Dihexa

What is Dihexa?

Dihexa is a synthetic oligopeptide.

Dihexa is a short lab-made peptide developed from angiotensin IV. Research reports it strongly supports cognitive function by driving synaptogenesis, the building of new connections between brain cells. Washington State University first developed it for Alzheimer's research. Reports describe it as 7 orders of magnitude (10 million times) more potent than BDNF at forming new synapses. Unusually, it also crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Key research areas

• Dramatic synaptogenesis promotion
• Cognitive enhancement and memory improvement
• Neuroprotection
• Potential neuroregeneration
• May help with Alzheimer's, TBI, and age-related cognitive decline

Researched dosing

This table shows how researchers have structured study dosing schedules for Dihexa across oral and injectable routes in animal research, published research methodology, not personal usage instructions.

Commonly cycled 8 weeks on, 2+ weeks off.

How it works

At the cell level, Dihexa research looks at how the compound binds a growth-factor receptor (c-Met) with high affinity, triggering the same synapse-building signaling pathway that BDNF uses, but the animal literature reports it does so at far lower concentrations.

Dihexa binds to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) with high affinity and potentiates its activity at c-Met receptor, activating PI3K/AKT pathways. This promotes formation of new synaptic connections at levels 10 million times more potent than BDNF. Crosses blood-brain barrier effectively via oral or injectable routes.

Molecular data

These figures, molecular weight and structure, are the chemistry fingerprint researchers use to confirm a Dihexa sample's identity; it's a modified short peptide chain rather than a large protein.

Weight

504.7 Da

Length

0 amino acids

Type

Oligopeptide

Hexanoyl-Tyr-Ile-Ahx-NH2 (N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6)-aminohexanoic amide)

Pharmacokinetics

This chart shows how a research dose of Dihexa is absorbed and cleared over roughly two and a half days in animal studies, context for how study designs space out repeat dosing.

What the studies report

This section lists the body systems and research areas scientists have studied for Dihexa, largely animal-model memory and neuroprotection research, a summary of what's been investigated in the literature, not medical claims about people.

Dosage reference

Doses used in research

8-10 mg oral; injectable studies used 0.5 mg/kg.

Frequency in studies

1x daily (morning)

Handling

Reconstituted solution, research use only; not for administration

Timeline reported in studies

1-3 weeks initial, 4-8 weeks full

Storage

Oral capsules: room temperature. Injectable: requires DMSO to dissolve (Dihexa won't dissolve in water), store DMSO stock solution at 2-8°C. Always use pharmaceutical-grade DMSO.

Cycle length

4-8 weeks on

Break between cycles

2-4 weeks off

Interactions

This list shows which other cognitive-research peptides scientists study alongside Dihexa, and flags pairings that call for extra caution in a research setting.

Reconstitution & storage

Dihexa doesn't dissolve in water, so this section describes the specific multi-solvent laboratory method researchers use to prepare an injectable research solution, alongside the simpler oral-capsule form.

1. Dihexa does not dissolve in water or ethanol, you must use DMSO as the solvent.
2. For a 10mg vial: add 100 µL (0.1 mL) of pharmaceutical-grade DMSO to dissolve the powder completely.
3. Add 400 µL (0.4 mL) PEG300 and gently swirl until the solution is clear.
4. Add 50 µL (0.05 mL) Tween 80 and gently swirl until clear.
5. Add 450 µL (0.45 mL) sterile saline and gently swirl until clear, this gives you 1 mL total at 10 mg/mL.
6. The final ratio is 10% DMSO / 40% PEG300 / 5% Tween 80 / 45% saline, always add solvents in this order and make sure the solution is clear before adding the next one.
7. For oral: No reconstitution needed, use capsules as provided.
8. Store the reconstituted solution refrigerated (2-8°C), labeled with the date and concentration, for laboratory research use only.

Lyophilized: Room temperature, use within As per manufacturer specification

Reconstituted: 2-6°C, use within 30 days; avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles

Quality indicators

These are the documentation and sourcing checks researchers use to confirm a Dihexa sample is genuine and properly tested before it goes into a study.

What to expect

This timeline summarizes what animal-model research literature reports at each stage of a study, research context for comparing studies, not a personal-results promise.

Regulatory status

• Not approved by the FDA for any indication.
• Supplied and described for laboratory research use only, not for human or veterinary use.

What is not known

The limits of the published work on Dihexa, stated plainly. Research use only: none of this is guidance for a person.

Every result here is from cells, rats or mice. No trial in people has been published, so this page does not show what dihexa does in a person.

The line that dihexa is ten million times stronger than BDNF is repeated everywhere. It is a ratio from a laboratory assay of new connections between cells, and it says nothing about memory, about behaviour, or about anything in a person. This entry does not link a paper for the figure because none could be traced to it.

The mouse and rat doses were set for mice and rats. Doses do not translate between species.

The longest published animal study ran a few months. What happens after that, or after dosing stops, is not measured in any published work.

Dihexa acts on a growth signal pathway. What long use of that pathway does is not known, and researchers name that as the open question themselves.

The terms, in plain words

Every technical term this page leans on, said again in ordinary words.

Synaptogenesis

The growing of new connections between brain cells.

BDNF

Brain derived neurotrophic factor, a natural protein that helps brain cells grow and connect.

c-Met receptor

A docking point on a cell that normally reads a growth signal called HGF.

Angiotensin IV

A short natural peptide in the brain that this compound was built from.

Blood brain barrier

The filter that keeps most substances in the blood out of the brain.

Morris water maze

A standard rodent memory test. The animal has to remember where a hidden platform is.

Sources

The published work behind this entry. Each link was opened and each note says what that paper reports, not what it suggests.

1. Evaluation of metabolically stabilized angiotensin IV analogs as procognitive/antidementia agents Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2013Rats. The paper that introduced dihexa. Reports that it survives in the body, works by mouth, and reverses a drug induced memory deficit in a maze test.
2. AngIV-Analog Dihexa Rescues Cognitive Impairment and Recovers Memory in the APP/PS1 Mouse via the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway Brain Sciences, 2021A mouse line carrying the changes seen in Alzheimer's. Reports better performance on a memory test and changes in one signalling pathway.

How it is studied

In the published studies listed below. Each one names the species it was run in, the dose, how long it ran, and what it reported.

How it compares with related peptides

These entries sit closest to Dihexa. Each card names the peptide's category, what it is studied for, and how much research exists, so the differences are readable side by side.