GLOW Stack 70 mg

What is the GLOW Stack?

The GLOW Stack is a blend of several research peptides with a total amount of 70 mg in one vial and is listed in the catalogue under Sets & Bundles. In the research-chemical trade, the name GLOW usually denotes the combination of the copper peptide GHK-Cu, the pentadecapeptide BPC-157 and the thymosin β4 peptide TB-500. Unlike a single peptide, a blend has no molecular formula, molar mass or CAS number of its own; these data belong to the individual components and are compiled in the following section.

The components at a glance

• GHK-Cu: copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (GHK). The free tripeptide has the molecular formula C14H24N6O4, a molar mass of 340.38 g/mol and the CAS number 49557-75-7; it was originally described as a peptide from human plasma. For the copper complex there are database entries for both a 1:1 and a 2:1 ratio, each with its own formula and CAS number. Available individually as GHK-Cu.
• BPC-157: pentadecapeptide with the sequence Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val, molecular formula C62H98N16O22, 1419.5 g/mol, CAS 137525-51-0. The sequence corresponds to part of a protein described in human gastric juice. Available individually as BPC-157.
• TB-500: peptide from the sequence of thymosin β4. In PubChem the name stands for the N-acetylated fragment Ac-Leu-Lys-Lys-Thr-Glu-Thr-Gln, residues 17 to 23 and thus the central actin-binding motif (C38H68N10O14, 889.0 g/mol, CAS 885340-08-9). Under the same name, complete synthetic thymosin β4 of 43 amino acids is sometimes offered commercially as well. Available individually as TB-500.

Why these peptides are listed together

The combination follows a naming convention common in the research-chemical trade, not a shared molecular class: a copper–tripeptide complex, a linear 15-mer and a thymosin β4 fragment have little in common structurally. What links them is that all three are studied separately from one another in the literature, in cell and tissue models. GHK-Cu appears in work on copper binding and on gene expression profiles in fibroblast models, BPC-157 in preclinical tissue models in rodents, and the LKKTETQ motif in assays on actin sequestration and cell migration. Filling them into one vial implies nothing about any interplay between the components. A further blend in the catalogue is KLOW; all combinations can be found under Sets & Bundles.

Analysing a blend

For a blend, HPLC does not give a single main signal but several peaks, which are assigned to the components. Mass spectrometry serves as proof of identity for each component. For TB-500 this is particularly revealing: a measured molecular mass of around 889 Da points to the acetylated fragment, one of around 4963 Da to complete thymosin β4. For the copper peptide, either the free tripeptide GHK or the metal complex may be detected, depending on the measurement conditions. GPeptides has its products tested regularly by an independent external laboratory using HPLC and mass spectrometry. The available certificates of analysis are filed in the lab area; without a published certificate, the status there reads “pending”.