Important limitations
- Individual claims and source links have not yet completed editorial verification.
- Evidence level, applicable study model, formulation, route and population remain unassigned.
Humanin
Humanin is a naturally occurring micro-peptide found in mitochondria, known for its role in protecting cells from apoptosis.
Dosing & scaling, explained
The moderated mass amounts below are retained for comparison. Near-duplicates, mix-dependent volumes and device markings are excluded. This is educational source context, not a protocol or recommendation.
Mass amounts available for comparison
- Lower range500 mcgDose
Recorded example with no verified study backing; shown for amount literacy only.
- Mid range5 mgDose
Recorded example with no verified study backing; shown for amount literacy only.
Only mcg or mg amounts are retained. The calculator derives mL, syringe units or pen clicks from the current vial strength, water volume and device.
No independently verified schedule
Evidence context
No clinical amount or schedule is inferred from this material. Source verification is pending, and every displayed amount remains educational context rather than guidance.
Storage, handling and interpretation
Product identity
Verify the exact compound, formulation and amount against the product label or certificate before calculation.
Storage & handling
Follow the product label, certificate and validated laboratory SOP; no universal storage assumption is applied here.
Prepared solutions
Label concentration and preparation date, use sterile technique where applicable, and follow a validated stability protocol.
Reported protocols for Humanin
What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 3 preclinical and 3 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
| Context | Dose | Frequency | Route | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preclinical3 rows | |||||
| Aged-mouse cognition and healthspan study (HNG)Female C57BL/6N mice from 18 months of age (100 mice in the 14-month arm) | 4 mg/kg (HNG analog) | Twice weekly | Intraperitoneal | 6 months for the cognition tests; 14 months in the survival armNone | Scientific Reports (PubMed)2018 |
| After six months of twice-weekly HNG, 24-month-old mice held their balance longer on a rotarod and showed better spontaneous alternation than vehicle controls. This 4 mg/kg twice-weekly schedule is the one most community guides cite, but it is an intraperitoneal mouse protocol of a potent analog, not a human regimen. | |||||
| Insulin-clamp studies in rats (native humanin and analogs)Conscious catheterised rats and Zucker diabetic fatty rats | 0.05 mg/kg per hour intravenous (HNGF6A analog); 0.375 mg/kg per hour intravenous native humanin had no effect | Continuous infusion during a hyperinsulinemic clamp | Intravenous; also intracerebroventricular | Single clamp experimentsNot applicable | PLoS One (PubMed)2009 |
| Native humanin improved insulin action only when infused into the brain; given intravenously it did nothing at 0.375 mg/kg per hour, and a double-substituted analog that does not bind IGFBP-3 was needed to reproduce the effect peripherally at a far lower rate. The paper also reported falling humanin levels with age in rodents and humans. | |||||
| Chemotherapy-protection studies in male mice (HNG)Young adult male C57BL/6J mice, with and without melanoma or cyclophosphamide | 5 mg/kg daily intraperitoneal; 10 mg/kg daily subcutaneous | Once daily | Intraperitoneal (2-week arm) or subcutaneous (4-week arm) | 2 or 4 weeksNot applicable | Endocrinology (PubMed Central)2015 |
| Daily HNG protected germ cells and white cells from cyclophosphamide while the chemotherapy's suppression of lung metastases was, if anything, enhanced. These are among the highest HNG doses published and were given daily, in contrast to the twice-weekly aging protocol. | |||||
| Community-reported3 rows | |||||
| Twice-weekly community convention (HNG) | 500 mcg (conservative start); 1,000 mcg (common range) | 2-3 times weekly | Subcutaneous; 5 mg vial in 2 mL gives 2.5 mg/mL, so 500 mcg is 20 units | 4-8 weeksOff period after each cycle, length unspecified | Community resource2026 |
| This vendor-affiliated chart, updated July 2026, copies the twice-weekly rhythm of the mouse studies but at a tiny fraction of any body-weight conversion, and states outright that no human dose exists. It warns that applying native-humanin figures to an HNG vial would be a thousand-fold overdose. | |||||
| Aggregated forum protocols (HNG) | 1-5 mg (standard); 5-10 mg per week divided (higher-dose); 0.5-1 mg (low-dose daily) | 2-3 times weekly (standard and higher-dose); once daily (low-dose) | Subcutaneous | 4-8 weeks (standard and low-dose); 2-4 weeks (higher-dose)2-4 weeks off | Community resource2026 |
| A wiki page compiled from 25 forum reports in February 2026 notes that strict allometric scaling of the 2-4 mg/kg mouse dose would imply roughly 21 mg per dose for a 70 kg adult, far above what anyone reports using. It flags that vendors rarely state which analog is in the vial and that no human trial exists. | |||||
| Daily HNG chart | 0.5 mg in week 1, then 1-2 mg (most settle at 1 mg) | Once daily, morning | Subcutaneous (abdomen, flank or thigh) | 8-12 weeks4-8 weeks off | Community resource2026 |
| An April 2026 vendor article describes a daily rather than twice-weekly pattern and calls its own cycling precautionary rather than evidence-based, since endogenous humanin is produced continuously. It lists mild injection-site reactions and fatigue as the only reported effects and excludes active malignancy because of the peptide's anti-apoptotic action. | |||||
How a course is commonly described
- Week 1Community-reported
Community guides describe confirming whether the vial is native humanin or HNG, then starting HNG at 500 mcg either twice weekly or daily. No acute effect is expected and most reports describe nothing noticeable at this stage.
- Weeks 2-8Community-reported
Doses settle at 1 mg per injection, given two or three times a week in most charts or daily in others, with users framing it as a long-term strategy and describing effects as subtle. Guides suggest tracking a biomarker because there is no felt effect to titrate against.
- Weeks 8-12 and breakCommunity-reported
Cycles end at 4-8 weeks in the twice-weekly charts and 8-12 weeks in the daily chart, followed by 2-8 weeks off. The sources describe the break as a precaution against unknown long-term effects rather than a response to any observed tolerance.
- Preclinical comparisonPreclinical
The mouse protocol that community schedules imitate ran HNG at 4 mg/kg intraperitoneally twice a week for 6-14 months without interruption, starting at 18 months of age. Chemotherapy-protection studies used 5-10 mg/kg every day for 2-4 weeks.
- Human dataClinical
No human has received humanin or HNG in a published trial. The human literature consists of circulating-level studies, for example a 327-patient cohort in which serum humanin was lower in angina and lower again after myocardial infarction, and biomarker registrations on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Every dose in the community rows is for HNG, the glycine-14 analog. Native humanin is roughly a thousand times less potent, so a vial of the wrong form makes the numbers meaningless in either direction.
- Rodent pharmacokinetics show that humanin's half-life depends on IGFBP-3 binding, is longer in rats than mice, and that after intraperitoneal injection the peptide was undetectable in rat brain or heart. The twice-weekly schedule reflects the mouse studies' design rather than any measured duration of action in people.
- Humanin has never been administered to people in a trial, has no approval anywhere, and the association between high natural levels and longevity is correlational. The rows above record what sources report, not endorsements of use.
Sources for this section (10)
- Humanin Prevents Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Mice and is Associated with Improved Cognitive Age in Humans
- Humanin: a novel central regulator of peripheral insulin action
- The Potent Humanin Analogue (HNG) Protects Germ Cells and Leucocytes While Enhancing Chemotherapy-Induced Suppression of Cancer Metastases in Male Mice
- The mitochondrial derived peptide humanin is a regulator of lifespan and healthspan
- Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of humanin and its analogues in male rodents
- Circulating humanin is lower in coronary artery disease and is a prognostic biomarker for major cardiac events in humans
- Humanin Isoforms in Cardiac Muscle and Blood Plasma and Major Complications After Cardiac Operation (NCT03431844)
Plus 3 community resources (dosing guides, forum threads and vendor write-ups), reported above but not linked.
Overview
Humanin is a 24-amino-acid peptide encoded inside the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene, first found in 2001 in a screen of surviving neurons from an Alzheimer's disease brain. It is studied as a cytoprotective and insulin-sensitising signal, and circulating levels fall with age and are low in coronary disease and diabetes, which is what drives longevity interest. Almost all animal work, and nearly every vial sold as humanin, uses HNG, a serine-14-to-glycine analog about a thousand times more potent than the native peptide; neither form has ever been given to people in a clinical trial, and the only registered human studies measure humanin as a blood biomarker.
What researchers are exploring
These themes organize the educational information currently available. Individual claims remain under source review and are not treatment claims.
- 1
What Is a Micro-peptide?
Understanding micro-peptides and their unique characteristics
- 2
Neuroprotection
Humanin's role in protecting neurons and preventing cell death
- 3
Humanin Interfaces with IGF-1
The interaction between Humanin and insulin-like growth factor 1
- 4
Humanin Research and Retinal Disease
Humanin's role in retinal health and macular degeneration
- 5
Research
Ongoing investigations and potential applications of Humanin
What is known and what still needs verification
Available context is organized without assigning unsupported study models or evidence grades.
- Not graded
What Is a Micro-peptide?
Understanding micro-peptides and their unique characteristics
- Not graded
Neuroprotection
Humanin's role in protecting neurons and preventing cell death
Amounts recorded for Humanin
These amount records are independent from vial strength, reconstitution volume and measuring device. A recorded source is not the same as study backing, and these values are not recommendations.
- 1DoseSign in for schedule, duration and source context.500 mcg
- 2DoseSign in for schedule, duration and source context.5 mg
Chemistry identifiers
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
Sequence
Met-Ala-Pro-Arg-Gly-Phe-Ser-Cys-Leu-Leu-Leu-Leu-Thr-Ser-Glu-Ile-Asp-Leu-Pro-Val-Lys-Arg-Arg-Ala (HNG analog: Ser14 replaced by Gly)
Also listed as
Humanin (human), HN, 1-24-Protein humanin (human), MT-RNR2-encoded peptide (gene name MTRNR2L / humanin-like), UNII H975EUX36G, GTPL1047, CHEMBL4447799, HNG (S14G-humanin, the glycine-14 analog most research vials contain; separate compound)
InChIKey
DPEUWKZJZIPZKE-OFANTOPUSA-N
IUPAC name
(4S)-5-[[(2S,3S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-6-amino-1-[[(2S)-5-carbamimidamido-1-[[(2S)-5-carbamimidamido-1-[[(1S)-1-carboxyethyl]amino]-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxohexan-2-yl]amino]-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl]carbamoyl]pyrrolidin-1-yl]-4-methyl-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-3-carboxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-3-methyl-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-4-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S,3R)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2R)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-1-[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-amino-4-methylsulfanylbutanoyl]amino]propanoyl]pyrrolidine-2-carbonyl]amino]-5-carbamimidamidopentanoyl]amino]acetyl]amino]-3-phenylpropanoyl]amino]-3-hydroxypropanoyl]amino]-3-sulfanylpropanoyl]amino]-4-methylpentanoyl]amino]-4-methylpentanoyl]amino]-4-methylpentanoyl]amino]-4-methylpentanoyl]amino]-3-hydroxybutanoyl]amino]-3-hydroxypropanoyl]amino]-5-oxopentanoic acid
Limitations and unknowns
Sources
1 link carried over from the earlier page, awaiting verification.