Effect of tripeptide-copper complexes on the process of skin wound healing and on cultured fibroblasts

Buffoni F, Pino R, Dal Pozzo A · Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Thérapie

Slower reorganisation of the skin and delayed activation of fibroblasts were the main effects of the peptide-copper complexes, with no significant difference between GHK-Cu and its analogue. In culture at 10^-7 M the complexes decreased cell reproduction while increasing collagen expression.

Population

Guinea-pig dorsal skin wounds, with cultured fibroblasts in parallel

Intervention

Gly-His-Lys-Cu and three synthetic analogue-copper complexes

Comparator

Equivalent copper acetate, and untreated wounds

Limitations

Older report with limited methodological detail. It is the clearest published in-vivo result running against the wound-healing consensus, and its concentration (10^-7 M) sits above the 10^-9 M optimum reported elsewhere.