Humanin Intranasal Delivery - PMC
/PMC/2026
Why It Matters
This caught my attention because humanin is one of the few mitochondrial peptides you can actually measure in your blood, and levels decline with age. This delivery method bypasses the blood-brain barrier problem that has plagued peptide therapeutics. But—and this is critical—this is mouse data only. No human trials yet, so we're years away from knowing if this works in people or what the dosing would look like.
Key Findings
- Intranasal humanin reached peak brain concentrations within 15 minutes in mice, with levels 3.2-fold higher than intravenous delivery
- In APP/PS1 Alzheimer's mouse models, 8 weeks of intranasal humanin reduced amyloid-beta plaques by 40% compared to saline controls
- Memory performance improved by 35% in Morris water maze tests, approaching performance of wild-type mice
- The delivery method showed favorable safety profile with no nasal tissue damage or systemic inflammation markers after 8 weeks
- Bioavailability was dose-dependent, with 500 μg/kg showing optimal brain penetration without saturation effects
Read the Paper↗PMC10283052