Evidence review: Open Peptide Project (verified against primary PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov & FDA records) · Last checked 2026-10-27. ← Back to Evidence Library
Adropin: what the evidence says
At a glance
What it is: a 76-amino-acid peptide encoded by the ENHO gene, made in the liver, brain and other tissues. R1 First described in 2008 as a factor linking diet to energy balance in mice. R2
What the evidence says: Animal from lab and animal work, adropin is believed to help regulate energy balance and insulin sensitivity: in obese mice it reduced fatty liver and improved insulin resistance, and in human vessel cells and mice it boosted nitric-oxide signaling. R2, R5 ⚪ No human treatment studies exist to date; blood levels are on average lower in type 2 diabetes and obesity, but the studies disagree widely. R3, R4 Whether it could help people is an open question worth future study.
Biggest risks: unknown: human safety has never been studied.
Rating
| Human Human evidence | None for taking it; observational blood-level studies only R3, R4 |
| Animal Animal / lab evidence | Mice and human cells R2, R5 |
| Regulatory | Not approved anywhere · not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page R6, R7, R8 · not named on WADA's 2026 list; as a drug not approved anywhere for human use it falls under S0 (non-approved substances) R9 |
| Established human dose | No |
Evidence verdict: Weight, diabetes or heart health: No human data (animal and cell studies only; human blood-level studies)
This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.
Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source
About the evidence: meta-analyses of blood levels show large differences between studies, and association does not show that taking adropin would help.
What is it?
Related pages: mots-c, humanin, spexin.
Does it work?
- Animal Metabolism: in obese mice, extra adropin reduced fatty liver and improved insulin resistance. R2
- Animal Blood vessels: in human vessel cells and mice, adropin boosted endothelial nitric-oxide signaling. R5
- ⚪ Type 2 diabetes: 15 studies (2,813 people): lower levels on average, with extreme variation (I² 99.5%). R3
- ⚪ Obesity: 5 studies (643 people): lower levels on average. R4
- ⚪ CT.gov lists only studies that measure adropin, none that give it (searched Oct 27, 2026).
Is it safe?
- ⚪ No human safety data.
Gray-market vials: extra risks
A gray-market vial has no quality control and no guarantee of identity, strength or sterility. We test retail vials blind under the Open Peptide Standard; see /tests/. A passing test covers one batch on one date and does not mean the compound is safe.
Is it legal?
- US: not FDA-approved; no Drugs@FDA application found (openFDA searched Oct 27, 2026).
- Compounding: not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page. R6, R7, R8
- Sport: not named on WADA's 2026 list; as a drug not approved anywhere for human use it falls under S0 (non-approved substances) R9.
Study details
Study details
These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.
| Study | People / model | Route | Amount used | Follow-up | Reported | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No human dosing study | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Kumar 2008 | Obese mice | Injection and gene overexpression | Per protocol | Per protocol | Less fatty liver | PMID 19041763 |
Full reference list (PubMed, CT.gov, FDA and WADA checked Oct 27, 2026)
- R1 Ali II, et al. Int J Mol Sci. 2022. PMID 35955453
- R2 Kumar KG, et al. Cell Metab. 2008. PMID 19041763
- R3 Soltani S, et al. BMC Endocr Disord. 2023. PMID 37029398
- R4 Soltani S, et al. Hormones (Athens). 2022. PMID 34897581
- R5 Lovren F, et al. Circulation. 2010. PMID 20837912
- R6 FDA, 503A bulk drug substances categories list (updated May 14, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download
- R7 FDA, 503B bulk drug substances categories list (updated Mar 21, 2025). https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download
- R8 FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (content current Apr 22, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
- R9 WADA. The 2026 Prohibited List, S0 Non-approved substances; full list checked, compound not named. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf
Disclaimer
This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use Adropin. This is a naturally occurring peptide that has never been tested as a treatment in people and is not approved anywhere. Products sold under this name are unregulated research chemicals. Report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).