Peptide Graded

All peptides / Hormones

Humanin

Mitochondrial-derived peptide

Also HN, Humanin peptide, HNG, Humanin G, S14G-humanin, MTRNR2L

Evidence
CAnimal and cell studies
FDA status
Not approvedas of 2026-10-27
Route
Injection
Studies cited
3 human4 animal or cell

It is sold as an injection for longevity, brain health and blood sugar. No one has tested it in a trial in people; the claims come from animal and lab studies.

Sold for

Humanin is sold as a mitochondrial longevity peptide for brain protection, insulin sensitivity and healthy aging.

Studies say

Humanin protects neurons and improves insulin action in animals and tracks with age and disease in human blood samples, but it has never been administered to people in a trial, which is grade C.

Why grade C. For the longevity and metabolic use humanin is sold for, no human has been given humanin in a published trial. The human data are observational: a 693-person study of plasma mitokines across ages, a disease-comparison study in diabetes and Alzheimer's, and a genetic association with cognitive aging. Effects on insulin sensitivity, synapse loss and lifespan come from rats, mice, cultured neurons and worms. 678123

FDA. Humanin is not approved by the FDA for any use and is sold online as a research chemical. It is not a controlled substance under the DEA schedules. It does not appear in any of the FDA's three categories of substances nominated for compounding under section 503A, so the FDA's interim compounding policy does not cover it.

Written from 13 cited sources. Last refreshed 2026-10-27. Not physician reviewed.

What this means for you

What people take it for
Healthy ageing, brain protection, blood sugar
Can a US doctor prescribe it?
No. It is not approved and is sold as a research chemical.
Properly tested in people?
Not properly: animal and lab studies, plus blood tests in 693 people, but no trial giving it to people.

Evidence checklist

  • Randomised controlled trial No human trial; animal and cell workno
  • Human study over 100 people Observational study of 693 peopleyes
  • More than one research group Several independent groups' human and animal datayes
  • Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers Blood levels and cell effects, no outcomesno
  • Human safety data beyond case reports Never given to humans in a published studyno

Drawn from the cited studies below. A dash means the sources give no information.

What it is

Humanin is a peptide with 24 amino acids. A small gene segment inside the mitochondrial genome codes for it. It was the first of a family now called mitochondria-derived peptides. MOTS-c and the SHLPs belong to the same family. Researchers found it in 2001. They were screening for factors that protected neurons from amyloid-beta toxicity. The name comes from that finding. 5

Humanin circulates in human blood plasma, and doctors can measure it. It acts as a stress signal. Levels rise with age and are highest in centenarians. They fall in Alzheimer's disease. One amino acid swap, serine to glycine at position 14, gives the lab-made version S14G-humanin (HNG). It is about a thousand times more potent in tests of nerve protection. Most animal experiments use it. So do many online products. 679

How it works

Inside cells, humanin binds pro-apoptotic proteins such as BAX. This stops them from triggering cell death. Outside cells, it signals through a receptor complex that includes the cytokine receptor gp130. It also binds IGFBP-3, which links it to the IGF-1 axis. In the brain, astrocytes release it. In culture, it protects hippocampal neurons from losing synapses. 52

Researchers infused humanin into rat brains. Whole-body insulin sensitivity and glucose handling improved. This points to a central role in metabolism. In worms, extra humanin extended lifespan through the daf-16/FOXO pathway. Mice engineered to make more of it resisted toxic insults better. 13

What human research shows

Conte and colleagues measured humanin, FGF21 and GDF15 in 693 people aged 21 to 113. All three rose with age and were highest in centenarians. But higher levels went with worse handgrip strength, insulin sensitivity and triglycerides in 70-year-olds. In the oldest people, they went with shorter survival. The authors read this as a stress response, not a sign of health. A follow-up found humanin lower in Alzheimer's disease. It was not lower in type 2 diabetes. 67

Yen and colleagues found a variant in the mitochondrial humanin-coding region. It went with lower humanin in the blood. In a large national group of older adults, the variant tracked with faster cognitive aging. In the same paper, aged mice given humanin improved their cognition. 8

StudyModelFinding
Muzumdar 2009, insulin sensitivityRats, central humanin infusionHumanin improved hepatic insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism via hypothalamic signalling. 1
Conte 2019, mitokines and agingHumans, n=693 observational, ages 21 to 113Plasma humanin rose with age and was highest in centenarians, but higher levels correlated with worse health measures and shorter survival in the oldest. 6
Yen 2018, cognitive agingAged mice treated with humanin plus human genetic cohortHumanin improved cognition in old mice; a variant lowering circulating humanin was linked to faster cognitive aging in older adults. 8
Yen 2020, lifespanC. elegans, transgenic mice, human plasma samplesHumanin overexpression extended worm lifespan through daf-16/FOXO; centenarians' offspring had higher humanin. 3

Safety

No human has received humanin or its lab-made versions in a published clinical study. So there are no human safety data. High humanin goes with worse metabolic measures in older adults. This is a caution against assuming more is better. Products sold online as humanin or HNG are untested for identity, purity or sterility. 65

Questions for your clinician

  • Has humanin ever been given to people in a controlled trial?
  • What does higher humanin in older people with worse metabolic scores mean?
  • How would I know what is in an online vial labeled humanin?

Questions people ask

Does humanin have any FDA-approved use?

No. No one has ever submitted humanin for approval. It has no approved use. Online products are sold as research chemicals. Approved peptides such as bremelanotide and tesamorelin went through trials and carry FDA labels. 1213

What is humanin's legal status in the US?

The DEA does not list it as a controlled substance. So having it is not a drug offence. Selling it for human use without approval is a different matter. The FDA treats unapproved peptides sold for injection as unapproved drugs. Humanin does not appear in any of the FDA's three categories of substances nominated for compounding, so the FDA's interim compounding policy does not cover it. 41011

How do humanin and MOTS-c differ?

Both are peptides coded by the mitochondrial genome. Humanin comes from the 16S ribosomal RNA region. Researchers have studied it most for nerve protection. MOTS-c comes from the 12S region. Researchers have studied it mainly for exercise and metabolic effects. Neither has an approved use. 5

What have human studies of humanin turned up so far?

Only links. Humanin rises with age and is highest in centenarians. It is lower in Alzheimer's disease. A genetic variant that lowers it tracks with faster cognitive decline. No study has given humanin to people and measured what happens. 678

Citations

  1. Muzumdar 2009, PLoS One: humanin as a central regulator of peripheral insulin action doi.org
  2. Zarate 2019, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience: humanin released by astrocytes prevents synapse loss in hippocampal neurons doi.org
  3. Yen 2020, Aging: the mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan doi.org
  4. DEA: controlled substances alphabetical list (Orange Book) deadiversion.usdoj.gov
  5. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2022: mitochondria-derived peptides in aging and healthspan, review pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Conte 2019, Journals of Gerontology A: human aging and longevity are characterised by high levels of mitokines pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. GeroScience 2021: disease-specific plasma levels of FGF21, GDF15 and humanin in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Yen 2018, Scientific Reports: humanin prevents age-related cognitive decline in mice and is associated with cognitive age in humans pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2011: biological activity of humanin analogs correlates with structure stability pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. FDA: certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding may present significant safety risks fda.gov
  11. FDA: bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A, category list fda.gov
  12. FDA Drugs@FDA: bremelanotide (Vyleesi) application 210557 accessdata.fda.gov
  13. FDA Drugs@FDA: tesamorelin (Egrifta) application 022505 accessdata.fda.gov

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