Humanin
HN · MT-RNR2 peptide · HNG · S14G-humanin
Humanin was found in 2001 by asking an unusual question: in a brain destroyed by Alzheimer's disease, why is a small population of neurons still alive? Screening what those survivors expressed turned up a short peptide that protected other cells from the same insult.
The surprise was where the gene sat. Humanin is encoded inside MT-RNR2, a mitochondrial gene, on the mitochondrion's own chromosome rather than in the nucleus. It was the first of what are now called mitochondrial-derived peptides, and it made the mitochondrion a signalling organ rather than only a power supply.
Circulating humanin falls with age in humans, and is higher in the children of people who live unusually long. That is the observation the longevity interest rests on. It is an association measured in blood, not an effect of giving anybody the peptide.
That distinction is the whole story here. Humanin has a large, genuinely interesting preclinical literature and no completed human intervention trial of any kind. Almost all of the animal work uses HNG, a more potent analogue with a single substitution at position 14, rather than the natural sequence being sold.
How it works
Its best-characterised action is blocking apoptosis. Humanin binds BAX and keeps it from moving to the mitochondrial membrane, which is the committed step in one of the main cell-death pathways.
Outside the cell it signals through at least two receptors: the formylpeptide receptor FPR2, and a trimeric receptor of CNTFR, WSX-1 and gp130 that activates STAT3. Which one matters appears to depend on the tissue.
It also binds IGFBP-3, which is how it intersects with the insulin and IGF-1 axis that most longevity biology runs through. Humanin improves insulin sensitivity in rodents, and this is the likely route.
The mitochondrial origin is not incidental. The peptide appears to be released under stress, which makes it look like a signal from mitochondria to the rest of the body about their own condition — the reason the field calls these retrograde signals.
Vocabulary on this page
- Evidence level
- The category of human evidence behind a compound, from preclinical through to approved. Stated on every profile here as a category, not an adjective.
- Injection site
- Where on the body an injection is given. Rotating between sites is standard practice for anything given repeatedly.
- Peptide
- A short chain of amino acids: the same building blocks as a protein, in a chain short enough to behave differently.
- Protocol
- One compound, with a dose, a frequency and a length: the plan, as opposed to what was actually taken.
What it is studied for
Each entry states the evidence behind it. We do not rank indications by effectiveness — for most compounds here, that would be a claim nobody can support.
Neuroprotection
Published reviewThe question it was discovered by.
EvidenceProtects neurons from amyloid-beta toxicity in cell culture and in rodent models. No human trial has tested it for any neurological condition.
Metabolic and insulin sensitivity
Published reviewWhere the mechanism is clearest.
EvidenceImproves insulin sensitivity in rodents, plausibly through IGFBP-3 binding. Human data is limited to observational measurement of the body's own humanin levels.
Longevity
Published reviewAn association, and only that.
EvidenceCirculating humanin declines with age and is higher in the offspring of long-lived people. Nobody has given humanin to a person and measured anything.
Regulatory status — United States
Not approved anywhere, for any indication, and never taken into a human trial. Sold as a research chemical. Material on the market is not a clinical product and has no manufacturing standard behind it.
Last reviewed 1 Sept 2026. Regulatory positions in this category change frequently; we date this line so you can see how current it is.
Identity and clearance
Molecule
- Class
- Mitochondrial-derived peptide
- Molecular weight
- 2687.3 Da
- Length
- 24 amino acids
Sequence
MAPRGFSCLLLLTSEIDLPVKRRA
Encoded within MT-RNR2 on mitochondrial DNA rather than in the nuclear genome. The analogue used in most animal work, HNG, substitutes glycine for serine at position 14 and is substantially more potent.
Dose protocols reported in sources
Displayed for reference only. Every row says where it came from, and a trial protocol and a community convention are not the same kind of information. None of this is fed into the calculator, and none of it is a recommendation.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route | Units, 5 mg vial | Source | Start this protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonly described community protocol | 1 mg – 5 mg | Daily | SubcutaneousScaled from rodent studies by guesswork, and most of those studies used HNG rather than humanin. There is no human dose because there has been no human study. | 20–100 u | Community practice | Start this |
Start this copies a row into a protocol of your own, which you can then edit. Where a source gave a dose range or an ambiguous frequency, those fields arrive empty — we will not pick a number on your behalf.
CheckRows marked community practice describe what people commonly do, drawn from public discussion. They are not derived from any trial and are not evidence that a dose is safe or effective.
Safety
Reported effects
- Unknown, in fullCommunity practice
Unknown
No human has taken humanin in a study. There is no adverse-event profile because nobody has ever collected one.
- Consequences of suppressing apoptosisPublished review
Unknown, and the specific concern
Its central action is blocking a cell-death pathway. Apoptosis is also how the body removes damaged and precancerous cells, and no study has looked at what sustained pharmacological suppression does over time.
When to stop
- Any new lump, or a persistent unexplained symptom.
- Unexplained weight loss, night sweats or persistent fatigue.
- Injection site reaction that spreads or does not settle.
- Any allergic response: rash, hives, facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent care.
Interactions and situations that need care
- Any history of cancerAvoid
Humanin's defining action is inhibiting apoptosis, which is one of the mechanisms that clears damaged cells. Deliberately suppressing it is the clearest specific risk the molecule carries.
- Pregnancy and breastfeedingAvoid
No reproductive or developmental data of any kind.
- Using it at all, at this stageUse caution
A compound with no human exposure in any controlled setting. The preclinical literature is real and interesting, and it is not a safety record.
What to expect
HonestlyThere is no human efficacy data for this compound, so there is no evidence-based timeline to give. Any site publishing a week-by-week schedule of expected effects has invented it.
- No human intervention trial has ever been completed, for any indication.
- The longevity claim rests on measuring the body's own humanin, not on giving anybody more of it.
- Most of the animal work uses HNG, a different and more potent molecule than the one sold as humanin.
- Its main mechanism is blocking apoptosis, which is a reason for caution as much as a reason for interest.
- It is a genuine discovery — the first mitochondrial-derived peptide — and that is a separate matter from whether injecting it does anything for you.
Storage and handling
- Freeze-dried powder
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
- After mixing
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C. Do not freeze once mixed.
- Long-term, frozen
- Unopened powder is stable at −20 °C or colder.
Checking your vial
Research chemicals carry no manufacturing standard, so what the vial looks like is often the only quality signal available before you use it. More on assessing quality and COAs.
No certificate of analysis
For a peptide with no clinical reference product, third-party identity and purity testing is the only evidence the vial holds what the label says.
Humanin or HNG
These are different molecules and vendors are not consistent about which they sell. The analogue is more potent, and a label saying only “humanin” does not settle it.
Questions
- Is humanin actually made by the human body?
- Yes. It is encoded in mitochondrial DNA and circulates in blood, and levels fall with age. That is why it is interesting. It is not why injecting it would work — plenty of things the body makes do nothing useful when given from outside.
- What is HNG?
- An analogue with glycine substituted for serine at position 14, considerably more potent than the natural peptide. Most of the animal literature people cite for humanin was actually done with HNG, which is worth knowing when reading claims about either.
References
The molecular structure and role of humanin in neural and skeletal diseases, and in tissue regeneration
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2022 · Narrative review
Cell culture and animal models
Summarises humanin's cytoprotective actions — BAX inhibition, FPR2 and CNTFR/WSX-1/gp130 signalling, IGFBP-3 binding — across neural, skeletal and regenerative contexts. The evidence base is preclinical throughout; no completed human intervention trial is described.
Naturally occurring mitochondrial-derived peptides are age-dependent regulators of apoptosis, insulin sensitivity and inflammatory markers
Aging, 2016 · Observational, with animal work
Human plasma samples across age ranges, plus rodent models
Circulating humanin declines with age in humans and is higher in the offspring of long-lived individuals. Rodent work supports effects on insulin sensitivity. The human component measures endogenous levels; it does not administer the peptide.
Clinic and community practice, unverified
Research-chemical vendor listings and forums, 2026 · Not a study
Not applicable
Doses circulating in community sources have no published basis. They are reproduced here because people are using them, not because anything supports them.
Related compounds
GHK-Cu
A naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide with a long history in topical skincare research. Injected use is not what the research studied.
Ipamorelin
A selective growth hormone secretagogue that prompts a short pulse of GH release. Widely used, and supported almost entirely by early pharmacology rather than outcome trials.
CJC-1295
A GHRH analogue that raises growth hormone by amplifying the body's own release signal. Sold in two forms whose durations differ by two orders of magnitude.
Tesamorelin
A GHRH analogue approved by the FDA for reducing excess visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The only compound in this category with completed phase 3 trials.
Next
What to do with Humanin
- Keep a record of itTurn a dose and a schedule into a protocol, then log what you actually take. Humanin is filled in for you.
- See what it costsPer-milligram prices read from vendor sites and confirmed by a person, so vial sizes compare.
- Check a combinationWhat our profiles record about Humanin alongside each other compound — including the pairs where nothing is recorded.
Keep this page honest
If something here is wrong, out of date, or missing a source, tell us and we will fix it and say that we did.
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice. No clinician reviews these pages.
Page last updated 1 Sept 2026