What Is the GLOW Peptide Blend? GHK-Cu, TB-500, BPC-157

The GLOW blend is a three-peptide research formulation: GHK-Cu 50 mg, TB-500 10 mg and BPC-157 10 mg in one 70 mg vial. It combines the copper tripeptide studied in dermal matrix research with two peptides studied in soft-tissue repair models. Because GHK-Cu makes up five-sevenths of the content, the blend is blue, and that has practical consequences for handling and testing.

For laboratory research use only. The compounds discussed are not approved for human or veterinary use and are not drugs, foods or cosmetics. This article summarises published research and is not medical advice.

Key points

Composition: GHK-Cu 50 mg + TB-500 10 mg + BPC-157 10 mg (5:1:1 by weight).
Blue powder and solution, from the copper complex.
Calculate each component’s concentration separately after reconstitution.
None of the three components contains a histidine-rich copper site that would compete strongly with GHK.
No peer-reviewed study of the combination exists; each component has its own literature.

The three components

Component	Amount	What it is	Main research context
GHK-Cu	50 mg	Copper(II) complex of the plasma tripeptide Gly-His-Lys	Fibroblast matrix synthesis and remodelling, e.g. MMP-2/TIMP regulation (Siméon et al., 2000)
TB-500	10 mg	N-acetylated LKKTETQ, the actin-binding region of thymosin beta-4 (Ho et al., 2012)	Region linked to cell migration and angiogenesis (Sosne et al., 2010)
BPC-157	10 mg	15-residue gastric protein fragment	VEGFR2–Akt–eNOS signalling and angiogenesis (Hsieh et al., 2017)

The GLOW blend is supplied as a single 70 mg vial. For background on each component, see GHK-Cu, TB-500 and BPC-157.

Chemical compatibility in one vial

A reasonable question with any copper-containing blend is whether the other peptides will pull copper away from GHK or be affected by it. In GHK, copper is held by the N-terminal amine, a backbone amide nitrogen and the histidine imidazole, and the complex exchanges copper rapidly (Hureau et al., 2011). Strong competing copper sites in peptides usually involve histidine near the N-terminus. Neither TB-500 (Ac-LKKTETQ, N-terminus blocked, no His) nor BPC-157 (GEPPPGKPADDAGLV, no His) contains such a motif, so major copper redistribution is not expected. GHK-Cu itself is robust in water at pH 4.5–7.4, with degradation mainly under basic or oxidative stress (Badenhorst et al., 2016).

Reconstitution and concentration

Add solvent slowly down the wall and swirl; the solution should be clear and blue. Calculate each component separately:

Solvent volume	GHK-Cu	TB-500	BPC-157	Total
2.0 mL	25 mg/mL	5 mg/mL	5 mg/mL	35 mg/mL
3.0 mL	16.7 mg/mL	3.33 mg/mL	3.33 mg/mL	23.3 mg/mL
5.0 mL*	10 mg/mL	2 mg/mL	2 mg/mL	14 mg/mL

*Check that the vial size allows this volume with headspace; otherwise transfer to a larger sterile vial. Per 0.1 mL at 3 mL total, the solution contains about 1.67 mg GHK-Cu, 0.33 mg TB-500 and 0.33 mg BPC-157. The peptide reconstitution calculator can be used one component at a time. General technique: how to reconstitute peptides.

Storage and shelf life after reconstitution

Powder: sealed at −20 °C, protected from light.
Solution: 2–8 °C, dark, upright; avoid repeated freeze–thaw.
No stability study of the blend exists. The least stable component, more likely one of the two non-copper peptides than GHK-Cu, sets the limit. Date the vial and, for critical work, check by HPLC.
A colour shift from blue toward green, or loss of colour, suggests a change in the copper complex.

See how to store reconstituted peptides for the general principles.

How the blend is tested

Each component needs its own identity and purity result. The three have very different masses (GHK 340 Da, Ac-LKKTETQ ~889 Da, BPC-157 1419.5 Da), which makes MS identification straightforward. By HPLC they elute separately, and the 5:1:1 ratio can be checked against standards. Because the copper complex may dissociate in acidic mobile phases, GHK may appear as the free peptide in the chromatogram. That is expected and not a sign of degradation.

Related research

Frequently asked questions

What is in the GLOW peptide?

GLOW is a three-peptide blend: GHK-Cu 50 mg, TB-500 10 mg and BPC-157 10 mg, 70 mg in total per vial.

What colour is GLOW after reconstitution?

Blue. GHK-Cu is a copper(II) complex and makes up most of the blend, so the powder and solution are blue; TB-500 and BPC-157 are colourless.

How do you reconstitute the GLOW blend?

Add the planned volume of bacteriostatic or sterile water down the vial wall and swirl gently. With 3 mL, the solution contains about 16.7 mg/mL GHK-Cu and 3.33 mg/mL each of TB-500 and BPC-157.

How long does reconstituted GLOW last?

There is no published stability study for the blend. Store at 2–8 °C, protected from light, and treat it like other reconstituted peptides: date the vial and avoid repeated freeze–thaw. The least stable component limits the useful life.

What is the difference between GLOW and GHK-Cu?

GHK-Cu is a single copper peptide. GLOW adds TB-500 and BPC-157 to GHK-Cu in one vial; KLOW additionally adds KPV.

References

Hureau C, et al. X-ray and solution structures of Cu(II) GHK and Cu(II) DAHK complexes: influence on their redox properties. Chemistry. 2011. PMID: 21780203 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21780203/
Badenhorst T, et al. Physicochemical characterization of native glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine tripeptide for wound healing and anti-aging: a preformulation study for dermal delivery. Pharm Dev Technol. 2016. PMID: 25384620 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25384620/
Siméon A, et al. The tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ stimulates matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression by fibroblast cultures. Life Sci. 2000. PMID: 11045606 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11045606/
Ho EN, et al. Doping control analysis of TB-500, a synthetic version of an active region of thymosin β₄, in equine urine and plasma by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A. 2012. PMID: 23084823 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23084823/
Hsieh MJ, et al. Therapeutic potential of pro-angiogenic BPC157 is associated with VEGFR2 activation and up-regulation. J Mol Med (Berl). 2017. PMID: 27847966 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27847966/
Sosne G, et al. Biological activities of thymosin beta4 defined by active sites in short peptide sequences. FASEB J. 2010. PMID: 20179146 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20179146/