LTP·01learntopeptide
Cognitive & neuroPeptidomimeticEvidence D4 cited

Dihexa

N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile Aminohexanoic Amide

aka N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide · PNB-0408 · HGF/c-Met activator

A small peptide that mimics BDNF, with research noting potent neurogenesis and synapse formation in animal models.

Molecular wt
504.7g/mol
Formula
C27H44N4O5
CAS
1401708-83-5
Half-life
2 h
estimated
Tmax
1 h
Route
Oral
PubChem
129010512

Sequence

Read this before quoting the sequence
Not a conventional peptide. Dihexa is a metabolically stabilised angiotensin IV analogue: N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6)-aminohexanoic amide. The N-terminus is capped with a hexanoyl (C6 acyl) group and the C-terminal residue is 6-aminohexanoic acid (Ahx), a non-proteinogenic amino acid, presented as the amide. It therefore has no standard one-letter representation. PubChem synonyms for CID 129010512 include 'N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide' and 'Hexanoyl-Tyr-Ile-Ahx-NH2'.
Source ↗

Mechanism of action

Dihexa is a small peptide that mimics the effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), promoting neurogenesis and synapse formation. It enhances cognitive function by facilitating the repair and growth of neural connections. Dihexa binds to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor c-Met, which are involved in neural development and synaptic plasticity.

What the evidence actually shows

Grade D

NEGATIVE: Fosgonimeton (clinical derivative) FAILED Phase 2 LIFT-AD trial (312 patients, Sept 2024). HGF/c-Met is a pro-cancer pathway. No validated human dosing.

Regulatory status

Status
Not approved as a medicine in any jurisdiction identified. No entry in Drugs@FDA or the EMA medicines register.
Clinical stage
Preclinical. All retrievable evidence is rodent and in vitro. FDA states on its compounding page: 'FDA has not identified any human exposure data on drug products containing dihexa acetate administered via any route of administration.'
WADA
Not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. S0 (Non-Approved Substances) prohibits at all times 'any pharmacological substance which is not addressed by any of the subsequent sections of the List and with no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use (e.g. drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development or discontinued...)', which on its face covers dihexa.
UK
research_compound

Dihexa is not approved for medical use in the UK and is considered a research compound.

Source ↗

Pharmacokinetics

Half-life
2 h
Tmax
1 h
Absorption
subcutaneous
Elimination
renal
Washout
2 days
Low-confidence pharmacokinetics
These figures are recorded as estimated rather than measured in a published PK study. Treat them as an order of magnitude. Anything downstream of them — accumulation, steady state, washout — inherits that uncertainty.

Dosing — what backs each figure

Dihexa (N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6)-aminohexanoic amide) is an angiotensin IV-derived HGF/c-Met potentiator with no human trials whatsoever - no ClinicalTrials.gov record, no published clinical pharmacology, no safety data in people. All in vivo evidence is rodent and zebrafish, so no human dose exists to report.

PreclinicalAnimal studies — not a human dose

  • Multiple oral dose levels of Dihexa administered to APP/PS1 transgenic mice; restored Morris water maze performance, increased brain Ang IV, reduced IL-1beta/TNF-alpha and activated PI3K/AKT. Exact mg/kg dose levels are in the full text, not the abstract

    mouse (APP/PS1 Alzheimer model) · oral · PMID 34827486

  • 1 microM Dihexa in bath water conferred optimal protection of lateral line hair cells against neomycin and gentamicin ototoxicity (an in vivo immersion exposure concentration, not a systemic dose)

    zebrafish larvae · waterborne immersion · PMID 25674052

  • Dihexa binds HGF with high affinity and induces c-Met phosphorylation, hippocampal spinogenesis and synaptogenesis; mechanistic in vitro and ex vivo work underpinning the procognitive claims

    rat / cell culture · in vitro and ex vivo · PMID 25187433

Animal doses do not convert to human doses by body weight alone. Route matters too — a compound dosed intraperitoneally in mice tells you little about subcutaneous use.

Commonly circulatedNot established by any study
Dose
10-40 mg/day (oral)
Frequency
Daily

Why this isn't evidence
There is no registered or published human trial of Dihexa at all (ClinicalTrials.gov returns zero records), so a flat oral 10-40 mg/day human figure cannot come from any source - the only in vivo work is unstated-mg/kg oral dosing in APP/PS1 mice and 1 microM immersion in zebrafish.

This figure is shown because it is what circulates and what people search for — not because it is supported. Cycle lengths in particular tend to be convention copied between compounds rather than anything derived from a compound's own pharmacokinetics.

No established human dose
No approved label or completed human trial establishes a dosing regimen for this compound. Anything presented as a standard protocol for it — anywhere — is someone's convention rather than a finding.

Handling and storage

No compound-specific stability data exists
No compound-specific storage data exists in any regulatory label or published stability study that could be retrieved. Dihexa has no marketing authorisation. Only generic handling guidance for a small lipophilic peptidomimetic would apply, and no source was found stating specific temperatures or durations. General peptide handling still applies — reconstitute gently, keep it cold, keep it dark — but any specific figure you see quoted for this compound elsewhere is someone's assumption, not a measurement.
→ Reconstitution walkthrough→ Reconstitution calculator

Safety

Commonly reported
  • ·None known due to lack of human studies
Rarely reported
  • ·None known due to lack of human studies
Contraindications
  • ·Pregnancy
  • ·Breastfeeding
Drug interactions
  • ·None known due to lack of human studies

Reported combinations

Reported as synergistic
  • ·BDNF-enhancing supplements
Reported as antagonistic
  • ·None known due to lack of human studies

Combination claims in this dataset are largely unsourced and should be treated as folk knowledge until a citation appears beside them.

References (4)

Data provenance

Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.

Could not verify
storage, reconstitution

Research use only
This profile is educational reference material. It is not medical advice, not a prescription, and not an endorsement of self-administration. Compounds discussed here are research chemicals and most are not approved for human therapeutic use.

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