AHK-Cu, or Alanine-Histidine-Lysine-Copper, is a naturally occurring tripeptide complexed with copper that has been investigated for its role in activating copper-dependent enzymatic processes and modulating extracellular matrix proteins involved in tissue structure and repair
The addition of the AHK-Cu complex may potentially have stimulated the proliferation of normal dermal fibroblasts and possibly enhanced their viability
Therefore AHK-Cu may have potential action on blood vessel growth as well, which may further enhance the function of fibroblasts
Researchers posit that mitigating the impact of dihydropteroate may reduce overall loss and potentially protect hair follicles from negative stress
DPCs are considered specialized variants of fibroblasts, which may play a pivotal role in the development and growth of hair follicles, although this was not definitively proven
Beyond wound and skin research, AHK-Cu has appeared in studies examining hair follicle biology