Pair page
GHK-Cu with Melanotan I
Mechanism-tag overlap and published literature for GHK-Cu and Melanotan I, pulled verbatim from each Kalios compound profile. Kalios is a literature reference, not a recommendation.
Mechanism overlap
Mechanism tags are verbatim labels on each compound's profile. Generic tags ("peptide", "small-molecule", "research-chemical") are excluded from this overlap view. Tags are descriptive — not an inference about combined effect.
connective-tissuecopper-tripeptide-skin
mc1r-selective-msh-analog
Co-administration notes from the literature
Verbatim summary text pulled from each compound's profile data. Researchers studying GHK-Cu and Melanotan I have published these mechanism-level observations. Not a co-administration recommendation.
Topical or injectable GHK-Cu supports collagen synthesis, wound repair, and antioxidant defense. Pairs mechanistically with afamelanotide's photoprotection mechanism in users pursuing comprehensive skin health protocols; no direct clinical trial.
Quick facts
GHK-Cu
Melanotan I
Literature table
Classified references from each compound profile. Click a column header to sort. Click a PMID to open PubMed. Findings are quoted verbatim from each profile's literature_summary; nothing here is added or interpreted.
| Year | Compound | Source | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | GHK-Cu | Buffoni F, Pino R, Dal Pozzo A. Effect of tripeptide-copper complexes on the process of healing of cutaneous wounds in mice. Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1995;330(3):345-360. PMID: 9060874. PMID 9060874 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 1993 | GHK-Cu | Maquart FX, Bellon G, Chaqour B, Wegrowski J, Patt LM, Trachy RE, et al. 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;92(5):2368-2376. PMID: 8227353. PMID 8227353 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2011 | GHK-Cu | Hostynek JJ, Dreher F, Maibach HI. Human skin penetration of a copper tripeptide in vitro as a function of skin layer. Inflamm Res. 2011;60(1):79-86. PMID: 20835751. PMID 20835751 | preclinical, in vitro |
| 2007 | GHK-Cu | Pyo HK, Yoo HG, Won CH, Lee SH, Kang YJ, Eun HC, Cho KH, Kim KH. The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro. Arch Pharm Res. 2007;30(7):834-839. PMID: 17702486. PMID 17702486 | preclinical, in vitro |
| 1988 | GHK-Cu | Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu²⁺. FEBS Lett. 1988;238(2):343-346. PMID: 3169264. PMID 3169264 | preclinical, in vitro |
| 2017 | GHK-Cu | Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. The Effect of the Human Peptide GHK on Gene Expression Relevant to Nervous System Function and Cognitive Decline. Brain Sci. 2017;7(2):20. PMID: 28212278. PMID 28212278 | mechanism / discovery |
| 2012 | GHK-Cu | Campbell JD, McDonough JE, Zeskind JE, Hackett TL, Pechkovsky DV, Brandsma CA, et al. A gene expression signature of emphysema-related lung destruction and its reversal by the tripeptide GHK. Genome Med. 2012;4(8):67. PMID: 22937864. PMID 22937864 | mechanism / discovery |
| 1973 | GHK-Cu | Pickart L, Thaler MM. Tripeptide in human serum which prolongs survival of normal liver cells and stimulates growth in neoplastic liver. Nat New Biol. 1973;243(124):85-87. PMID: 4351857. (Original discovery publication.) PMID 4351857 | mechanism / discovery |
| 2026 | GHK-Cu | WADA Prohibited List 2026. World Anti-Doping Agency. wada-ama.org. | regulatory / registry |
| 2025 | GHK-Cu | FDA. Bulk Drug Substances That Raise Significant Safety Risks (Category 2) Under Section 503A / 503B. FDA.gov. Updated 2025-2026. | regulatory / registry |
| 2018 | GHK-Cu | Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(7):1987. PMID: 29986520. doi:10.3390/ijms19071987. (Comprehensive modern review.) PMID 29986520 | research article |
| 2015 | GHK-Cu | Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:648108. PMID: 26236730. PMID 26236730 | research article |
| 2015 | Melanotan I | Chen AC, Martin AJ, Choy B, Fernández-Peñas P, Dalziell RA, McKenzie CA, Scolyer RA, Dhillon HM, Vardy JL, Kricker A, St George G, Chinniah N, Halliday GM, Damian DL. A phase 3 randomized trial of nicotinamide for skin-cancer chemoprevention. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(17):1618-1626… PMID 26488693 | human trial, Phase 3 |
| — | Melanotan I | CLINUVEL Pharmaceuticals. CUV801 acute arterial ischaemic stroke proof-of-concept — Phase II clinical program summary. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05119296. | human trial, Phase 2 |
| 2015 | Melanotan I | Lim HW, Grimes PE, Agbai O, Hamzavi I, Henderson M, Haddican M, Linkner RV, Lebwohl M. Afamelanotide and narrowband UV-B phototherapy for the treatment of vitiligo: a randomized multicenter trial. JAMA Dermatol. 2015;151(1):42-50. PMID: 25587703. PMID 25587703 | human trial |
| 2015 | Melanotan I | Biolcati G, Marchesini E, Sorge F, Barbieri L, Schneider-Yin X, Minder EI. Long-term observational study of afamelanotide in 115 patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria. Br J Dermatol. 2015;172(6):1601-1612. PMID: 25494545. PMID 25494545 | human study |
| 1995 | Melanotan I | Valverde P, Healy E, Jackson I, Rees JL, Thody AJ. Variants of the melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor gene are associated with red hair and fair skin in humans. Nat Genet. 1995;11(3):328-330. PMID: 7581459. PMID 7581459 | human study |
| 1992 | Melanotan I | Hadley ME, Hruby VJ. Discovery and development of novel melanogenic drugs: melanotan-I and -II. In: Crommelin DJA, Sindelar RD, Meibohm B, editors. Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. 1992;1st ed. | mechanism / discovery |
| 2017 | Melanotan I | Minder EI, Barman-Aksoezen J, Schneider-Yin X. Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of afamelanotide and its clinical use in treating dermatologic disorders. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2017;56(8):815-823. PMID: 28063036. PMID 28063036 | pharmacology |
| 2019 | Melanotan I | FDA. Scenesse (afamelanotide) prescribing information. NDA 210797. Approved October 8, 2019. | regulatory / registry |
| 2015 | Melanotan I | Langendonk JG, Balwani M, Anderson KE, Bonkovsky HL, Anstey AV, Bissell DM, Bloomer J, Edwards C, Neumann NJ, Parker C, Phillips JD, Lim HW, Hamzavi I, Deybach JC, Kauppinen R, Rhodes LE, Frank J, Murphy GM, Karstens FPJ, Sijbrands EJG, de Rooij FWM, Lebwohl M, Naik H, Goding CR… PMID 26132941 | research article |
| 2013 | Melanotan I | Grimes PE, Hamzavi I, Lebwohl M, Ortonne JP, Lim HW. The efficacy of afamelanotide and narrowband UV-B phototherapy for repigmentation of vitiligo. JAMA Dermatol. 2013;149(1):68-73. PMID: 23207610. PMID 23207610 | research article |
| 2011 | Melanotan I | Haylett AK, Nie Z, Brownrigg M, Taylor R, Rhodes LE. Systemic photoprotection in solar urticaria with α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogue [Nle⁴,D-Phe⁷]-α-MSH. Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(2):407-414. PMID: 21054334. PMID 21054334 | research article |
| 2009 | Melanotan I | Falchi M, Bataille V, Hayward NK, Duffy DL, Bishop JA, Pastinen T, Cervino A, Zhao ZZ, Deloukas P, Soranzo N, Elder DE, Barrett JH, Martin NG, Bishop DT, Montgomery GW, Spector TD. Genome-wide association study identifies variants at 9p21 and 22q13 associated with development of… PMID 19578365 | research article |
Related pair pages
More research context
Frequently asked
Have GHK-Cu and Melanotan I been studied together?
Researchers have published mechanistic-level co-administration discussion of GHK-Cu and Melanotan I. No human co-administration trials are catalogued in the Kalios profiles. The pair page lists each compound's classified literature; full citations sit on each individual profile.
What mechanisms do GHK-Cu and Melanotan I share?
GHK-Cu and Melanotan I do not share a specific mechanism tag on their Kalios profiles. They appear on the same pair page because at least one profile lists the other in its co-administration data.
What is the FDA status of GHK-Cu and Melanotan I?
GHK-Cu: Cosmetic ingredient; Category 2 for injection. Melanotan I: Approved 2019 (EPP). FDA-status text is pulled verbatim from each compound profile. See /fda-pcac-2026.html for the broader FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee context.
Where can I find the full research on GHK-Cu and Melanotan I?
Full citation lists, dosing tables from the literature, reconstitution data, and the FDA / WADA status are on the individual compound profiles: the GHK-Cu profile and the Melanotan I profile. The Kalios Stack Research Tool hub lists every compound covered.
Last updated: April 2026