DIHEXA

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 16 million people in the USA suffer from cognitive impairment of some sort. These disorders include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease. Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by progressive neuron losses in specific brain regions that impact cognitive, sensory, and motor functioning. 

Therapeutic treatment can encourage the replacement of damaged and lost neurons from available neural stem cells, encourage the formation of new functional synaptic connections among existing neurons, and facilitate cerebral blood flow and neuroprotection. These treatment outcomes would benefit patients suffering from AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. 

DIHEXA PEPTIDE

The peptide Dihexa was developed by researchers from Washington State University and was initially created to provide a treatment method to those who suffered with brain disorders. It took 20 years of research and development to create a stable and permeable Dihexa peptide.

Uses of Dihexa

Dihexa is an oligopeptide derived from angiotensin IV to help control hypertension and improve cognitive functions in those with neurological disorders.

Dihexa (N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide) may be the therapeutic peptide of choice for fighting against age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease.

Most new compounds that can potentially create new nerve connections and brain cells are compared to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) because it’s most known for this. Dihexa has been shown to be 7 times more potent than BDNF, which makes it an excellent candidate for treating neurodegeneration.  

How it Works

Dihexa works by binding to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), Dihexa increases HGF’s activity while lowering harmful chemical reactions in the body. This, in turn, doubles the capacity of the available growth factors to promote signaling cascades necessary for mitogenesis (cell division), motogenesis (promotion of cellular motility), morphogenesis (structural development), neurogenesis (growth and development of nervous tissue), production of stem cells, and protection of a wide range of cells against injury.

Potential benefits of Dihexa

When used as directed, Dihexa potentially:

• Reverses neurological damage induced by Alzheimer’s Disease
• Penetrates Blood-Brain-Barrier
• Improves cognitive function
• Improves memory acquisition
• Facilitates memory consolidation and retrieval
• Strengthens nerve signals
• Improves brain blood flow
• Enhances learning, recall, and problem solving
• Increases mental stamina and conversational skills
• Improves neural regeneration and differentiation
• Helps in the management of depression

Potential side effects of Dihexa

Side effects are rare but may include nausea, mood changes, sleep disturbance, attention deficit, and irritability.

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RESEARCH

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Benoist CC, Wright JW, Zhu M, Appleyard SM, Wayman GA, Harding JW. Facilitation of hippocampal synaptogenesis and spatial memory by C-terminal truncated Nle1-angiotensin IV

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Wright JW, Harding JW. The Brain Hepatocyte Growth Factor/c-Met Receptor System: A New Target for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. J Alzheimers Dis. 2015;45(4):985-1000. doi: 10.3233/JAD-142814. PMID: 25649658.

Doeppner TR, Kaltwasser B, Elali A, Zechariah A, Hermann DM, Bähr M. Acute hepatocyte growth factor treatment induces long-term neuroprotection and stroke recovery via mechanisms involving neural precursor cell proliferation and differentiation. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2011;31(5):1251-62.

Wright JW, Kawas LH, Harding JW. The development of small molecule angiotensin IV analogs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Prog Neurobiol. 2015 Feb;125:26-46. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2014.11.004. Epub 2014 Nov 29. PMID: 25455861.

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McCoy AT, Benoist CC, Wright JW, Kawas LH, Bule-Ghogare JM, Zhu M, Appleyard SM, Wayman GA, Harding JW. Evaluation of metabolically stabilized angiotensin IV analogs as procognitive/antidementia agents. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2013 Jan;344(1):141-54. doi: 10.1124/jpet.112.199497. Epub 2012 Oct 10. PMID: 23055539; PMCID: PMC3533412.

Benoist CC, Kawas LH, Zhu M, Tyson KA, Stillmaker L, Appleyard SM, Wright JW, Wayman GA, Harding JW. The procognitive and synaptogenic effects of angiotensin IV-derived peptides are dependent on activation of the hepatocyte growth factor/c-met system. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2014 Nov;351(2):390-402. doi: 10.1124/jpet.114.218735. Epub 2014 Sep 3. PMID: 25187433; PMCID: PMC4201273.

Salehi Z, Rajaei F. Expression of hepatocyte growth factor in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Parkinson’s disease. J ClinNeurosci. 2010;17(12):1553-6

 Pederson ES, Krishnan R, Harding JW, Wright JW. A role for the angiotensin AT4 receptor subtype in overcoming scopolamine-induced spatial memory deficits. RegulPept. 2001;102(2-3):147-56.

Albiston AL, Fernando RN, Yeatman HR, et al. Gene knockout of insulin-regulated aminopeptidase: loss of the specific binding site for angiotensin IV and age-related deficit in spatial memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2010;93(1):19-30.

Hamasaki H, et al. Down-regulation of MET in hippocampal neurons of Alzheimer’s disease brains. Neuropathology. 2014 Jun;34(3):284-90.