Dihexa
N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide
An angiotensin IV derivative reported to be orders of magnitude more potent than BDNF at driving synapse formation — with essentially no human data.
Last reviewed · 1 references
How it works
Dihexa potentiates hepatocyte growth factor signalling at its receptor c-Met, a pathway involved in synaptogenesis. Washington State University research reported it forming new functional synapses in rodent models, with the widely cited claim of being roughly seven orders of magnitude more potent than BDNF in that specific assay.
Animal studies only. Findings come from rodent or in-vitro models. Animal results frequently fail to replicate in people.
What the research reports
- Restored cognition in scopolamine-impaired and lesioned rodent models
- Demonstrated synaptogenesis via the HGF/c-Met pathway
- Orally bioavailable and blood-brain-barrier penetrant in animals
What it has not been shown to do
- No published human trials of any size
- No human safety data at all
- c-Met is implicated in tumour growth — the oncological risk profile is genuinely unknown
Dosing reference
No established human dose exists. Amounts circulating in research-chemical communities are not derived from any trial and should not be treated as a reference.
Calculate my dose for Dihexa- Routes studied
- Oral, Topical
- Half-life
- Not characterised in humans
- Cycle length in the literature
- Not established
Working out a draw volume from a vial? Use the free reconstitution calculator.
Side effects and contraindications
Reported side effects
- Unknown in humans — anecdotal reports mention headache and overstimulation
Do not use if
- Any personal or family history of cancer — c-Met potentiation is a real theoretical concern
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Anyone unwilling to accept a compound with zero human safety data
The practice that shares the mechanism
We include Dihexa because people search for it and deserve an honest page, not because we think the risk-to-evidence ratio is defensible. The plasticity argument that makes it interesting applies equally to practices with a far better safety record.
What amplifies it
- Nothing meaningfully amplifies a compound whose human effects are uncharacterised
Mechanism hubs
Common questions
- Nobody knows. There are no human trials. The specific concern worth understanding is that c-Met — the receptor Dihexa potentiates — is also a pathway involved in tumour growth, and no long-term study has examined that risk.
- That figure comes from a specific in-vitro spinogenesis assay in one paper. It is a real published result, but it describes potency in a dish on one measure — not a claim that it makes a person seven orders of magnitude smarter.
Sources & evidence notes
Findings come from rodent or in-vitro models. Animal results frequently fail to replicate in people.
Confidence score 3/100
Preliminary
Mechanism only. Nothing here establishes that a person would feel anything.
- 1.
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2013 · Source (opens in a new tab)
In vitroLimited gradeCells or tissue in a dish. Tells you about mechanism, not about outcomes.