Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of GHK and Larazotide — mechanism, dosing, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
GHK is the parent tripeptide Gly-His-Lys, originally isolated from human plasma by Loren Pickart (1973) as an activity that caused aged hepatocytes to synthesize proteins like younger tissue. It is DISTINCT from GHK-Cu, the 1:1 copper(II) complex tracked as a separate entry — but GHK binds copper readily in vivo, so in physiological environments the bare peptide rapidly associates with available Cu(II). Not FDA-approved for any indication; used in cosmetic and research contexts only.
Larazotide is a synthetic linear octapeptide (Gly-Gly-Val-Leu-Val-Gln-Pro-Gly) structurally derived from the Vibrio cholerae zonula occludens toxin. It is proposed to act on the zonulin/tight-junction signaling pathway, interrupting gliadin-triggered intestinal barrier disruption by preserving tight-junction integrity locally in the gut lumen. Larazotide has been studied in multiple human trials for celiac disease under the development codes AT-1001, INN-202, and SPD550, but has never received FDA or EMA approval; a Phase 3 trial (NCT03569007) was terminated by the sponsor in 2022 with no results posted. It is not systemically absorbed and is available only as a research chemical.
GHK
Larazotide
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COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
GHK
Larazotide
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
GHK
No COA data yet.
Submit testing data →Larazotide
1
COAs
98.3%
Avg purity
1
Labs
GHK is among peptides under FDA review for the Category 1 (503A) list; if added, it would require a prescription to be compounded by registered 503A/503B pharmacies — not yet authorized. Larazotide remains research-only. In April 2026 the FDA removed 12 peptides from Category 2, which does not place them on the Category 1 list or authorize compounding. The FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is advisory and meets July 23–24, 2026 to review nominations and make recommendations to the FDA.
The overwhelming majority of GHK research uses the GHK-Cu complex; direct studies of copper-free GHK are limited. Pickart (J Biomater Sci Polym Ed, 2008, PMID 18644225) reviewed GHK's role in tissue remodeling and wound healing. Pickart et al. (Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2012, PMID 22666519) reviewed GHK-Cu in oxidative stress and cognitive aging. Pickart, Vasquez-Soltero & Margolina (BioMed Res Int, 2014, PMID 25302294; 'GHK and DNA: Resetting the Human Genome to Health') summarized microarray data indicating GHK modulates expression of thousands of human genes. No human clinical trials exist for injected bare GHK; cosmetic formulations typically use topical GHK or GHK-Cu at ~50–200 ppm.
Key references
Larazotide has been studied in multiple completed human trials for celiac disease but has never received FDA or EMA approval. A Phase 1 single-dose study (Paterson et al. 2007, PMID 17697209) confirmed no systemic absorption. Phase 2 gluten-challenge trials (Leffler et al. 2012, PMID 22825365, n=86, doses 0.25/1/4/8 mg TID) did not meet the primary endpoint (intestinal permeability) due to high variability, though lower doses limited symptom worsening. A Phase 2b trial (Leffler et al. 2015, PMID 25683116, ~342 patients, no gluten challenge) met its primary endpoint at the 0.5 mg TID dose, showing symptom improvement versus placebo with an inverse dose-response. The Phase 3 CeDLara trial (NCT03569007, 307 patients, 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg TID) was terminated by the sponsor in 2022 for futility/impractically large required sample size, with no results posted. Across trials, no serious drug-related adverse events or hepatic/renal/bone toxicity signals were reported; headache and urinary tract infection were the most common adverse events without consistent excess versus placebo. In preclinical models, larazotide reduced gliadin-induced paracellular permeability and preserved tight-junction protein localization in Caco-2 human intestinal cell monolayers, prevented gliadin-induced permeability increases and reduced macrophage infiltration in HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice, and accelerated barrier recovery in a porcine jejunum ischemia-reperfusion injury model.
GHK (Cosmetic) and Larazotide (Immune) are in different categories and target different biological pathways. This is a common pattern in multi-compound research protocols. Researchers should monitor the biomarkers from both profiles and watch for interactions listed in each compound’s contraindications. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before combining any research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
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Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs