Dihexa

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

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Dihexa has no FDA-approved indication and no active IND. It may be sold for in vitro / laboratory research purposes only. It is not legal to prescribe, dispense, or administer to humans in a clinical or consumer context.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Dihexa

Origin

Synthetic derivative of the endogenous angiotensin IV heptapeptide, engineered at Washington State University with terminal modifications (N-hexanoyl and C-aminohexanoic amide caps) to confer metabolic stability and oral bioavailability.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

129010512

CAS

1401708-83-5

InChIKey

XEUVNVNAVKZSPT-JTJYXVOQSA-N

Molecular formula

C27H44N4O5

Molar mass

504.7 g/mol

Monoisotopic

504.33117052 Da

InChIKey

XEUVNVNAVKZSPT-JTJYXVOQSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilized powder

Solubility

Soluble in DMSO; moderate solubility in aqueous solutions; solubility enhanced a…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Metabolically stabilized by N-hexanoyl and C-aminohexanoic amide end-caps; more resistant to peptidase degradation than native angiotensin IV. Stability in biol

Vial sizes

5 mg · 10 mg

Purity grades

≥98% HPLC

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• Dihexa is proposed to act as an allosteric potentiator of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), facilitating its binding to the c-Met receptor tyrosine kinase on neurons
• Activation of c-Met recruits adaptor proteins Gab1 and Grb2, engaging the PI3K/Akt cascade, which regulates synaptic protein expression, dendritic spine formation, and neuronal survival
• Rodent studies using an APP/PS1 Alzheimer's model reported that dihexa restored spatial learning and reduced neuroinflammatory markers (IL-1β, TNF-α) via this PI3K/Akt pathway; blockade with a PI3K inhibitor reversed these effects
• Note: the foundational paper establishing this HGF/c-Met mechanism (PMID 25187433, Wright et al., J Pharmacol Exp Ther) was formally retracted in April 2025 following an earlier Expression of Concern; the remaining literature should be interpreted in this context

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

Estimated 2–4 hours in rodent plasma (unpublished peer-reviewed data; figure from secondary/vendor sources only)

PK–PD note: Engineered for oral bioavailability and blood-brain barrier penetration via terminal fatty-acid and amine capping. Formal peer-reviewed PK characterization in animals has not been published as of 2026…

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• Ho JK, Nation DA. Cognitive benefits of angiotensin IV and angiotensin-(1-7): A systematic review of experimental studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2018;92:209-225. — Anchoring systematic review; experimental (animal) studies only; pubtype includes 'Systematic Review'
• Wright JW, Kawas LH, Harding JW. The development of small molecule angiotensin IV analogs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Prog Neurobiol. 2015;125:26-46. — Comprehensive review of dihexa-class analogs by Harding lab (note: related primary papers later retracted in 2025)
• Wright JW, Harding JW. The Brain Hepatocyte Growth Factor/c-Met Receptor System: A New Target for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2015;45(4):985-1000.
• Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation — Dihexa Cognitive Vitality Report (Aug 13, 2021) — States no ClinicalTrials.gov programs testing dihexa; notes Athira Pharma's later compound fosgonimeton (ATH-1017) is distinct

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

No formal safety or toxicology studies in humans have been published. No completed human clinical trials appear in ClinicalTrials.gov as of May 2026. In rodent experiments, dihexa has generally been reported to be well tolerated at low doses, with transient hyperactivity noted in…

WADA status

Not specifically listed on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Dihexa does not fall under the defined categories of prohibited peptide hormones, growth factors, or g…

Dominant research route: Intraperitoneal (IP) was the dominant in-vivo efficacy route in the foundational rat studies; IV was used for pharmacokinetic profiling; oral activity was a designed and claimed property.

Pharmacokinetic characterization in Sprague-Dawley rats (in vivo)

Bioavailability: IV administration in rats yielded a serum half-life of approximately 12.7 days (12.68 days), reflecting extraordinary metabolic stability and tissue binding for a 504.66 Da molecule; IV defines 100% systemic exposure reference.

IV was used for pharmacokinetic profiling in McCoy et al. 2013 (JPET 344:141–154). An Expression of Concern was issued for this paper in 2021 (JPET 378:313).

Pharmacokinetic and cognitive efficacy studies in rats (scopolamine-deficit and aged rat models)

Bioavailability: IP administration in rats yielded a serum half-life of approximately 8.8 days (8.83 days); IP was a primary route for in vivo cognitive restoration studies.

IP was the dominant route for in vivo procognitive efficacy experiments (Morris water maze) in McCoy et al. 2013. The ALZdiscovery Cognitive Vitality report also references IP administration with a serum half-life of 335.5 minutes (likely an in-vitro serum-stability context distinct from in-vivo terminal half-life).

Oral activity demonstrated in rodent models (rats); designed as an orally active analog

Bioavailability: Dihexa was specifically engineered with N-hexanoyl and 6-aminohexanoic amide modifications to eliminate peptidase-sensitive bonds and confer oral bioavailability and blood-brain barrier permeability; described as 'orally active' in primary literature. No quantitative oral bioavailability fraction (F%) was published in the retrieved primary sources.

Oral activity is a designed property cited in McCoy et al. 2013 ('orally active, blood-barrier permeant') and Benoist et al. 2014 (PMC4201273). NOTE: Benoist et al. 2014 was RETRACTED in 2025 (JPET 392:103567), and McCoy et al. 2013 received an Expression of Concern in 2021 — oral-activity claims rest on publications with data-integrity flags.

Community/anecdotal route; not a primary route in published peer-reviewed PK studies

Bioavailability: No peer-reviewed SC pharmacokinetic data was located; community sources assert SC achieves higher systemic absorption than oral, but these are unsourced aggregator claims (e.g., '85–95% systemic absorption') not traceable to primary literature.

SC appears in community/aggregator protocols as a 'primary' administration method, but the foundational peer-reviewed studies (McCoy 2013, Benoist 2014) used IV, IP, and oral routes — not SC. SC PK data is absent from retrieved primary sources.

Community/anecdotal route only; no peer-reviewed intranasal study located

Bioavailability: Community aggregator sources describe intranasal use at lower dose equivalents (e.g., '0.1–1 mg/kg') claiming higher CNS delivery, but no primary literature supports intranasal pharmacokinetics for dihexa.

Intranasal is mentioned only in community/aggregator dosage guides; no published preclinical or clinical intranasal study was found in retrieved sources.

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $3.90 · median $7.00 · p75 $14.00 · 12 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $3.90–$16.92/mg.

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$2

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Purity on the current market (researched)

Vendor-claimed '>98% purity' is the prevailing market standard for research-grade Dihexa; no independent aggregate purity range for Dihexa specifically was located in retrieved sources.

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA enforcement reports, recalls, market withdrawals, or safety alerts naming Dihexa were found in FDA's recall/enforcement databases. None found.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Zero placebo-controlled human clinical trials of Dihexa have been published; all efficacy claims rest on preclinical (animal) data, much of it from papers now under formal expressions of concern.
• The foundational '7x BDNF' synaptogenesis claims trace to papers from the lab of Joseph Harding (WSU) / Athira Pharma that received formal expressions of concern and underlay a $4.07M False Claims Act settlement (Jan 6, 2025).
• Related Athira compound fosgonimeton (ATH-1017) failed its Phase 2 Alzheimer's trial (LIFT-AD) in 2023 for efficacy; Athira discontinued development — a negative signal for the HGF/c-Met mechanism class.
• Dihexa is unapproved by FDA; it is not legal to compound at a pharmacy and is not sold through telehealth. All marketed supply is 'research use only' gray-market material.
• WADA classifies Dihexa under S0 (Non-Approved Substances), prohibited at all times both in and out of competition; athletes face anti-doping sanctions.
• Oral Dihexa capsule claims are not supported by peer-reviewed human pharmacokinetic data; subcutaneous injection is the route used in all preclinical studies.
• Vendor-claimed '>98% purity' is self-attested in most cases; independent third-party HPLC COAs are the only objective signal and are not universally published.
• Customs seizure risk: Dihexa is legal for research use in the U.S. but becomes an unapproved drug on import into jurisdictions (e.g., Australia/TGA) without authorization, with no refund recourse.

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

Underdosing / mislabeling: No Dihexa-specific underdosing prevalence from independent lab aggregates (Janoshik / MZ Biolabs / Finnrick) was retrievable. Finnrick's partner-lab registry lists published test counts by lab (Krause Analytical 5,367; BTLabs 1,974; Chromate 672; TrustPointe 315; Freedom Diagnostics 216; Janoshik 195; MZ Biolabs 179) but these are cross-peptide totals, not Dihexa-specific. Janoshik lists a 'Dihexa analysis' (ID, amount and purity) service, but the individual report page was not retrievable (HTTP 403).

• Detention Without Physical Examination (DWPE) of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted in the U.S. As an unapproved new drug with no FDA approval, no human clinical trials, and active U.S. marketing under 'research use only' labels, Dihexa falls within the scope of IA 66-41's DWPE criteria for unapproved new drugs promoted in the U.S. No Dihexa-specific firm or product line was located on the published 66-41 red list in retrieved sources.FDA Import Alert 66-41
• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

Dihexa is not named explicitly on the WADA Prohibited List but, as a non-approved pharmacological substance, falls under WADA Prohibited List category S0 (Non-Approved Substances), prohibited at all times in and out of competition.

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• Affiliate-marketing influence in PED/nootropic YouTube content
• Self-experimentation anecdotes with no human clinical trials
• Vendor-promoted sourcing guides with commercial interest
• Mechanism extrapolation from rodent studies to human risk claims

Manually researched from reddit, youtube— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

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• Understanding evidence grades

Metabolically stabilized angiotensin IV analog investigated preclinically as a procognitive HGF/c-Met agonist; no human trials completed. Approximately 17 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Research Use Only — not approved, not compoundable. Research use only.

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