This is a side-by-side of what is documented, not a ranking. Different compounds are studied for different things, in different people, at different amounts. A row that looks stronger for one compound does not make it the better choice for anyone.
| Follistatin 344 | GHK-Cu | |
|---|---|---|
| Highest evidence tier on the page | E2 Human clinical evidence Registered or peer-reviewed human trial with reported results. | E2 Human clinical evidence Registered or peer-reviewed human trial with reported results. |
| Regulatory status | Not approved in any form; only human data is from small, completed Phase 1/1-2 AAV gene-therapy trials for muscular dystrophy/myositis, not injectable protein use | Not an approved drug; cleared for cosmetic use at industry concentrations |
| Research area | Growth hormone axis, Tissue repair and recovery | Tissue repair and recovery |
| Regulator-approved dose on file | No approved dose | No approved dose |
| Molecular formula | Not reliably established | C14H22CuN6O4 (neutral 1:1 complex); C14H24N6O4 for free GHK |
| Molar mass | Not reliably established | About 401.9 g/mol for the 1:1 complex; 340.38 g/mol for free GHK |
| CAS number | Not reliably established | 89030-95-5 (complex); 49557-75-7 (free GHK) |
| Registered trials on this site | 2 in the tracker | None linked yet |
| Furthest registered phase | Phase 1 / Phase 2 | Not stated |
| Trials currently active | 0 | Not stated |
| Trial sponsors | Jerry R. Mendell, Nationwide Children's Hospital | Not stated |
| What is not known | The largest open question for this entry is a category mismatch: essentially all human research on "follistatin-344" used AAV-vectored gene therapy causing a patient's own muscle to manufacture the protein locally over time, not a manufactured protein injected directly and repeatedly the way vendor "Follistatin... | Whether the peptide is necessary or is simply carrying copper. The evidence contradicts itself in both directions and the one study that would settle it has not been followed up in fourteen years. Whether administered GHK-Cu survives intact in plasma, or immediately hands its copper... |
| Published trials covered on its page | Not stated | 3 |
| Amounts studied in those trials | Not stated | Bishop 1992: Topical tripeptide-copper complex 0.4 percent cream, against 1 percent silver sulfadiazine cream and against an inert vehicle Miller 2006: Topical copper tripeptide complex added to a post-procedure skin care regimen; concentration not disclosed for 12 weeks Kapoor 2018: Intradermal scalp injection of a six component formulation in which copper tripeptide-1 was one active; no amount of copper tripeptide-1 is stated for 8 sessions at 3 week intervals As reported on the compound page. Amounts are not comparable between compounds. |
Full pages: Follistatin 344 and GHK-Cu. See also the clinical trial tracker and how we grade evidence.
Educational reference, not medical advice. Trial data from ClinicalTrials.gov. Everything else is drawn from the compound pages on this site, each of which cites its sources.
