GHK-Cu vs BPC-157: Copper Peptide vs Pentadecapeptide

Both GHK-Cu and BPC-157 get filed under “tissue repair” in researchers’ notes, but they are about as different as two small peptides can be — different size, different metal content, different research footprint.

Two molecules, two worlds

Property	GHK-Cu	BPC-157
Identity	Copper tripeptide-1 (GHK + Cu)	Gastric pentadecapeptide
Molecular weight	≈ 404 g/mol	≈ 1,419 g/mol
Vial size	50 mg lyophilized	5 mg lyophilized
Research focus	Fibroblast, collagen, wound-repair models	Angiogenesis, tendon, GI mucosa models

GHK-Cu is three amino acids wrapped around a copper ion — the copper is part of what’s being studied, not an impurity. BPC-157 is a fifteen-amino-acid peptide first isolated from gastric juice, with a research footprint in angiogenesis and mucosal stability. The BPC-157 vs TB-500 guide covers the other side of the repair-peptide family.

The vial-size difference is deliberate

Protocols treat these two on different scales, which is why the vials differ tenfold:

• GHK-Cu 50 mg in 2 mL → 25,000 µg/mL. A 1,000 µg dose is 40 µL (4 units).
• BPC-157 5 mg in 2 mL → 2,500 µg/mL. A 250 µg dose is 10 units.

The reconstitution calculator carries both presets, and the molecular weight calculator helps when protocols switch to molar units.

Practical notes

Both are lyophilized at −20 °C and reconstituted with USP bacteriostatic water. GHK-Cu solutions can take on a faint blue tint at higher concentrations — a property of the copper, not a degradation sign. Full specs: GHK-Cu and BPC-157.

For laboratory research use only. Not medical advice.