Neuroprotective Action of Humanin and Humanin Analogues: Research Findings and Perspectives

Simple Summary Humanin was discovered in 2001 as a biological factor with neuroprotective activity. This review article presents research results that have supported the neuroprotective action of humanin as well as of specific humanin analogues (most of which are synthetic) in various cellular and animal models; it also presents possible mechanisms of neuroprotective action and briefly discusses the prospects for exploiting the therapeutic potential of humanin and humanin analogues in the fight against neurodegenerative disorders.Abstract Humanin is a 24-mer peptide first reported in the early 2000s as a new neuroprotective/cytoprotective factor rescuing neuronal cells from death induced by various Alzheimer's disease-associated insults. Nowadays it is known that humanin belongs to the novel class of the so-called mitochondrial-derived peptides (which are encoded by mitochondrial DNA) and has been shown to exert beneficial cytoprotective effects in a series of in vitro and/or in vivo experimental models of human diseases, including not only neurodegenerative disorders but other human diseases as well (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, cardiovascular diseases, or diabetes mellitus). This review article is focused on the presentation of recent in vitro and in vivo research results associated with the neuroprotective action of humanin as well as of various, mainly synthetic, analogues of the peptide; moreover, the main mode(s)/mechanism(s) through which humanin and humanin analogues may exert in vitro and in vivo regarding neuroprotection have been reported. The prospects of humanin and humanin analogues to be further investigated in the frame of future research endeavors against neurodegenerative/neural diseases have also been briefly discussed.