Copper peptide

AHK-Cu (50 mg vial) dosage protocol

Dosage chart, U-100 syringe units and supplies for a 50 mg vial of AHK-Cu mixed with 3 mL. For the full research summary, see the AHK-Cu page.

AHK-Cu quick reference (50 mg vial)

Vial contents: 50 mg AHK-Cu
Final volume: 3 mL
Concentration: 16.7 mg/mL
One U-100 unit: 167 mcg in 0.01 mL

AHK-Cu dosage chart

Amounts as reported for this peptide, with the syringe measure for this vial. Reported use is not evidence that a schedule works or is safe, and none of this is medical advice.

1 mg once daily

Subcutaneous injection, once a day
Community-reported

Reported in the research community. It has not been tested as a schedule in human trials. Worked out with a 50 mg vial + 3 mL bacteriostatic water (16.7 mg/mL, 167 mcg per unit).

Amounts as reported, with the syringe or spray measure for the vial below. Not a recommendation.
Period	Amount each time	U-100 units	Volume
Week 1 on	1 mg	6	0.06 mL

2 mg once daily

Subcutaneous injection, once a day
Community-reported

Reported in the research community. It has not been tested as a schedule in human trials. Worked out with a 50 mg vial + 3 mL bacteriostatic water (16.7 mg/mL, 167 mcg per unit).

Amounts as reported, with the syringe or spray measure for the vial below. Not a recommendation.
Period	Amount each time	U-100 units	Volume
Week 1 on	2 mg	12	0.12 mL

Reconstitution steps

Draw 3 mL of bacteriostatic water with a sterile syringe.
Inject it slowly down the inside wall of the vial, not onto the powder, to avoid foaming.
Swirl or roll the vial gently until the powder dissolves. Do not shake it.
Label it with the date and the volume of water, and refrigerate at 2-8 °C (36-46 °F), away from light.

Supplies needed

Minimum supplies for each length of the schedule above, with 50 mg vials and 3 mL of water per vial. One new syringe per injection (two if over 1 mL), two alcohol swabs per injection, 10 mL water bottles.

1 mg once daily

Subcutaneous injection, once a day
Community-reported

Minimum supplies, worked out from the amounts above. Add a margin for losses.
Item	8 weeks	12 weeks
Injections	56	84
Total peptide	56 mg	84 mg
AHK-Cu vials (50 mg)	2	2
Bacteriostatic water	6 mL	6 mL
Water bottles (10 mL)	1	1
U-100 insulin syringes	56	84
Alcohol swabs (boxes of 100)	112 (2)	168 (2)

2 mg once daily

Subcutaneous injection, once a day
Community-reported

Minimum supplies, worked out from the amounts above. Add a margin for losses.
Item	8 weeks	12 weeks
Injections	56	84
Total peptide	112 mg	168 mg
AHK-Cu vials (50 mg)	3	4
Bacteriostatic water	9 mL	12 mL
Water bottles (10 mL)	1	2
U-100 insulin syringes	56	84
Alcohol swabs (boxes of 100)	112 (2)	168 (2)

Research supplier

For laboratory research use only.

Codex Research LabShips from Panama City · US domestic shipping

Peptide reconstitution

Try other volumes of water: the concentration and the units per amount change with it.

Reconstitution calculator

Arithmetic only. It assumes the vial holds exactly what the label says.

Peptide in the vial (mg)Liquid added (mL)Amount to measure (mcg)

Concentration: 16,667 mcg/mL
Per U-100 unit: 166.67 mcg
Volume for your amount: —

Concentration of a 50 mg vial after adding the liquid, and peptide per U-100 unit (0.01 mL).
Liquid added	Concentration	Per unit
1 mL	50,000 mcg/mL	500 mcg
2 mL	25,000 mcg/mL	250 mcg
3 mL	16,667 mcg/mL	167 mcg

AHK-Cu vial and research context

Reconstitute: add 3 mL of bacteriostatic water for a 16.7 mg/mL solution.
Amounts in the chart: 1 mg-2 mg each time, by subcutaneous injection, once a day.
Easy measuring: at 16.7 mg/mL, one unit (0.01 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe holds about 167 mcg.
Storage: freeze-dried, keep it sealed, cold and away from light (frozen for long storage). Once mixed, refrigerate at 2-8 °C and avoid freezing and thawing.

AHK-Cu is a synthetic three-amino-acid peptide (alanine, histidine, lysine) bound to copper, a close relative of GHK-Cu, used mainly in hair and skin cosmetic products. We found only one published study of AHK-Cu itself, done on human hair follicles and cells in the lab, and it is not FDA-approved as a drug.

AHK-Cu 50 mg protocol overview

Primary calculation: 50 mg made up to 3 mL equals 16.7 mg/mL.
Amounts shown: 1 mg-2 mg per administration. Reported in the research community. It has not been tested as a schedule in human trials.
Route and frequency: subcutaneous injection, once a day.
Evidence ceiling: all 2 studies with a dose in our library were done in animals or cells; none in people.
Regulatory status: Used in cosmetics. Not FDA-approved as a drug.

How to read the AHK-Cu dosage chart

A 50 mg vial holds 50,000 mcg of AHK-Cu. Adding 3 mL gives 16.7 mg/mL, so one U-100 unit (0.01 mL) holds 167 mcg. To get the units for an amount, divide it by 167 mcg. The units are a volume mark on the syringe, not a measure of potency.

1 mg: 0.06 mL, or 6 U-100 units.
2 mg: 0.12 mL, or 12 U-100 units.

Vial coverage by mass: 50 full amounts of 1 mg, 25 full amounts of 2 mg per vial, before any handling loss.

If a different volume of water is used, every unit figure changes: recalculate with the calculator above.

Human AHK-Cu dosage evidence

We could not find any published study of AHK-Cu in people, whether applied to the skin or scalp or injected. The only work using human material was done on hair follicles and cells outside the body (see below), which is not a human trial.

Every study dose, including animal and cell studies, is in the AHK-Cu dose table.

AHK-Cu safety, side effects and evidence limits

There are no published human safety data for AHK-Cu, and none on injected use. Its use in cosmetic products is not the same as evidence of safety, because cosmetics are not reviewed by the FDA before sale.

Very limited evidence: one lab study does not show what happens on a real scalp or in the body.
Product quality: AHK-Cu sold online, especially for injection, is not checked by any regulator for identity, purity, dose or sterility.
Copper: the peptide carries copper. We could not find studies on what repeated use does to copper levels in the body.
Injection risks: any injected product that is not sterile can cause infection or abscesses.

FDA: Used in cosmetics. Not FDA-approved as a drug.
Evidence limits: reported use is not evidence that a schedule works or is safe. Animal doses do not convert to people, and research products are not made or checked for use in people.
Status checked on: Oct 26, 2026.

Questions about the AHK-Cu 50 mg vial

How much bacteriostatic water goes into a 50 mg AHK-Cu vial?

There is no single correct volume: it only changes the concentration. For a 50 mg vial, 1 mL gives 50,000 mcg/mL, 2 mL gives 25,000 mcg/mL, 3 mL gives 16,667 mcg/mL. More water makes small amounts easier to measure; less water keeps volumes small. Whatever volume is used, write it on the label.

What does one unit on an insulin syringe mean?

On a U-100 syringe, 100 units = 1 mL, so one unit is 0.01 mL. How much peptide that holds depends on the concentration of the vial, which depends on how much water was added.

Can doses from animal studies of AHK-Cu be converted to people?

No. Animal doses are reported per kilogram for a different species, and scaling them to people is not reliable. That is why Upzo shows each study dose next to its study, unconverted.

Research and education only. Not medical advice. Many peptides on this site are not approved by the FDA for human use. Doses shown are the ones used in published studies and are not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician before using any of them. Read the full disclaimer.