research FAQ
AHK-Cu in Summary
AHK-Cu is alanyl-histidyl-lysine complexed with copper(II), differing from GHK-Cu by a single methyl group at position one. The copper coordination and the redox-buffered delivery mechanism are shared between them.
Its own literature is one in vitro hair growth study, and no published work compares it against GHK-Cu, so the follicular emphasis is a positioning rather than a demonstrated difference. As with all copper peptides, colour distinguishes the complex from the free peptide.
Scientific References
Primary literature and public trial registries only. No supplier or retailer pages are cited.
AHK-Cu has almost no primary literature of its own. A PubMed search returns one directly relevant study, on the effect of a tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro. The remaining references below concern GHK-Cu, the closely related copper tripeptide that differs by a single residue, and are included because they establish the copper-delivery chemistry both molecules share. No study listed here compared the two, and none examined AHK-Cu in humans.
- 1The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitroPyo HK, Yoo HG, Won CH, et al. · Archives of Pharmacal Research · 2007
- 2In vivo stimulation of connective tissue accumulation by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ in rat experimental woundsMaquart FX, Bellon G, Chaqour B, et al. · Journal of Clinical Investigation · 1993
- 3The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodelingPickart L · Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition · 2008
- 4GHK and DNA: resetting the human genome to healthPickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A · BioMed Research International · 2014
- 5A Torilis japonica Extract-GHK-Cu Complex Attenuates Th2 Cytokines and Promotes Keratinocyte RegenerationJeon S, Maeng J, et al. · Antioxidants (Basel) · 2026
Disclaimer
All articles and product information provided on this website are for informational and educational purposes only. The products offered on this website are furnished for in-vitro studies only. These products are not medicines or drugs and have not been approved by the FDA to prevent, treat or cure any medical condition, ailment or disease.
AHK-Cu 100mg: frequently asked questions
Answered from the product record and the certificate file. Volta does not answer questions about administration, dosing or protocols.
What is supplied in a 100 mg vial of AHK-Cu?
A sealed single-use vial containing 100 mg of AHK-Cu as a lyophilized powder. Soluble in bacteriostatic water. No diluent, syringe or other supply is included.
Is AHK-Cu supplied for human use?
No. For in-vitro laboratory research by qualified professionals only. Not for human or animal administration. Not a drug, food, cosmetic or dietary supplement. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent any disease. Volta does not provide dosing, administration or protocol guidance for any material listed.
What purity is this AHK-Cu released to?
>99% by HPLC. That figure is a release specification, a threshold Volta sets for every batch, and it is not the same kind of statement as a purity measured by a named laboratory for a named lot.
Is there a certificate of analysis for this AHK-Cu vial?
A batch-specific Certificate of Analysis is available for this product on request. It is not published on the site yet: the batch history on the quality page lists the certificates already published, and this vial is covered by the release specification until its own is added there.
How should AHK-Cu be stored before reconstitution?
Store lyophilized peptide at -20°C in a dry, dark environment. Reconstitute in bacteriostatic water. Once reconstituted, store at 2-8°C and use within 30 days. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles. Lyophilized powder is stable at room temperature for shipping and short-term storage.
Where does this ship from?
British Columbia, Canada. Canadian orders are domestic, so they clear no customs and pay no import duty. International orders ship from the same facility.
Peptide Tools
More from the research catalogue
Every compound below has its own specification, batch number and certificate page, whether or not a vial is in stock today. Supplied for laboratory research use only.
Related research compounds
- GHK-Cu 100mg
- GHK-Cu 50mg
- GLOW 70mgrestocking
- Healthy Hair Skin & Nails Blend (HHB) 1,503mgrestocking