What Pickart and Thaler reported, and what they did not yet know

Published 24 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Pickart and Thaler reported in 1973 the isolation from human plasma of a factor that altered the behaviour of cultured liver cells, and identified it as the tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine. The copper association was characterised in subsequent work; the 1973 paper is the origin of the sequence, not of the complex.

The system

The work began with an observation in liver cell culture and traced the active factor in plasma to a small peptide. The sequence Gly-His-Lys was determined, and the compound was later synthesised, which allowed the natural isolate and the synthetic peptide to be compared.

Culture work of this kind is where the compound was first seen to do anything, and it remains the kind of system most of the literature uses.

The copper, later

The tripeptide binds copper(II) with high affinity, and the recognition that the active species in many systems was the copper complex came in work following the isolation. The name GHK-Cu records that: the peptide and its metal, as one species.

Pages on this site that describe the complex are describing the later characterisation, built on the 1973 sequence.

Why the origin matters

Much of the depth of the GHK-Cu literature comes from the same investigator over decades. Knowing where it started, and in what system, is the context for weighing what followed.

GHK-Cu is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity by mass spectrometry and purity by HPLC for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
GHK-Cu Pack50 mgAED 425In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The system?

The work began with an observation in liver cell culture and traced the active factor in plasma to a small peptide. The sequence Gly-His-Lys was determined, and the compound was later synthesised, which allowed the natural isolate and the synthetic peptide to be compared.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

GHK-Cu Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.