GLOW: Research Reference

GLOW is a three-peptide research blend: GHK-Cu, BPC-157 and TB-500 freeze-dried together in one vial. Our 70 mg vial contains 50 mg GHK-Cu, 10 mg BPC-157 and 10 mg TB-500. Close to three quarters of the mass is the copper peptide, which is why GLOW is blue and why its storage is built around keeping that copper bound.

This reference collects what a laboratory needs to know about GLOW as a material: how the three components behave once they share a vial, what the blend dissolves in, how it is handled at the bench and what to do when an order arrives. Each section below has its own page. The full chemistry of each peptide is in its own reference: GHK-Cu, BPC-157 and TB-500. These pages cover the blend.

Molecular reference

Name	GLOW Blend (three-peptide blend)
GHK-Cu, 50 mg	Gly-His-Lys bound to copper(II); C14H23CuN6O4, 402.9 g/mol, listed by PubChem as a singly charged cation (CID 71587328)
BPC-157, 10 mg	Gly-Glu-Pro-Pro-Pro-Gly-Lys-Pro-Ala-Asp-Asp-Ala-Gly-Leu-Val, 15 residues; C62H98N16O22, 1419.5 g/mol
TB-500, 10 mg	Ac-Leu-Lys-Lys-Thr-Glu-Thr-Gln, 7 residues; C38H68N10O14, 889.0 g/mol (PubChem CID 62707662)
Total per vial	70 mg combined peptide

Masses per vial come from our product listing; GHK-Cu and TB-500 data from the PubChem records named, BPC-157 data from our BPC-157 reference. As a mixture, GLOW has no formula, CAS number or molecular weight of its own.

Three features of the mixture decide how it behaves. First, it is dominated by GHK-Cu, about 71% by mass, so a mixed vial is in practice a copper peptide solution with two passengers. Second, the copper sits in GHK with one coordination position left open, which in crystals of the complex is taken by an oxygen from a carboxylate group (Hureau et al., Chemistry, 2011), and BPC-157 brings three side-chain carboxylates (Glu2, Asp10, Asp11) and a free N-terminal glycine into the same solution. TB-500’s N-terminus is acetylated and its one carboxylate side chain belongs to Glu5. Third, neither passenger has the residues that copper-driven oxidation attacks most, so the blend’s weak point stays with GHK-Cu itself. The GLOW stability page works through what that means.

What it is studied for

No published study has examined GLOW as a blend. The interest comes from its parts. GHK-Cu is a copper peptide first found in human plasma and studied in fibroblast and animal models for collagen production and wound repair. BPC-157 is a gastric-juice-derived peptide studied in gut, tendon, muscle and blood-vessel models. TB-500 is the acetylated actin-binding fragment of thymosin beta-4, studied for cell migration and wound closure in laboratory models. Each reference linked above sets out that literature with its sources, so it is not repeated here.

The appeal of a fixed blend for a laboratory is practical: one reconstitution sets all three at a known ratio. The cost is flexibility, since the ratio cannot be changed once mixed. That trade-off, and how GLOW differs from the four-peptide KLOW, which adds KPV, is set out in KLOW vs GLOW and GHK-Cu vs GLOW.

Stability

All three components take the same 8 to 12 week window once mixed. GHK-Cu is the most demanding of them, because its copper can be lost or redistributed and is sensitive to light, so the blend is stored to suit it. The GLOW stability page explains each component’s route and how to read the colour.

Solubility

All three peptides are hydrophilic, and GLOW dissolves readily in bacteriostatic water to a clear blue solution. The GLOW solubility guide covers why, what concentrations dissolve cleanly and why acid and phosphate are kept out.

Handling

For GLOW, good bench practice means cold, dark, sterile storage in plain water, with nothing added that could take the copper. The GLOW handling page lists the steps and the common mistakes.

On arrival

What an intact vial looks like, why it ships without ice and where the vial and the ready-mixed spray go first are on the GLOW on-arrival page.

Storage and reconstitution

Fridge and freezer windows, before and after mixing, are on how long GLOW lasts. Water volumes and the concentration table for a 70 mg vial, with each component’s share, are on how much bacteriostatic water for a GLOW Blend 70 mg vial.

FAQ

Short answers to the questions researchers ask most about storing, mixing and handling GLOW are on the GLOW FAQ.

Where to get it

Vistara Labs supplies GLOW Blend 70 mg as a lyophilised vial for laboratory research, shipped within Canada by Canada Post Xpresspost. A ready-mixed GLOW Nasal Spray is also available. Certificates are on our lab reports page.