Researchers found that dihexa, a small peptide you can take by mouth, can cross the brain barrier and boost brain signaling through the HGF/c-Met pathway. In mouse experiments it helped grow new brain connections and improved performance on a memory test, and these effects disappeared when the HGF system was blocked.

A subset of angiotensin IV (AngIV)-related molecules are known to possess procognitive/antidementia properties and have been considered as templates for potential therapeutics. However, this potential has not been realized because of two factors: 1) a lack of blood-brain barrier-penetrant analogs, and 2) the absence of a validated mechanism of action. The pharmacokinetic barrier has recently been overcome with the synthesis of the orally active, blood-brain barrier-permeable analog N-hexanoic-tyrosine-isoleucine-(6) aminohexanoic amide (dihexa). Therefore, the goal of this study was to elucidate the mechanism that underlies dihexa's procognitive activity. Here, we demonstrate that dihexa binds with high affinity to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and both dihexa and its parent compound Norleucine 1-AngIV (Nle(1)-AngIV) induce c-Met phosphorylation in the presence of subthreshold concentrations of HGF and augment HGF-dependent cell scattering. Further, dihexa and Nle(1)-AngIV induce hippocampal spinogenesis and synaptogenesis similar to HGF itself. These actions were inhibited by an HGF antagonist and a short hairpin RNA directed at c-Met. Most importantly, the procognitive/antidementia capacity of orally delivered dihexa was blocked by an HGF antagonist delivered intracerebroventricularly as measured using the Morris water maze task of spatial learning.