ARA-290 vs GHK-Cu
Side-by-side comparison of ARA-290 and GHK-Cu: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing.
Price snapshot
ARA-290
GHK-Cu
ARA-290
ARA-290, also known as Cibinetide or pHBSP (Helix B Surface Peptide), is an 11-amino-acid peptide — QEQLERALNSS — designed to mimic a specific region of the tissue-protective surface of erythropoietin (EPO) without…
Lowest listed price: $32.00 across 5 listings
Full ARA-290 profileGHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a molecule Pickart and Thaler first pulled out of human plasma in 1973. The free peptide (GHK, C14H24N6O4) weighs about 340.4 Da; bind it 1:1…
Lowest listed price: $34.99 across 7 listings
Full GHK-Cu profileSide-by-side comparison
| Attribute | ARA-290 | GHK-Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recovery | Skin, Hair & Aesthetics |
| Research Stage | Phase 2 | Approved/marketed as a topical cosmetic ingredient (Copper tripeptide-1) with supporting small human studies. Injectable use is preclinical/off-label, research-use-only, with no human clinical trials. |
| Mechanism of Action | ARA-290's mechanism of action is one of the more elegantly engineered examples of pharmaceutical design in the peptide space. Understanding it requires appreciation of the dual-receptor biology of erythropoietin and the specific receptor-selective engineering… | GHK-Cu works mostly as a copper shuttle and a signaling peptide. It binds Cu(II) with high affinity (log K around 16.4, close to albumin's 16.2) and can supply or regulate copper for copper-dependent enzymes like SOD1, lysyl oxidase, cytochrome c oxidase, and… |
| Half-Life | ~2 minutes (plasma half-life; downstream tissue-protective effects persist hours to days) | ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) |
| Typical Dose Range | 1 mg - 4 mg subcutaneous daily | 200-500 mcg SC daily (community/RUO; no clinically established injectable dose) |
| Dosing Frequency | Once daily | Once daily subcutaneous; some run 5 days on / 2 days off. Topical: 1-2x daily to cleansed skin. |
| Administration | — | Subcutaneous, Topical |
| Side Effects | ARA-290 has demonstrated a notably favorable safety profile across clinical trials — one of the cleaner safety records among research peptides. The engineering rationale of separating tissue-protective effects from hematopoietic effects appears to have largely… | Topical GHK-Cu is generally well tolerated; higher-concentration formulations (4-5%) raise the odds of irritation, redness, or stinging. Injectable use has no safety data from controlled trials; the main theoretical concern is copper accumulation with repeated… |
| Molecular Weight | ~1257 Da | Free peptide (GHK): 340.38 Da (C14H24N6O4). Copper complex (GHK-Cu): 401.9 Da (C14H22CuN6O4, neutral 1:1 Cu(II) complex). |
| Common Vial Sizes | — | 50 mg, 100 mg |
Price History
3 data points- Ion Peptide
- BHG Labs
- LB
Price History
4 data points- OF
- BM
- Half Nattys
- BHG Labs
ARA-290: potential benefits
- Neuroprotective effects
- Anti-inflammatory activity
- Tissue repair without erythropoiesis
- Potential diabetic neuropathy treatment
- Sarcoidosis symptom reduction
GHK-Cu: potential benefits
- Stimulates type I collagen synthesis in human fibroblasts at low nanomolar-to-picomolar concentrations (PMID: 3169264)
- Increases glycosaminoglycans (dermatan/chondroitin sulfate) and upregulates decorin in wound models (PMID: 11121126)
- Modulates matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, partially correcting the MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance in a smoke-induced emphysema model (PMID: 35936787)
- Drives tissue remodeling and chemoattracts macrophages, mast cells, and capillary cells to injury sites (PMID: 18644225)
- Modulates expression of ~4,000+ human genes via the Broad Institute Connectivity Map, including DNA-repair and antioxidant genes (PMID: 25302294)
- Increases stemness and proliferative potential of epidermal basal cells and keratinocytes (PMID: 23019153)
- Acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory copper regulator in the context of aging (PMID: 22666519)
- Broad skin-regeneration effects on collagen, proteoglycans, MMPs, and immune/endothelial cell recruitment (PMID: 26236730)
Frequently asked
What's the difference between ARA-290 and GHK-Cu?
ARA-290 is a recovery that ara-290's mechanism of action is one of the more elegantly engineered examples of pharmaceutical design in the peptide space. understanding it requires appreciation of the…. GHK-Cu is a skin, hair & aesthetics that ghk-cu works mostly as a copper shuttle and a signaling peptide. it binds cu(ii) with high affinity (log k around 16.4, close to albumin's 16.2) and can supply or regulate copper…. The two differ in mechanism, half-life (~2 minutes (plasma half-life; downstream tissue-protective effects persist hours to days) vs ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study)), and typical dose range.
Which has the longer half-life, ARA-290 or GHK-Cu?
ARA-290 has a half-life of ~2 minutes (plasma half-life; downstream tissue-protective effects persist hours to days). GHK-Cu has a half-life of ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study). Longer half-lives generally mean less frequent dosing but slower on/off kinetics.
Which is cheaper, ARA-290 or GHK-Cu?
Lowest listed price on BodyHackGuide: ARA-290 from $32.00, GHK-Cu from $34.99. Prices are pulled from the vendor listings tracked on BHG and change frequently. See the compare tables on each compound page for the current set of offers.
Can you stack ARA-290 and GHK-Cu?
Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. ARA-290 and GHK-Cu should only be stacked after reviewing each compound's individual protocol page, side effect profile, and any published interaction data. Use the BodyHackGuide stack builder for a structured review before combining research compounds.
See current vendor prices
Listings from the vendors we track. Prices change often, so check the vendor before you buy.
Before you buy ARA-290 or GHK-Cu
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Related comparisons
Research use only. BodyHackGuide is a research and price-comparison reference. The compounds discussed on this page are not approved by the FDA for human consumption and are sold strictly for laboratory research. Prices shown are pulled from vendor listings tracked on BHG and are subject to change. Every vendor is ranked on the same public, reproducible methodology. See editorial standards and affiliate disclosure.