FOXO4-DRI
FOXO4 D-retro-inverso peptide, FOXO4-p53 interfering peptide
- Common dose
- No tested dose
- Cycle
- No set cycle
- Vial sizes
- Not established
A 46-amino-acid peptide designed to break the grip of the protein FOXO4 on p53, which is how worn-out cells, called senescent cells, stay alive; freeing p53 pushes those cells to self-destruct. D-retro-inverso means it is built from mirror-image amino acids and assembled back to front, so its side chains still line up against the target while the enzymes that chew up ordinary peptides do not recognize it.
Status
- Approval
- Not approved as a drug anywhere and not in clinical development. It is a laboratory research peptide.
- US compounding
- Never nominated for pharmacy compounding, so it appears on neither FDA’s Category 1 nor Category 2 bulk substance lists (April 2026 snapshot).
- Sport (WADA 2026)
- Likely banned in sportNot named on the 2026 list and not covered by any named section. With no approval by any health authority it falls under S0, non-approved substances, banned at all times.
Category 2 is FDA’s list of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding. The 503A bulks list adds substances that pharmacies may compound with. Advisory committee votes are advice; FDA makes the final decision. Sport status follows the WADA Prohibited List in force since January 1, 2026; athletes should confirm with their anti-doping organization. Checked October 5, 2026. Status of every compound.
How it works
FOXO4-DRI is built to sit on a floppy stretch of p53, the protein that decides whether a damaged cell dies, and to keep FOXO4 from holding p53 in the nucleus. In worn-out, senescent cells that pushes p53 out of the nucleus and the cell self-destructs, while other cells are largely spared. In mice it blunted damage from the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin and improved fitness, fur density and kidney function.
AnimalMainly from cell and animal studies; not shown in people.
Not known
Whether it reaches senescent cells in a person, how long a mirror-image peptide lasts in the body, and what clearing senescent cells does in people are all unmeasured.
Protocol
No dose has been tested in people; amounts quoted online vary widely and trace back to no study.
- Frequency
- Not established
- Route
- Subcutaneous injection (community). No published human study has given it by any route.
- Cycle
- No established cycle.
No set cycle, shown over 26 weeks
Taking it
Where it goes
No human study has given it by any route, so there is no studied site, depth or volume. Community use is subcutaneous injection with rotating sites.
If you miss a dose
No published guidance, and no established schedule to miss.
What to expect
- In people
Nothing is established. No person has been given this peptide in a published study.
Community - In cell and mouse studies
Senescent cells pushed p53 out of the nucleus and died, while healthy cells were largely spared.
Animal - In mice given doxorubicin
The peptide blunted the chemotherapy drug’s toxicity.
Animal - In fast-aging and in naturally old mice
Fitness, fur density and kidney function improved, in animals that had already lost them.
Animal
Side effects and what to do
Unknown in people: no one has been given it in a published study
An empty list means nothing is known, not that nothing happens.
Tolerance in mice depended on how it was given
The authors state their results came under conditions where the peptide was well tolerated, which implies other conditions were not.
Allergic reactions, as with any injected peptide
Hives, swelling or wheezing after a dose needs emergency care.
Injection-site pain, redness or infection (unregulated vials)
Use sterile technique. Spreading redness, heat or pus needs medical care.
Hives, swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing after an injection: stop and get medical help.
Who should avoid it
No product label covers FOXO4-DRI, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Most important first.
- Anyone with active or past cancer
- PrecautionIt works by blocking part of p53, the main brake on damaged cells dividing, and the same chemistry is being developed as a p53 inhibitor. Untested in anyone with cancer.
- Anyone relying on product quality
- PrecautionA 46-residue mirror-image peptide with a cell-entry tag is hard to make, it is not an approved drug, and nothing checks what is in an unregulated vial.
- Anyone with pulmonary hypertension
- PrecautionIn mice, clearing senescent cells with this peptide or another senolytic raised lung blood pressure and destroyed the lining cells of lung blood vessels.
- Anyone healing a wound or after surgery
- PrecautionSenescent cells are not only debris; in animals they appear early in wounds and help them close, so clearing them may not be harmless.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- PrecautionNo human safety data exist.
Interactions
Precaution: follows from how it works or from a related drug, and hasn’t been tested. This isn’t a complete list: a pharmacist or doctor can check a specific medicine or condition.
Tracking and pairing
Worth tracking
- No monitoring plan has been studied; nothing has been tested in people
Often paired with
Usually run on its own.
Human studies
No published human studies of FOXO4-DRI turned up in our October 2026 review. The evidence note at the top of this page sums up what is known.
Limits of the evidence
The record is cells and mice: the 2017 paper and later mouse work on testes, lungs, kidneys and cartilage. Its authors say their mouse results came under conditions where the peptide was tolerated, so how it was given decided whether it was. Nothing is published on how long it lasts in any animal, and no clinical trial is registered, so human safety and effects are entirely unknown.
How it’s supplied
Datasheet
- Half-life
- No reliable value has been published.
- Type
- Peptide, 46 amino acids
- Molecular weight
- 5,358.1 g/mol
- Formula
- C228H388N86O64
- Sequence
- LTLRKEPASEIAQSILEAYSQNGWANRRSGGKRPPPRRRQRRKKRGAll D-amino acids; read backwards, the first 30 residues are human FOXO4 95–124 and the last 16 are the GRKKRRQRRRPPPRKG cell-entry tag
- Storage before use
- Freezer (about −20 °C) for long-term storage, kept dry and away from light.
- After mixing or opening
- Fridge (2–8 °C); use within about 4 weeks.
- Molecule: PubChem CID 168431240 (FOXO4-DRI, CAS 2460055-10-9), whose residue-by-residue name gives this order; the formula and average mass recomputed from it match the record, and the FOXO4 stretch was checked against UniProt P98177
- Storage: Community Common research-peptide practice; no approved label exists for this peptide
Every compound side by side: the half-life chart and the storage chart.
Cautions
- Never given to a person in a published study, so there is no dose, no schedule and no safety record.
- Its purpose is to make cells kill themselves. The 2017 paper reports its mouse results under conditions where the peptide was tolerated, which means how it was given decided whether it was.
- Mirror-image amino acids are used because the body’s enzymes cannot break them down, so such a peptide is expected to linger. How long it lasts in a person has never been measured.
- Senescent cells are not only debris: they have roles in wound healing and in stopping damaged cells from dividing. What clearing them does in a person is unstudied.
- A 46-residue mirror-image peptide with a cell-entry tag is difficult to make, and nothing checks what is in an unregulated vial.
Questions
What is FOXO4-DRI?
A 46-amino-acid peptide designed to break the grip of the protein FOXO4 on p53, which is how worn-out cells, called senescent cells, stay alive; freeing p53 pushes those cells to self-destruct. D-retro-inverso means it is built from mirror-image amino acids and assembled back to front, so its side chains still line up against the target while the enzymes that chew up ordinary peptides do not recognize it.
How does FOXO4-DRI work?
FOXO4-DRI is built to sit on a floppy stretch of p53, the protein that decides whether a damaged cell dies, and to keep FOXO4 from holding p53 in the nucleus. In worn-out, senescent cells that pushes p53 out of the nucleus and the cell self-destructs, while other cells are largely spared. In mice it blunted damage from the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin and improved fitness, fur density and kidney function. Whether it reaches senescent cells in a person, how long a mirror-image peptide lasts in the body, and what clearing senescent cells does in people are all unmeasured.
Is FOXO4-DRI FDA-approved?
Not approved as a drug anywhere and not in clinical development. It is a laboratory research peptide. Never nominated for pharmacy compounding, so it appears on neither FDA’s Category 1 nor Category 2 bulk substance lists (April 2026 snapshot).
What is the usual FOXO4-DRI dose?
From community reports, not established: No dose has been tested in people; amounts quoted online vary widely and trace back to no study. These are the amounts sources reference, not recommendations.
Who should avoid FOXO4-DRI?
No product label covers FOXO4-DRI, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Anyone with active or past cancer: It works by blocking part of p53, the main brake on damaged cells dividing, and the same chemistry is being developed as a p53 inhibitor. Untested in anyone with cancer. Anyone relying on product quality: A 46-residue mirror-image peptide with a cell-entry tag is hard to make, it is not an approved drug, and nothing checks what is in an unregulated vial. Anyone with pulmonary hypertension: In mice, clearing senescent cells with this peptide or another senolytic raised lung blood pressure and destroyed the lining cells of lung blood vessels. The “Who should avoid it” section lists 2 more groups.
How should FOXO4-DRI be stored?
Before mixing: Freezer (about −20 °C) for long-term storage, kept dry and away from light. After mixing: Fridge (2–8 °C); use within about 4 weeks. This is common practice; no product label covers it.
Is FOXO4-DRI banned in sport?
Probably. Not named on the 2026 list and not covered by any named section. With no approval by any health authority it falls under S0, non-approved substances, banned at all times.
Has FOXO4-DRI been studied in people?
No published human studies turned up in our October 2026 review. The evidence note at the top of this page sums up what is known.
Sources
- Baar et al., targeted apoptosis of senescent cells restores tissue homeostasis (Cell 2017) PMID 28340339
- PubChem CID 168431240, FOXO4-DRI (CAS 2460055-10-9)
- UniProt P98177, human FOXO4; the copied stretch is residues 95–124
For the protocol details
- PubChem CID 168431240, FOXO4-DRI residue-by-residue chemical name (CAS 2460055-10-9)
For how it works, who should avoid it and the limits of the evidence
- Bourgeois et al., FOXO4-DRI binds the disordered p53 transactivation domain (Nat Commun 2025) PMID 40593617
- Born et al., eliminating senescent cells can promote pulmonary hypertension in mice (Circulation 2023) PMID 36515093
- Demaria et al., senescent cells and wound healing through PDGF-AA (Dev Cell 2014) PMID 25499914
Doses tagged Community come from public dosing guides and user reports, checked against at least two of them. Those sites aren’t named here because many of them sell peptides or earn commissions on them.