Peptide Category: Anti-Aging
AHK-Cu
What is AHK-Cu? AHK-Cu — short for Alanine-Histidine-Lysine copper complex — is a copper-binding tripeptide that has attracted considerable scientific interest for its role in hair follicle biology and dermal papilla cell activation. If you’re already familiar with GHK-Cu, the well-studied skin-repair copper peptide, think of AHK-Cu as its hair-focused cousin: structurally related, built around
Snap-8
What is Snap-8? Snap-8 — sold under the trade name Leuphasyl and also known by its INCI designation Acetyl Octapeptide-3 — is a synthetic cosmetic peptide developed as an extended-chain version of Argireline (Acetyl Hexapeptide-3). Where Argireline consists of six amino acids, Snap-8 adds two additional residues to create an eight-amino-acid sequence designed to compete
Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
What is Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 (Matrixyl)? Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 — known commercially as Matrixyl, a trade name introduced by Sederma (now a BASF subsidiary) — is a lipopeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence lysine-threonine-threonine-lysine-serine (Lys-Thr-Thr-Lys-Ser) attached to a 16-carbon palmitic acid chain at the N-terminal lysine residue. This combination of a peptide signal sequence with a
Melanotan II
What is Melanotan II? Melanotan II (MT-II) is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide designed as a potent, non-selective agonist of the melanocortin receptor family. It was developed at the University of Arizona in the 1980s and early 1990s by researchers including Victor Hruby and colleagues, who were originally working to create an analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone
Kisspeptin-10
What is Kisspeptin-10? Kisspeptin-10 is the smallest biologically active fragment of the kisspeptin family — a group of neuropeptides encoded by the KISS1 gene that were originally characterized as metastasis suppressors before researchers realized they were also master regulators of human reproduction. The “10” designation refers to the ten-amino-acid C-terminal sequence (Tyr-Asn-Trp-Asn-Ser-Phe-Gly-Leu-Arg-Phe-amide) that retains full
GHK
What is GHK (Glycine-Histidine-Lysine)? GHK — formally glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine — is a naturally occurring tripeptide found in human plasma, urine, and saliva. It was first isolated and characterized by Dr. Loren Pickart in the early 1970s from a fraction of human albumin that displayed tissue regenerative properties. While GHK is perhaps most widely known today as
GHK-Cu
What is GHK-Cu? GHK-Cu — copper peptide GHK — is a naturally occurring tripeptide-copper complex consisting of the three amino acids glycine, histidine, and lysine (Gly-His-Lys) chelated with a copper(II) ion. It is among the most extensively studied copper-binding peptides in human biology, and its story begins with one of the more serendipitous discoveries in