Peptide lexicon
AHK-Cu
Copper complex of the tripeptide Ala-His-Lys, structurally related to GHK-Cu and studied mainly in hair and skin research.
| Substance class | Peptide |
|---|---|
| Sequence | AHK · Cu²⁺ |
| Synonyms | Copper Tripeptide-3, Ala-His-Lys-Kupfer |
Structure
AHK-Cu consists of alanine, histidine and lysine binding a Cu²⁺ ion via histidine and the N-terminus — analogous to GHK-Cu, with alanine instead of glycine.
State of research
Cell studies describe effects on dermal papilla cells of hair follicles, collagen synthesis in fibroblasts and apoptosis markers.
Status
AHK-Cu is known as a cosmetic ingredient (Copper Tripeptide-3); it is not approved as a medicinal product.
Literature
- Asp-Ala-His-Lys (DAHK) inhibits copper-induced oxidative DNA double strand breaks and telomere shorteningBiochem Biophys Res Commun, 2001 · PMID 11264015 · DOI 10.1006/bbrc.2001.4533
- Preferences of kanamycin A towards copper(II). Effect of the resulting complexes on immunological mediators production by human leukocytesJ Inorg Biochem, 2004 · PMID 14729305 · DOI 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2003.10.013
- Reduction of infarct size in a rat model of regional myocardial ischemia and reperfusion by the synthetic peptide DAHKCrit Care Med, 2006 · PMID 16691133 · DOI 10.1097/01.CCM.0000220493.10289.03
- The structure of rat proalbuminJ Biol Chem, 1975 · PMID 1123347
- Binding Models of Copper(II) Thiosemicarbazone Complexes with Human Serum Albumin: A Speciation StudyMolecules, 2021 · PMID 34063080 · DOI 10.3390/molecules26092711
