Cardiogen vs GHK-Cu
Side-by-side comparison of Cardiogen and GHK-Cu: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing.
Price snapshot
Cardiogen
GHK-Cu
Cardiogen
Cardiogen is a short synthetic peptide developed in Russia by Vladimir Khavinson and his collaborators at the St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology, positioned as a "myocardial bioregulator" intended…
No vendor price on file.
Full Cardiogen 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 | Cardiogen | GHK-Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recovery | Skin, Hair & Aesthetics |
| Research Stage | Preclinical | 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 | Mechanism of Action Cardiogen's proposed mechanism is the Khavinson short-peptide bioregulator framework applied to cardiac tissue. The three-stage model - absorption and distribution, nuclear import, sequence-selective chromatin modulation - has been detailed… | 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 | Not characterized in humans. As a short linear tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg), Cardiogen is expected to undergo rapid enzymatic hydrolysis to its constituent amino acids; no validated modern pharmacokinetic half-life has been published. | ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) |
| Typical Dose Range | 20 mg oral once daily x10 days, or 2-5 mg SC daily x10 days; 60-90 day washout | 200-500 mcg SC daily (community/RUO; no clinically established injectable dose) |
| Dosing Frequency | — | Once daily subcutaneous; some run 5 days on / 2 days off. Topical: 1-2x daily to cleansed skin. |
| Administration | — | Subcutaneous, Topical |
| Side Effects | Side Effects and Safety Cardiogen has been used in Russian clinical settings and post-Soviet supplement channels for roughly 20 years without a substantial adverse-event literature. That absence is reassuring in direction but must be contextualised against the… | 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 | 489.5 g/mol (C18H31N7O9, tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg) | 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
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Cardiogen: potential benefits
- Cardiovascular tissue support
- Cardiac muscle repair
- Improved heart function markers
- Anti-aging effects on heart tissue
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 Cardiogen and GHK-Cu?
Cardiogen is a recovery that mechanism of action cardiogen's proposed mechanism is the khavinson short-peptide bioregulator framework applied to cardiac tissue. the three-stage model - absorption and…. 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 (Not characterized in humans. As a short linear tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg), Cardiogen is expected to undergo rapid enzymatic hydrolysis to its constituent amino acids; no validated modern pharmacokinetic half-life has been published. vs ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study)), and typical dose range.
Which has the longer half-life, Cardiogen or GHK-Cu?
Cardiogen has a half-life of Not characterized in humans. As a short linear tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Arg), Cardiogen is expected to undergo rapid enzymatic hydrolysis to its constituent amino acids; no validated modern pharmacokinetic half-life has been published.. 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.
Can you stack Cardiogen and GHK-Cu?
Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. Cardiogen 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.
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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.