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PTD-DBM vs GHK-Cu side-by-side

Stack up to four peptides by evidence status, mechanisms, study dosing, side effects, and references.

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PTD-DBMGHK-Cu

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Property	PTD-DBM	GHK-Cu
Category	Skin & Hair	Skin & Hair
Also known as	CXXC5-Dishevelled disrupting peptide, Protein Transduction Domain-Dishevelled Binding Motif	Copper Peptide, Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper
FDA approved	No	No
Clinical status	Preclinical - animal (mouse) studies only, no human trials Pre Preclinical I Phase I II Phase II III Phase III IV Phase IV FDA FDA approved	Used in cosmetic products with limited human topical-skincare evidence; the source also notes injectable compounding restrictions and a pending reclassification process. Pre Preclinical I Phase I II Phase II III Phase III IV Phase IV FDA FDA approved
What to expect	Hair loss and hair regrowth research (androgenetic alopecia)	Skin rejuvenation, wound healing, hair growth, anti-aging
How it works	PTD-DBM combines a protein-transduction domain with a motif that binds Dishevelled. The supplied source reports that this can disrupt CXXC5 association with Dishevelled, increasing Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activity in cell and mouse models. It further reports that valproic acid, described as a GSK-3beta inhibitor, was studied alongside PTD-DBM and produced more activity in the reported model than either component alone. Human validation is not supplied.	GHK-Cu is described as the copper(II) complex of the GHK tripeptide. The source connects its activity to copper binding and possible cellular copper delivery, but also emphasizes effects that go beyond a simple carrier model. Reported laboratory observations include shifts in gene expression, increased fibroblast production of extracellular-matrix components, keratinocyte support, vascular-related activity, and antioxidant or anti-inflammatory signals. The precise mechanism is still not fully defined.
Typical dosing	Sold as 1 mg or 5 mg vials. A 5 mg vial in about 1 mL of water lands near the ~6 mg/mL used in the mouse study · Once daily to the scalp in most community routines	1-2 mg daily injection or 0.05% topical · Once daily · Subcutaneous injection or topical application
Research dosing	~6 mg/mL PTD-DBM + ~72 mg/mL valproic acid, topical (study reported these as 2 mM and 500 mM) · Applied over several weeks in animal studies · Topical (applied to skin) in published research; usually co-applied with valproic acid	1-2 mg for injectable protocols · Varies by application · Subcutaneous injection or topical application
Typical duration	Applied over several weeks in animal studies	Varies by application
Administration	Topical (applied to skin) in published research; usually co-applied with valproic acid	Subcutaneous injection or topical application
Timing	Not established (topical in animal studies) With or without food	Evening for skin or recovery contexts With or without food
Evidence level	Preclinical	Clinical Trials
Possible side effects	No human safety data are available in the supplied evidence. (Human adverse effects have not been characterized.) Possible local skin irritation, with valproic acid identified as a potential contributor. (Reported as a possibility rather than a documented human safety finding.) Theoretical concern regarding prolonged Wnt/beta-catenin activation and tumor biology. (Long-term implications are unstudied.) +2 more Systemic absorption and longer-term safety are unknown. (No human exposure data are supplied.) Effects in humans remain unproven. (Individual human response patterns cannot be established from this evidence.)	Generally well tolerated (Reported as a general tolerability statement in the source.) Mild topical irritation, redness, or tingling (Associated with topical use.) Injection-site reactions (Associated with injectable use.) +4 more Possible histamine release (Source advises caution for MCAS or histamine sensitivity.) Copper toxicity risk with excessive use (Risk described for excessive exposure.) Wilson's disease contraindication (Source lists Wilson's disease as contraindicated.) Caution with active cancer (Source flags an angiogenesis-related concern.)
Research summary	The supplied record attributes the principal work to Lee SH and colleagues in the Choi laboratory at Yonsei University, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 2017. It describes topical mouse experiments in which PTD-DBM was associated with earlier anagen after shaving and with follicle formation in wounded skin. The source reports solutions of 2 mM PTD-DBM and 500 mM valproic acid, approximately 6 mg/mL and 72 mg/mL respectively, and says this combination performed better than roughly 2 % minoxidil (reported as 100 mM) in that mouse model. It also notes 2024–2025 reviews discussing the compound and its CXXC5-related rationale. No completed peer-reviewed human efficacy study is supplied as of 2026; human pharmacokinetics, safety, dosing, and real-world effects remain unknown, and the source reports no FDA approval or IND on record.	The source describes a mixed evidence base. Cell and animal work is reported for wound repair, collagen deposition, fibroblast activity, elastin and growth-factor production, keratinocyte protection, and lung-injury models. Human data are described as small topical cosmetic studies, including facial-cream and eye-cream studies with 71 and 41 participants that reported changes in skin density, thickness, and wrinkle appearance. These data are encouraging for topical skin endpoints but do not establish injected or systemic benefits.
References	Source Source +1 more Source	PubMed PubMed +1 more PubMed
Full profile	View Details	View Details

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Educational use only. This information is aggregated from public research and community reports. It is not medical advice, and dosing details are descriptive, not recommendations. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Property

PTD-DBM

GHK-Cu

Category

Skin & Hair

Also known as

CXXC5-Dishevelled disrupting peptide, Protein Transduction Domain-Dishevelled Binding Motif

Copper Peptide, Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper

FDA approved

Clinical status

Preclinical - animal (mouse) studies only, no human trials

Pre
Preclinical
I
Phase I
II
Phase II
III
Phase III
IV
Phase IV
FDA
FDA approved

Used in cosmetic products with limited human topical-skincare evidence; the source also notes injectable compounding restrictions and a pending reclassification process.

Pre
Preclinical
I
Phase I
II
Phase II
III
Phase III
IV
Phase IV
FDA
FDA approved

What to expect

Hair loss and hair regrowth research (androgenetic alopecia)

Skin rejuvenation, wound healing, hair growth, anti-aging

How it works

PTD-DBM combines a protein-transduction domain with a motif that binds Dishevelled. The supplied source reports that this can disrupt CXXC5 association with Dishevelled, increasing Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activity in cell and mouse models. It further reports that valproic acid, described as a GSK-3beta inhibitor, was studied alongside PTD-DBM and produced more activity in the reported model than either component alone. Human validation is not supplied.

GHK-Cu is described as the copper(II) complex of the GHK tripeptide. The source connects its activity to copper binding and possible cellular copper delivery, but also emphasizes effects that go beyond a simple carrier model. Reported laboratory observations include shifts in gene expression, increased fibroblast production of extracellular-matrix components, keratinocyte support, vascular-related activity, and antioxidant or anti-inflammatory signals. The precise mechanism is still not fully defined.

Typical dosing

Sold as 1 mg or 5 mg vials. A 5 mg vial in about 1 mL of water lands near the ~6 mg/mL used in the mouse study · Once daily to the scalp in most community routines

1-2 mg daily injection or 0.05% topical · Once daily · Subcutaneous injection or topical application

Research dosing

~6 mg/mL PTD-DBM + ~72 mg/mL valproic acid, topical (study reported these as 2 mM and 500 mM) · Applied over several weeks in animal studies · Topical (applied to skin) in published research; usually co-applied with valproic acid

1-2 mg for injectable protocols · Varies by application · Subcutaneous injection or topical application

Typical duration

Applied over several weeks in animal studies

Varies by application

Administration

Topical (applied to skin) in published research; usually co-applied with valproic acid

Subcutaneous injection or topical application

Timing

Not established (topical in animal studies)

With or without food

Evening for skin or recovery contexts

With or without food

Evidence level

Preclinical

Clinical Trials

Possible side effects

No human safety data are available in the supplied evidence. (Human adverse effects have not been characterized.)
Possible local skin irritation, with valproic acid identified as a potential contributor. (Reported as a possibility rather than a documented human safety finding.)
Theoretical concern regarding prolonged Wnt/beta-catenin activation and tumor biology. (Long-term implications are unstudied.)

+2 more

Systemic absorption and longer-term safety are unknown. (No human exposure data are supplied.)
Effects in humans remain unproven. (Individual human response patterns cannot be established from this evidence.)

Generally well tolerated (Reported as a general tolerability statement in the source.)
Mild topical irritation, redness, or tingling (Associated with topical use.)
Injection-site reactions (Associated with injectable use.)

+4 more

Possible histamine release (Source advises caution for MCAS or histamine sensitivity.)
Copper toxicity risk with excessive use (Risk described for excessive exposure.)
Wilson's disease contraindication (Source lists Wilson's disease as contraindicated.)
Caution with active cancer (Source flags an angiogenesis-related concern.)

Research summary

The supplied record attributes the principal work to Lee SH and colleagues in the Choi laboratory at Yonsei University, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology in 2017. It describes topical mouse experiments in which PTD-DBM was associated with earlier anagen after shaving and with follicle formation in wounded skin. The source reports solutions of 2 mM PTD-DBM and 500 mM valproic acid, approximately 6 mg/mL and 72 mg/mL respectively, and says this combination performed better than roughly 2 % minoxidil (reported as 100 mM) in that mouse model. It also notes 2024–2025 reviews discussing the compound and its CXXC5-related rationale. No completed peer-reviewed human efficacy study is supplied as of 2026; human pharmacokinetics, safety, dosing, and real-world effects remain unknown, and the source reports no FDA approval or IND on record.

The source describes a mixed evidence base. Cell and animal work is reported for wound repair, collagen deposition, fibroblast activity, elastin and growth-factor production, keratinocyte protection, and lung-injury models. Human data are described as small topical cosmetic studies, including facial-cream and eye-cream studies with 71 and 41 participants that reported changes in skin density, thickness, and wrinkle appearance. These data are encouraging for topical skin endpoints but do not establish injected or systemic benefits.

References

+1 more

+1 more

Full profile