The effect of copper tripeptide and tretinoin on growth factor production in a serum-free fibroblast model

McCormack MC, Nowak KC, Koch RJ · Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery

Keloid-producing fibroblasts treated with copper tripeptide secreted less TGF-β1 than controls at 24 hours (P<.05), with the same trend in normal fibroblasts. Tretinoin moved bFGF and TGF-β1 in the opposite direction.

Population

Primary normal and keloid-producing human dermal fibroblasts from facial skin, serum-free

Intervention

Copper tripeptide 1 nM for up to 120 hours

Comparator

Vehicle control; tretinoin 10 µM as an active comparator

Limitations

Small serum-free culture study; a scar-formation rationale, not a matrix-building one. Second independent report of GHK-Cu lowering rather than raising TGF-β1.