GHK-Cu Copper Peptide for Wound Healing
A single decades-old controlled trial found that topical GHK-Cu copper peptide sped the healing of diabetic foot ulcers, but no modern study has confirmed it and no wound-care guideline endorses it, so the evidence is weak. The over-the-counter "copper peptide" serums sold for skin repair are cosmetics, not wound medicines, and should never be applied to open or chronic wounds, which need professional care.
Why this grade7-layer evidence engine
This rates as weak (Tier C) because the human evidence rests on exactly one positive trial with nothing modern behind it. In Mulder's 1994 multicenter, randomized, evaluator-blinded, placebo-controlled study (PMID 17147644), a topical GHK-Cu gel closed diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers far better than the inactive gel, about 98.5% versus 60.8% median area closure (p<0.05), with the largest ulcers gaining most and fewer infections. That is a genuine positive result, which is why copper peptide is not graded as useless.
But a single small ulcer trial from 1994 cannot carry a treatment claim. The rest of the support is mechanistic rather than clinical: GHK-Cu raised the matrix-remodeling enzyme MMP-2 in cultured human fibroblasts (PMID 11045606), and two narrative reviews (PMID 26236730, PMID 35083444) mostly compile animal and lab findings. The most-cited review was written by the peptide's own discoverer, a clear conflict of interest, and no large modern multicenter study has reproduced the original benefit.
Authorities reinforce the caution. The US FDA treats copper peptides as cosmetic ingredients, not approved drugs; EU/EFSA authorizes claims only for dietary copper (connective tissue, pigmentation), not topical GHK-Cu; and the UK NHS does not list it as a treatment. No diabetic-foot or wound-care guideline recommends it. The practical bottom line: cosmetic copper-peptide serums are not wound treatments, and real or chronic wounds belong in a clinician's hands.
Scoring transparency
All scores computed by a 7-layer evidence engine — fully auditable▸View the full decision path (audit trail)
- compute_raw_score — 加權公式: L2×0.30 + L3×0.25 + L5×0.25 + L11×0.10 + L1×0.10 = 0.542
- tier_from_score — 依分數區間映射至 tier letter
- apply_hec_rules — 無高階證據可裁決
- tier_strict_requirement_check — Tier 條件達標，未降階
- detect_disputes — 偵測到 0 個 hard + 0 個 soft dispute
- decide_status — 依 tier + dispute 結果決定 status