Peplo · Reconstitution calculator
Humanin
Mitochondrial-derived 24-amino-acid peptide encoded in the 16S rRNA; cytoprotective against Alzheimer-related toxicity and metabolic stress.
longevityReconstitution calculator
The total peptide in the vial — the mg number on the label (e.g. 5 mg). This is your whole supply, not one dose.
The sterile water you add to dissolve the powder (this is called reconstituting). More water makes small doses easier to measure.
How much you take in one injection. 1 mg = 1000 mcg.
Draw to 10 units
0.10 mL on a U-100 insulin syringe
A starting reference, not medical advice — see how we source this.
- Half-life
- ~0.5 h
- Route
- SubQ
- Storage
- Refrigerated 2-8°C; use within ~30 days (~30 days)
- Citations
- 4 referenced
US regulatory status
Humanin is a research compound and is not approved for human use.
What is Humanin?
Humanin is a 24-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded within the 16S rRNA region. It is studied in longevity and cytoprotection research, including contexts of Alzheimer-related toxicity and metabolic stress, and is described as binding the formyl peptide receptor and IGFBP-3.
How Humanin works
Binds the formyl peptide receptor and IGFBP-3; suppresses apoptosis, modulates insulin sensitivity, and protects neurons from beta-amyloid toxicity.
What the research says
Early research identified humanin as a rescue factor examined against neuronal cell death associated with a range of familial Alzheimer's disease genes and beta-amyloid. Further studies investigated its role in protecting retinal pigment epithelial cells from oxidative stress, senescence, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Additional work examined its activation of the ERK1/2, AKT, and STAT3 signaling pathways and age-dependent signaling differences in the hippocampus, as well as its release by astrocytes in relation to synapse loss in hippocampal neurons.
- 2001A rescue factor abolishing neuronal cell death by a wide spectrum of familial Alzheimer's disease genes and Abeta
- 2016The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide Humanin Protects RPE Cells From Oxidative Stress, Senescence, and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
- 2016The mitochondrial-derived peptide humanin activates the ERK1/2, AKT, and STAT3 signaling pathways and has age-dependent signaling differences in the hippocampus
- 2019Humanin, a Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide Released by Astrocytes, Prevents Synapse Loss in Hippocampal Neurons
Evidence limitations
This body of literature is largely preclinical, and human clinical evidence remains limited.
Safety & use boundary
Humanin is a research compound and is not approved for human use. This information is educational and is not medical advice.
How to reconstitute Humanin
New to this? Here's the whole process, start to finish. Educational only — not medical advice.
What you'll need
- The Humanin vial — a small glass vial of white, freeze-dried powder
- Bacteriostatic water — the liquid you mix in (not plain sterile or tap water)
- U-100 insulin syringes — the small syringes marked in units
- Alcohol swabs to wipe the vial tops before you touch them with a needle
- A spot in the fridge to keep it once it's mixed
Step by step
Wipe everything down
Swab the rubber top of both the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water with an alcohol wipe. Clean tops are what keep the mixed solution good for weeks instead of days.
Draw the water
Use the calculator above to see how much bacteriostatic water to add for your vial size. Pull exactly that amount out of the water vial with a syringe.
Add it slowly
Push the needle into the peptide vial and let the water run gently down the inside glass wall — don't blast it straight onto the powder.
Let it dissolve
Swirl the vial gently or just let it sit. The powder goes into solution on its own in a minute or two. Never shake it hard.
Read your draw
Enter your vial size, the water you added, and your dose in the calculator. It shows the exact units to pull into your syringe — you never do the math yourself.
Store it cold
Cap it and keep it in the fridge. Humanin stays good for about 30 days once it's mixed.
Reading your dose
The calculator gives you a number like “Draw to 20 units.” Units are just the numbered marks on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units fill 1 mL). “20 units” means pull the plunger back to the 20 mark. You don't convert milligrams to micrograms in your head — that's the whole point of the calculator. If you're brand new to injecting, learn proper technique and site rotation from a qualified clinician or nurse before your first dose; this page covers the mixing and measuring, not the injection itself.
Storing it
Before mixing: Refrigerated Once reconstituted: Refrigerated 2-8°C; use within ~30 days (about 30 days). Don't freeze a reconstituted vial.
Common first-timer mistakes
Shaking the vial to mix it
Swirl it gently or just let it sit. Shaking can damage delicate peptides — you want the powder to dissolve, not foam.
Using tap water or plain sterile water
Use bacteriostatic water. Plain sterile water has no preservative, so a mixed vial spoils in a day or two instead of lasting weeks.
Leaving a mixed vial on the counter
Keep reconstituted vials in the fridge. Heat and light break the peptide down faster.
Eyeballing the dose instead of measuring
Use the calculator and draw to the exact unit mark on the syringe. Guessing a tiny volume is where most measuring errors happen.
Reusing needles
Use a fresh syringe each time. A used needle is duller, hurts more, and is no longer sterile.
Mixing up mg and mcg
1 mg = 1000 mcg. The calculator keeps them straight so you don't have to — just enter your dose in the unit it asks for.
Words you'll see
- Reconstitution
- Mixing a freeze-dried peptide powder with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
- Bacteriostatic water
- Sterile water with a tiny amount of benzyl alcohol that stops bacteria growing, so a mixed vial keeps for weeks. Not the same as plain sterile water.
- U-100 insulin syringe
- A small syringe marked in “units,” where 100 units = 1 mL. Peptide draws are measured in these units.
- Subcutaneous (SubQ)
- An injection into the fatty layer just under the skin, rather than into muscle or a vein.
- mcg vs mg
- 1 mg = 1000 mcg. Doses are often written in micrograms (mcg); the calculator handles the conversion for you.
- Lyophilized
- Freeze-dried. The powder in the vial is the peptide with its water removed so it stays stable on the shelf.
- Half-life
- Roughly how long it takes your body to clear half of a dose — a rough sense of how long it stays active.
Common questions
What is Humanin?
Mitochondrial-derived 24-amino-acid peptide encoded in the 16S rRNA; cytoprotective against Alzheimer-related toxicity and metabolic stress. Binds the formyl peptide receptor and IGFBP-3; suppresses apoptosis, modulates insulin sensitivity, and protects neurons from beta-amyloid toxicity.
How is Humanin reconstituted?
Humanin ships as a lyophilised powder and is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before use, then drawn on an insulin syringe. Use the calculator above to see the exact units to draw for your vial size and dose. This is a reference tool, not medical advice.
What is the half-life of Humanin?
Research reports an approximate half-life of 30 minutes for Humanin. Half-life informs how frequently a compound is studied; it is not a dosing instruction.
How should Humanin be stored?
Refrigerated Once reconstituted: Refrigerated 2-8°C; use within ~30 days (about 30 days). This is general storage information, not medical advice.
What is Humanin commonly studied alongside?
In the research literature Humanin is often discussed together with mots c. Co-occurrence in studies is not an endorsement of any combination.
Related compounds
Keep your protocol, doses, and vials in one place.
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