Peptide Graded

Dihexa

Is Dihexa safe?

No human safety data

CAnimal and cell studiesNot approvedas of 2026-10-27

No human safety data exist. The FDA's 2023 compounding review said it lacked enough information to judge whether giving dihexa to people would cause harm. The theoretical concern is cancer. c-Met signaling promotes tumor growth and spread. A compound designed to boost it has never been tested for cancer risk in people. 49

The scientific record is also compromised. One paper from 2012 described dihexa's development as an HGF/c-Met modifier. A 2014 paper tied its memory effects to that pathway. The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics retracted both in April 2025. The 2013 paper that first reported the compound carries a 2021 expression of concern. 678

Unknown. There is no human safety data. The pathway it activates, HGF/c-Met, is one that cancers use to grow and spread. So the theoretical risk is not trivial. 49

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More on Dihexa

Citations

  1. McCoy 2013, J Pharmacol Exp Ther: metabolically stabilized angiotensin IV analogs as procognitive agents (DOI record) doi.org
  2. Benoist 2014, J Pharmacol Exp Ther: procognitive effects dependent on HGF/c-Met (retracted) doi.org
  3. JAAOS Global Research & Reviews 2025: review of peptides in orthopaedic practice doi.org
  4. FDA: certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks fda.gov
  5. Benoist 2012, J Pharmacol Exp Ther: angiotensin IV analogs as HGF/Met modifiers (retracted 2025) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Retraction notice 2025, J Pharmacol Exp Ther: Development of angiotensin IV analogs as HGF/Met modifiers pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Retraction notice 2025, J Pharmacol Exp Ther: procognitive effects dependent on HGF/c-Met pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. McCoy 2013, J Pharmacol Exp Ther: metabolically stabilized angiotensin IV analogs as procognitive/antidementia agents pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. Review 2018, Int J Mol Sci: extracellular matrix and HGF/c-MET signaling in cancer progression pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. ClinicalTrials.gov search: dihexa (no registered trials) clinicaltrials.gov
  11. 2021, Brain Sciences: dihexa rescues cognitive impairment in APP/PS1 mice via PI3K/AKT pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Dihexa article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.