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HuAnimal studies only

Humanin

Humanin is a small protective peptide made from mitochondrial DNA. It has been studied in cells and in mice and rats. No dosing trial in people was found.

Not approved: no approved product foundNo human treatment trial found; human studies only measured blood levels
OverviewDosingMixingResearchCommunitySafetyFAQSources

Humanin quick reference

TypeMitochondria-made peptide (24 amino acids)
Studied forBrain, heart, insulin and aging models
EvidenceCells, mice and rats; no dosing trial
RouteInjection (community)
Half-lifeNot established

What is Humanin?

Small protective peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA.

People use it, or the stronger HNG, for aging and brain health.

No dosing trial in people; cancer findings are mixed.

How Humanin works

Cell survival

Blocks BAX and cell-death signals.

Survival signaling

Brain infusion activated STAT3 in rats.

AMPK in the heart

HNG raised AMPK signals in mouse hearts.

HNG is stronger

The S14G analog is more potent; most animal work used it.

What Humanin is studied for

AnimalsAlzheimer's model

3 months of HNG improved memory and cut plaques in mice.

AnimalsHeart attack

HNG shrank infarct size in mice, best at 2 mg/kg.

AnimalsInsulin action

Brain infusion improved insulin sensitivity in rats.

AnimalsLifespan

Extra humanin lengthened worm life; HNG improved mouse health markers.

AnimalsTumors

Humanin sped breast tumor growth and blunted chemo in mice.

PeopleBlood levels

Children of centenarians had higher humanin; no dosing study.

Humanin dosing protocol

ItemFinding
Human doseNot established
Studied inMice and rats (belly injection, into a vein, into the brain) and cell cultures
Human dataBlood levels measured in observational studies; no dosing study found

Mouse and rat amounts are not shown because they do not convert to a human dose. Animal studies mostly used the analogs HNG or HNGF6A.

HUMAN DOSENone establishedTrial
COMMUNITY RANGE25 mcg to 1 mgCommunity

Label and trial amounts come from the sources below. Community amounts are what people report; they have not been tested.

Mixing

Vial10 mg
+
BAC water2 mL
=
Strength5 mg per mL

Example only. Humanin and HNG are different products.

Open the peptide calculator

What the research found

There are no human treatment results, so these are the evidence facts:

3 monthsHNG injections in Alzheimer's-model mice: better memory and fewer amyloid plaques
83Dialysis patients in a 2026 study: blood humanin measured, and both low and high levels were linked to more heart events
49Older adults in a 2025 study: higher blood humanin with better Mediterranean-diet adherence
0Dosing trials in people found

Frontiers in Nutrition 2025 (PMID 41883858); Cardiorenal Medicine 2026 (PMID 41849628); Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2012 (PMID 21993310). These human studies only measured natural blood levels.

Humanin community experience

What users report. Not tested in trials.

Positive reports

  • Smoother energy Some describe steadier energy.
  • Better sleep Occasionally reported early.
  • Recovery Rare reports of quicker recovery.

Negative & mixed

  • Too few reports Small user base, no reliable pattern.
  • Mixed up Humanin and HNG get lumped together.
  • No effect Some notice nothing.
  • Stack noise Multi-peptide stacks hide the cause.

Humanin stacking

Humanin + MOTS-c

Both mitochondria-made peptides. Not studied together.

Humanin + SS-31

Membrane support plus stress signaling. Not studied together.

Humanin + FOXO4-DRI

Opposite aims: protects cells vs removes them. Not studied together.

Humanin side effects & safety

Common

  • No human dosing trial, so no known rates.
  • Mild site redness or swelling (community).
  • Fatigue, headache or stomach upset (community).
  • The user base is too small for reliable rates.

Less common

  • Mouse breast-cancer study: faster tumors and weaker chemo.
  • Humanin raised chemo resistance in glioblastoma cells (2023).
  • Long-term organ, immune and cancer risks in people are unknown.

Precautions

  • Past or active cancer: anti-cell-death signals could help tumors.
  • Chemotherapy: animal results conflict.
  • Not approved; no trial dose exists.
  • Diabetes drugs: it changed insulin action in rats.

Our verdict on Humanin

Broad cell-protection story in animals. No human dosing data, and cancer findings point both ways.

Humanin FAQ

Is humanin the same as HNG?

No. HNG swaps one amino acid and is more potent.

Does humanin extend life?

In worms, yes. In mice, HNG improved metabolic health markers.

Is it safe with cancer?

Unknown. One mouse study found faster tumors.

Has it been given to people?

No dosing trial found; only natural blood levels were measured.

Sources

  • Hashimoto Y et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001 (discovery), PMID 11371646
  • SH3-binding protein 5 mediates the neuroprotective effect of humanin, J Biol Chem 2013, PMID 23861391
  • S14G-humanin in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2012, PMID 21993310
  • Central effects of humanin on hepatic triglyceride secretion, Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2015, PMID 26058861
  • HNGF6A increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, FASEB J 2013, PMID 23995290
  • Humanin and SHMOOSE with Mediterranean diet, Front Nutr 2025, PMID 41883858
  • Circulating humanin in hemodialysis patients, Cardiorenal Med 2026, PMID 41849628
  • Guo B et al. Nature 2003 (humanin and Bax), PMID 12732850
  • Humanin: a novel central regulator of peripheral insulin action, PLoS One 2009, PMID 19623253
  • Acute humanin therapy in mouse ischemia-reperfusion, Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2010, PMID 20651283
  • Humanin as a regulator of lifespan and healthspan, Aging 2020, PMID 32575074
  • Humanin promotes tumor progression in experimental TNBC, Sci Rep 2020, PMID 32444831
  • Humanin and chemoresistance in glioblastoma cells, Cancers 2023, PMID 37627089
  • Humanin and chemotherapy side effects, J Natl Cancer Inst 2014, PMID 24586106