What Dihexa is
Developed by Joseph Harding at Washington State University. Stable, orally active analogue of Nle1-angiotensin IV. Named for two hexanoic acid modifications. Originally developed as potential Alzheimer's therapeutic.
Mechanism, in plain English
Enhances hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) activation of the c-Met receptor. c-Met promotes synaptogenesis, neuronal survival, and neurite outgrowth. Crosses blood-brain barrier orally and intranasally. Dramatically improves memory in animal models at picomolar concentrations.
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All evidence is preclinical. Restored cognitive function in aged rats to young-animal levels. Effective at picomolar concentrations. Rescued synaptic connectivity in Alzheimer's-like models. Published in JPET (2013). No human clinical trials conducted. No human safety data.
FDA status
Not FDA-approved. No human trials. Available only as research chemical.
Common synonyms
Dihexa, N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide
Safety and adverse-event landscape
No human safety data. HGF/c-Met pathway has cancer concerns: involved in tumor proliferation/metastasis. Oncogenic risk at cognitive enhancement doses is unknown. This is not a dismissible concern.
Frequently asked questions
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