Humanin
HN, HNG, S14G-humanin
REC PPT-HUMANIN // REV 2026-10-04 // assessment changes are logged, never silent
A peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA; every human finding reported for it is observational, because no one has administered it to people in a controlled trial.
What it is
A 24-amino-acid peptide translated from an open reading frame within the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene MT-RNR2, identified in 2001 in a screen for factors protecting neurons against Alzheimer-related insults. It belongs to the mitochondrial-derived peptide class alongside MOTS-c and the short humanin-like peptides SHLP1-6.
What it does
Studied as a cytoprotective and neuroprotective signal, and as a circulating marker of mitochondrial stress measured alongside FGF21 and GDF15. Lifespan and healthspan effects of the analogue HNG have been reported in C. elegans and in mice; those are animal findings.
Does it work?
Human work on humanin is measurement, not administration: ClinicalTrials.gov lists seven studies naming it, five of them observational, and the two interventional entries assign an exercise programme or an anaesthetic technique and then measure humanin as an outcome — neither gives the peptide to participants. Reported human observations include higher circulating humanin in the offspring of centenarians and lower levels in Alzheimer's disease (Aging 2020; GeroScience 2021), a rise in plasma and muscle after a single bout of high-intensity interval exercise in men (J Appl Physiol 2020), and a mitochondrial variant associated with lower levels and faster cognitive ageing in a nationally representative cohort (Sci Rep 2018). Cohorts do not agree even on the direction of the age association — one reports decline with age across species, another a positive correlation with age in healthy subjects — and no controlled trial has tested whether raising humanin changes any human outcome.
Claims vs data
Each marketing claim, tagged by what the evidence actually supports.
| Circulating levels have been associated with cognitive ageing in human cohorts | supported |
| The analogue HNG extends lifespan and healthspan in laboratory organisms | preclinical only |
| Higher humanin means better mitochondrial health in any given person | weak evidence |
| Injecting humanin slows human ageing or extends human lifespan | overreach |
Reference figures
Quoted from published reference material. These are not Peptuity recommendations.
molecular data — PubChem CID 16131438
The evidence, counted
Live counts from Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov.
1,958 publications indexed, but only 14 randomised controlled trials and 2 registered interventional studies. Human evidence exists but is thin.
SRC // EUROPE PMC + CTGOV // "Humanin" // FETCHED 2026-10-04 // 1,958 RECORDS
Most-cited literature
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[01]
Targeting the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 signalling axis in cancer
Johnson DE, O'Keefe RA, Grandis JR. · Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2018 · 2636 citations · DOI 10.1038/nrclinonc.2018.8
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[02]
The Bcl-2 apoptotic switch in cancer development and therapy
Adams JM, Cory S. · Oncogene 2007 · 1576 citations · DOI 10.1038/sj.onc.1210220
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[03]
Aging and aging-related diseases: from molecular mechanisms to interventions and treatments
Guo J, Huang X, Dou L, Yan M, Shen T, Tang W, Li J. · Signal Transduct Target Ther 2022 · 1283 citations · DOI 10.1038/s41392-022-01251-0
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[04]
The BCL-2 family reunion
Chipuk JE, Moldoveanu T, Llambi F, Parsons MJ, Green DR. · Mol Cell 2010 · 1168 citations · DOI 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.01.025
Regulatory status
Formal, dated regulatory actions.
WADA — Prohibited List 2026
Prohibited in sport — WADA S0 (substance without any health-authority approval)
Common questions
Has humanin ever been given to humans in a clinical trial?
No. As of August 2026, ClinicalTrials.gov lists seven studies naming humanin. Five are observational. The two interventional entries assign an exercise programme or an anaesthetic technique and measure humanin as an outcome; neither administers the peptide. Every human finding reported for humanin is therefore an observation of levels people already had.
Why do literature searches report about a dozen randomised trials of humanin?
Because a quoted full-text search matches any paper containing the string, including randomised trials on entirely unrelated subjects that merely happen to contain it. Reading the titles rather than the count reduces the genuine human humanin literature to observational and biomarker work.
How does humanin relate to MOTS-c?
Both are mitochondrial-derived peptides — short peptides encoded in mitochondrial rather than nuclear DNA. Humanin was the first identified, in 2001; MOTS-c followed. The shape of their evidence is similar: a substantial preclinical literature and human data that is largely observational. Anti-doping treatment differs, however: the 2026 WADA Prohibited List names MOTS-c explicitly under S4.4.1 as an AMPK activator, and does not name humanin.
Is humanin approved for any use?
No. It holds no marketing approval from any regulator and has no completed interventional human trial behind it. Nothing described here is a medicine.
Related compounds
MOTS-c
Mitochondrial-derived peptide. Interesting biology, minimal human data.
SS-31
Mitochondria-targeted peptide with genuine clinical development history.
NAD+
A coenzyme, not a peptide. Precursors have better human data than NAD+ itself.
Epitalon
Soviet-era longevity peptide. Claims far exceed independently replicated evidence.