PeptideCompareHumanin — EU research guide.
Humanin is a 21-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. It is the founding member of the mitochondria-derived peptide (MDP) family and is studied for neuroprotection, metabolic regulation and longevity.
What is Humanin?
Humanin was discovered in 2001 as a peptide that rescued neurons from amyloid-beta toxicity. It is encoded in mitochondrial DNA and produced in response to cellular stress. It acts through three known receptors (FPRL1, CNTFR, gp130) to promote cell survival, reduce apoptosis and modulate insulin sensitivity. Circulating humanin levels decline with age.
What does the research show?
Animal studies demonstrate neuroprotection in Alzheimer's models, reduction of amyloid-beta toxicity, improved insulin sensitivity and reduced atherosclerosis. In human observational data, higher circulating humanin levels correlate with longevity and offspring of centenarians have elevated humanin levels. Humanin analogues (e.g. HNG — with glycine substitution) show 1000x greater potency in some models.
EU legal status
Humanin is not an approved drug anywhere. It is a research compound used in mitochondrial biology and longevity research. Available from EU vendors for laboratory use only.
Molecular information
Pharmacokinetics
Potency retained over time
Each line is one storage condition: it starts at 100% and falls as potency is lost. Above the dashed 80% line the material is considered reliable — hover for exact values.
⚠ Computed from molecular properties (sequence length, cyclisation, residues prone to oxidation or deamidation, light sensitivity), per compound. Indicative only — not lab-measured per batch.
Humanin across EU suppliers
COA-verified EU vendors · Updated monthly
References
- The discovery paper: a peptide encoded within mitochondrial DNA that rescued cultured neurons from cell death caused by familial Alzheimer's genes and amyloid-beta. All foundational humanin data of this era is cell culture, not people. Hashimoto Y, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98(11):6336–6341. DOIPubMed 11371648
- Humanin binds IGF-binding protein 3, linking it to the IGF axis that recurs across the longevity peptides. This is where much of the "longevity" framing originates, though it remains a molecular-interaction finding rather than a clinical outcome. Ikonen M, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003;100(22):13042–13047. DOIPubMed 14561895
- Circulating humanin declines with age in humans and rodents. This is observational human data — it shows an association with aging, not that injecting humanin changes any outcome. Muzumdar RH, et al. PLoS One. 2009;4(7):e6334. PMC2712078