What is Dihexa?

What is Dihexa?

Dihexa (N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide) is a synthetic peptide derived from angiotensin IV. It was developed at Washington State University as a potential cognitive enhancer. It is not approved for human use and has never been tested in human clinical trials.

Key Facts

Fact	Detail
FDA Approved	No
Human Trials	None
Administration	Oral (claimed), intranasal
Evidence Level	Preclinical only

How Is It Supposed to Work?

Dihexa is designed to enhance the activity of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) at its receptor (c-Met). This pathway is involved in:

• Neuronal growth and survival
• Synapse formation
• Brain plasticity

The compound is claimed to be orally active and able to cross the blood-brain barrier, though this has not been verified in humans.

Research Status

What Studies Show

• Animal studies (primarily rats) showed improved memory and learning
• Researchers reported it was more potent than BDNF in promoting synapse formation
• Studies used healthy and dementia-model animals
• All data is preclinical

Evidence Quality

The evidence is extremely preliminary:

• Only animal studies exist
• No human safety or efficacy data
• Research comes primarily from one lab
• No clinical development announced

Significant Concerns

HGF and Cancer

The HGF/c-Met pathway is frequently overactive in cancer cells. Compounds that enhance this pathway raise theoretical concerns about tumor growth. This is a major reason for caution.

Unknown Safety

• Never tested in humans
• Long-term effects completely unknown
• Dose-response in humans not established
• Theoretical cancer risk from mechanism

Important Warnings

• No human data exists—all claims extrapolate from animal studies
• Products sold online are entirely unregulated
• The HGF pathway has known cancer associations
• This is a highly experimental compound

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This guide is for educational purposes only. Dihexa has never been tested in humans and is not approved for any use.