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How Dihexa Works: Mechanism and Pharmacology

How Dihexa works: its target and mechanism as the sources state them, how long it acts, and what is still unknown.

Medical review pendingHGF/c-Met nootropicUpdated
Class
HGF/c-Met nootropic
FDA status
Not approved
Off Category 2, 15 Apr 2026
Routes studied
oral; local, systemic or intramuscular
Half-life
[pending]
by route, with source

How long it acts

No published half-life found for Dihexa (PubMed search, 11 Oct 2026)

Proposed target: the HGF system

A zebrafish study describes dihexa as a synthetic HGF mimetic that forms a functional ligand by dimerizing with endogenous HGF to activate the HGF receptor.[5]

The protective effect was attenuated by an HGF antagonist (6-AH), which the authors take as evidence that HGF activation is a component of the effect.[5]

The same authors found that adding an amino group to the N-terminal of dihexa weakened the effect, so small changes alter its specificity for its target. This is zebrafish data.[5]

Origin as an angiotensin IV analog

The molecule was built by chemically modifying the three N-terminal amino acids of an angiotensin IV analog to improve stability and barrier permeability.[6]

In APP/PS1 mice, tissue AngIV levels rose after dihexa administration.[7]

What is unknown

Drugs@FDA returned no match for dihexa on 2026-10-02, so there is no human-use label with a mechanism section.[8]

The Huntington's-like rat study notes that a compound with this mechanism had shown success in other neurodegenerative models and then tested it in a new one, where it failed to protect.[9]

Common questions

How long does Dihexa act in the body?

We found no published half-life for Dihexa (PubMed search, 11 Oct 2026), so how long it acts is unknown.

More on Dihexa

DosageDoses used in published studies, with the source for each.ResultsStudy outcomes and when they were measured.PricePrice per mg and per week from dated listings. No vendor links.Legal statusFDA, compounding and WADA status with dates.For cognitionWhat research says about Dihexa for cognition.BenefitsClaimed benefits next to what published studies measured.

Sources

  1. 1PubMed search: dihexa[tiab] OR "N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide"[tiab] (17 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  2. 2PubMed search: "N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide"[tiab] OR "Nle1-angiotensin IV"[tiab] OR "angiotensin IV analog"[tiab] OR "AngIV analog"[tiab] (14 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  3. 3PubMed search: (dihexa[tiab] OR "hepatocyte growth factor"[tiab]) AND (mimetic[tiab] OR "angiotensin IV"[tiab] OR Nle[tiab]) AND (memory[tiab] OR cognit*[tiab]) (7 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  4. 4PubMed search: (dihexa[tiab] OR "angiotensin IV analog"[tiab]) AND (adverse[tiab] OR "side effect*"[tiab] OR safety[tiab] OR tolerab*[tiab] OR toxicity[tiab] OR "case report"[pt]) (2 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 11 Oct 2026
  5. 5Hepatocyte growth factor mimetic protects lateral line hair cells from aminoglycoside exposure.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2015PMID 25674052Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  6. 6Evaluation of metabolically stabilized angiotensin IV analogs as procognitive/antidementia agents.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2013PMID 23055539Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  7. 7AngIV-Analog Dihexa Rescues Cognitive Impairment and Recovers Memory in the APP/PS1 Mouse via the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.Brain sciences · 2021PMID 34827486Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  8. 8Drugs@FDA (openFDA) search: active ingredient "dihexa"U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2026api.fda.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  9. 9Effects of an Angiotensin IV Analog on 3-Nitropropionic Acid-Induced Huntington's Disease-Like Symptoms in Rats.Journal of Huntington's disease · 2024PMID 38489193Accessed 2 Oct 2026

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