Pair page
GHK-Cu with TB-500 Fragment 17-23
Mechanism-tag overlap and published literature for GHK-Cu and TB-500 Fragment 17-23, 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
actin-binding-domainthymosin-4-active-fragment
Co-administration notes from the literature
Verbatim summary text pulled from each compound's profile data. Researchers studying GHK-Cu and TB-500 Fragment 17-23 have published these mechanism-level observations. Not a co-administration recommendation.
Copper-binding tripeptide with connective tissue, skin, and hair-follicle effects. Mechanistically orthogonal (copper delivery and gene expression modulation vs actin binding). Paired in connective-tissue protocols; topical GHK-Cu plus systemic LKKTETQ is a plausible combination but uncharacterized.
Quick facts
GHK-Cu
TB-500 Fragment 17-23
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 |
| 2023 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Sosne G, Kim C, Kleinman HK. 0.1% RGN-259 (Thymosin β4) Ophthalmic Solution Promotes Healing and Improves Comfort in Neurotrophic Keratopathy Patients in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Masked Phase III Clinical Trial. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24(1):554. (Full-length parent… | human trial, Phase 3 |
| 2017 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, Wang B, Baar K. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):136-143. PMID: 27852613. (Substrate-side adjunct reference.) PMID 27852613 | mechanism / discovery |
| 1981 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Low TL, Hu SK, Goldstein AL. Complete amino acid sequence of bovine thymosin beta 4: a thymic hormone that induces terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase activity in thymocyte populations. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981;78(2):1162-1166. PMID: 6940133. (Parent molecule discovery.) PMID 6940133 | mechanism / discovery |
| 2025 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | WADA. 2025 Prohibited List. Section S2 — Peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics. World Anti-Doping Agency. Thymosin β4 and derivatives prohibited since 2011. | regulatory / registry |
| 2025 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | FDA. Bulk Drug Substances That Raise Significant Safety Risks (Category 2) under Section 503A / 503B. FDA.gov. Updated 2025. | regulatory / registry |
| 2015 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Sosne G, Kleinman HK. Primary Mechanisms of Thymosin β4 Repair Activity in Dry Eye Disorders and Other Tissue Injuries. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015;56(9):5110-5117. PMID: 26241398. PMID 26241398 | research article |
| 2012 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Goldstein AL, Hannappel E, Sosne G, Kleinman HK. Thymosin β4: a multi-functional regenerative peptide. Basic properties and clinical applications. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2012;12(1):37-51. PMID: 22074294. PMID 22074294 | research article |
| 2010 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Sosne G, Qiu P, Goldstein AL, Wheater M. Biological activities of thymosin beta4 defined by active sites in short peptide sequences. FASEB J. 2010;24(7):2144-2151. PMID: 20179146. (Defines which Tβ4 activities map to which short sequences.) PMID 20179146 | research article |
| 2010 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Crockford D, Turjman N, Allan C, Angel J. Thymosin beta4: structure, function, and biological properties supporting current and future clinical applications. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1194:179-189. PMID: 20536465. PMID 20536465 | research article |
| 2007 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Smart N, Risebro CA, Melville AA, Moses K, Schwartz RJ, Chien KR, Riley PR. Thymosin beta4 induces adult epicardial progenitor mobilization and neovascularization. Nature. 2007;445(7124):177-182. PMID: 17108969. PMID 17108969 | research article |
| 2004 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Philp D, Goldstein AL, Kleinman HK. Thymosin beta4 promotes angiogenesis, wound healing, and hair follicle development. Mech Ageing Dev. 2004;125(2):113-115. PMID: 15037010. PMID 15037010 | research article |
| 2004 | TB-500 Fragment 17-23 | Bock-Marquette I, Saxena A, White MD, Dimaio JM, Srivastava D. Thymosin beta4 activates integrin-linked kinase and promotes cardiac cell migration, survival and cardiac repair. Nature. 2004;432(7016):466-472. PMID: 15565145. (Cardiac progenitor activity — not reproduced by fragm… PMID 15565145 | research article |
Related pair pages
More research context
Frequently asked
Have GHK-Cu and TB-500 Fragment 17-23 been studied together?
Researchers have published mechanistic-level co-administration discussion of GHK-Cu and TB-500 Fragment 17-23. 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 TB-500 Fragment 17-23 share?
GHK-Cu and TB-500 Fragment 17-23 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 TB-500 Fragment 17-23?
GHK-Cu: Cosmetic ingredient; Category 2 for injection. TB-500 Fragment 17-23: Research-only; no human trials. 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 TB-500 Fragment 17-23?
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 TB-500 Fragment 17-23 profile. The Kalios Stack Research Tool hub lists every compound covered.
Last updated: April 2026