Also known as PNB-0408 · N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide
An orally active angiotensin IV–derived peptidomimetic reported as an extraordinarily potent synaptogenic (synapse-forming) compound.
Research refreshed
Dihexa is a small peptidomimetic derived from angiotensin IV, developed to promote the formation of new synapses. It works through the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) / c-Met system rather than a classic neurotransmitter pathway, and it was reported in preclinical work to be orders of magnitude more potent than BDNF at driving synaptogenesis — which is why it draws intense interest as a cognitive research compound despite very limited human data.
Dihexa came out of work by Joseph Harding and colleagues at Washington State University on angiotensin IV, a fragment of the blood-pressure hormone angiotensin that unexpectedly turned out to support learning and memory. The team engineered a stabilized, orally active, blood–brain-barrier-penetrant derivative — Dihexa — designed to keep the pro-cognitive activity while surviving in the body long enough to matter.
Its headline claim is potency: in preclinical assays Dihexa was reported to promote new synapse formation at concentrations far below those needed by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), acting by enhancing signaling of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) through its receptor c-Met. That mechanism and potency make it a compelling research tool for neurodegeneration, but the same properties — a small molecule that powerfully drives cell signaling — mean its safety is essentially uncharacterized in humans. It is a research compound and is not FDA-approved.
Proposed potentiation of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) signaling at its receptor c-Met, promoting synaptogenesis; derived from the angiotensin IV / AT4 system.
Behind every vial of Dihexa is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how Dihexa, specifically, is brought into being.
On paper, Dihexa is C27H44N4O5 — about 504.7 daltons of precisely arranged atoms. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.
Dihexa is assembled by solid-phase peptide synthesis — the chain grows one protected residue at a time on resin, and what you fail to build cleanly here you pay to remove later.
The crude mixture — Dihexa plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one.
A real batch of Dihexa proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry against its ~504.7 Da, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of Dihexa — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.
Dihexa is a peptidomimetic — a modified dipeptide core (Tyr-Ile) capped with an N-terminal hexanoyl group and a C-terminal 6-aminohexanoic amide — rather than a standard peptide. It is assembled by short solid-phase / solution steps, but the non-amino-acid caps mean its identity and related-substance control resemble small-molecule QC as much as peptide purity.
Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.
Dihexa is an orally active peptidomimetic derived from angiotensin IV, studied as a highly potent promoter of new synapse formation via the HGF / c-Met pathway.
In the original preclinical assays it promoted synaptogenesis at concentrations orders of magnitude lower than BDNF, a benchmark neurotrophic factor.
It is proposed to enhance hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) signaling through the c-Met receptor, rather than acting on a classic neurotransmitter system.
No — it is an early-stage research compound, not FDA-approved, and its safety in humans is essentially uncharacterized. This page is a research and educational reference.
Dosing protocols, mechanism, comparisons, and the latest trials — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.