KY19382 — Safety, Research, Risks & Legal Status

Not medical advice. KY19382 is discussed here for informational and harm-reduction purposes only. We do not endorse use, and any dosing context is informational, not a protocol.

Also known as	A3051; KY-19382; CAS 2226664-93-1
Category	Research Chemical
CAS Number	2226664-93-1
Molecular Formula	C17H11Cl2N3O2; MW 360.19 Da
Scaffold	Indirubin-3-monoxime (I3O) derivative
GSK3beta IC50	~10 nM (in vitro)
CXXC5-Dvl PDZ IC50	~19 nM (in vitro)
Developer	CK Regeon Inc. (South Korea); patents held in US, Korea, EU, China
US legal status	Not FDA-approved. No IND application identified. KY19382 is classified as a research chemical and tool compound in the United States. It is sold exclusively for laboratory research use; suppliers explicitly prohibit sale for human consumption or patient use. It is not a licensed drug, dietary supplement, or approved investigational agent under US law.

What is KY19382?

KY19382 is a synthetic small-molecule dual-action activator of the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, derived from the indirubin-3-monoxime (I3O) scaffold. It works by simultaneously inhibiting GSK3beta and blocking the CXXC5-Dvl PDZ domain protein-protein interaction, two complementary mechanisms that together relieve suppression of canonical Wnt signaling. It was developed by CK Regeon Inc., a South Korean biotech focused on tissue regeneration therapeutics, and has been studied preclinically in the context of hair follicle biology, bone growth, and metabolic disorders. It remains strictly preclinical with no human trials registered as of mid-2026.

How it works

KY19382 operates through two distinct but synergistic molecular targets. First, it inhibits glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3beta) with an IC50 of approximately 10 nM. GSK3beta normally phosphorylates beta-catenin, marking it for proteasomal degradation and keeping the Wnt pathway suppressed. Second, it disrupts the protein-protein interaction between CXXC5 - a transcription factor that acts as a negative feedback regulator of Wnt signaling - and the PDZ domain of Dishevelled (Dvl), with an IC50 of approximately 19 nM. CXXC5 ordinarily dampens Wnt output after pathway activation; blocking its interaction with Dvl prevents this negative feedback. The combined effect is more sustained and de-repressed Wnt/beta-catenin activation than either mechanism alone would produce. Wnt/beta-catenin signaling governs stem cell maintenance, cell proliferation, and tissue regeneration - including the anagen (growth) phase of hair follicle cycling. The dual-mechanism design is theorized to reduce the risk of ectopic or oncogenic Wnt hyperactivation compared to direct beta-catenin stabilization strategies, though this theoretical safety advantage has not been tested in long-term in vivo studies.

Background & history

KY19382 was developed by CK Regeon Inc. as part of a research program targeting Wnt pathway modulation for tissue regeneration. The compound is derived from the indirubin scaffold, a class of compounds originally identified from traditional Chinese and Western herbal preparations and later developed as kinase inhibitors. The key published study - Ryu et al. (2021) in the British Journal of Pharmacology - demonstrated hair regrowth and follicle neogenesis in mouse models and ex vivo human follicle cultures, marking the compound's primary appearance in peer-reviewed literature. Patent protection has been granted in the US, South Korea, the EU, and China. CK Regeon's broader pipeline extends the compound's potential into NASH, obesity, diabetes, diabetic wound healing, and bone regeneration, though none of these indications have entered human trials as of mid-2026. The compound is commercially available from research chemical suppliers including Selleck Chemicals, APExBIO, TargetMol, MedChemExpress, and Biorbyt, exclusively for laboratory use.

What the research says

All published evidence is preclinical. In vitro studies in dermal papilla cells demonstrated enhanced alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression and PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) proliferation markers in the 1-5 micromolar concentration range, with low cytotoxicity at those concentrations. In vivo mouse studies showed promoted hair regrowth over a 28-day window, described in the published literature as more efficient than topical minoxidil in that model, and also demonstrated de novo hair follicle neogenesis through a wound-healing pathway mechanism. Ex vivo experiments using cultured mouse and human hair follicles showed increased hair shaft length. Additional preclinical data (unpublished or conference-level) from CK Regeon suggest potential applications in bone growth promotion, metabolic disorders, and adipose tissue regulation. No human pharmacokinetic, metabolism, bioavailability, or toxicology studies have been published. No ClinicalTrials.gov registrations are identified. The human relevance of mouse hair follicle biology findings is limited; the ex vivo human follicle data is the closest available approximation to clinical evidence, and it remains very limited in scope.

Reported effects

Preclinical (mouse/ex vivo): promotion of anagen hair follicle cycling and hair shaft elongation
Preclinical (mouse): de novo hair follicle neogenesis via wound-healing Wnt activation pathway
Preclinical (in vitro): stimulation of dermal papilla cell proliferation markers (ALP, PCNA) at 1-5 micromolar concentrations
Preclinical (mouse): hair regrowth rate described as exceeding topical minoxidil in the 28-day study model - this is an animal comparison only and not predictive of human outcomes
Proposed (preclinical, unpublished or early-stage): potential activity in bone growth, NASH, obesity, diabetes, and diabetic wound healing - evidence base for these is thinner than hair follicle data
No confirmed effects in humans

Dosing & administration (informational)

Published in vitro studies used concentrations in the 1-5 micromolar range in cell culture systems. In vivo mouse studies used topical application protocols described in Ryu et al. (2021). These figures are laboratory parameters, not human dosing guidance. No human pharmacokinetic data exist to translate these concentrations into a human dose by any route. No safe or effective human dose is established. This information is provided for literature reference only - consult a licensed clinician before using any compound for any therapeutic purpose.

This is general research/context information, not medical advice or a recommended protocol.

Safety & side effects

No human safety, toxicology, or pharmacokinetic data available
In vitro cytotoxicity was low at the 1-5 micromolar therapeutic concentration range in dermal papilla cells - this does not constitute a clinical safety profile
No long-term in vivo safety studies identified in available literature
Wnt pathway activation carries theoretical oncogenic risk; KY19382's dual-mechanism de-repression design is theorized to reduce this risk compared to ectopic beta-catenin stabilization, but this has not been tested in long-term carcinogenicity studies
No drug-drug interaction data available
Metabolism, half-life, bioavailability by any route of administration, and off-target binding profile in humans are unknown
Not for human use; experimental status means the full adverse event profile is undefined

Drug & supplement interactions

Who should avoid it

Human self-administration - no approved use, no human safety data
Use outside of a licensed research laboratory setting
Combination with other Wnt pathway modulators (theoretical additive oncogenic risk, entirely unstudied)
Use by individuals with personal or family history of cancer given the Wnt pathway's role in oncogenesis and the absence of long-term carcinogenicity data
Purchasing from unverified consumer-market vendors where identity and purity cannot be confirmed

How it is commonly combined

No stacking or combination data exist for KY19382 in any context. Combination with other Wnt activators, GSK3beta inhibitors, or hair follicle biologics (e.g., prostaglandin analogs, minoxidil) is entirely unstudied and cannot be assessed for safety or additive efficacy.

Legal & regulatory. Not FDA-approved. No IND application identified. KY19382 is classified as a research chemical and tool compound in the United States. It is sold exclusively for laboratory research use; suppliers explicitly prohibit sale for human consumption or patient use. It is not a licensed drug, dietary supplement, or approved investigational agent under US law.

Quality & harm reduction

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Frequently asked questions

Has KY19382 been tested in humans?

No. As of mid-2026, no human clinical trials are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and no human pharmacokinetic or safety data have been published. All evidence comes from in vitro cell culture, mouse in vivo models, and ex vivo human hair follicle cultures.

How does KY19382 compare to minoxidil?

One preclinical mouse study (Ryu et al., 2021) reported that KY19382 promoted hair regrowth more efficiently than topical minoxidil over 28 days in the animal model used. This is a single rodent study comparison. Minoxidil has decades of human clinical data, established safety and efficacy in androgenetic alopecia, and is FDA-approved. No head-to-head human comparison exists and none is expected in the near term given KY19382's preclinical stage.

What is the proposed mechanism advantage over other Wnt activators?

KY19382's dual mechanism - inhibiting GSK3beta while also blocking the CXXC5-Dvl negative feedback interaction - is theorized to produce more physiologically controlled Wnt activation than direct beta-catenin stabilizers, because it de-represses natural pathway signaling rather than forcing ectopic activation. This is considered a theoretical safety advantage with respect to cancer risk, but it has not been validated in long-term carcinogenicity studies.

What dose would be used in humans?

No human dose is established. In vitro work used micromolar concentrations in cell culture; these cannot be directly extrapolated to a human dose without pharmacokinetic data that does not yet exist. Dosing guidance requires human clinical trials. Consult a licensed clinician for any therapeutic decisions.

Is KY19382 legal to possess in the US?

KY19382 is not a controlled substance under the US Controlled Substances Act, so possession is not per se illegal. However, it is an unapproved drug with no IND and no FDA-cleared pathway for human use. It may only be legally sold and used as a research chemical for laboratory purposes; suppliers prohibit human use and patient sales.

What other conditions is KY19382 being investigated for?

CK Regeon's pipeline includes preclinical investigation of KY19382 in bone growth promotion, NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), obesity, type 2 diabetes, diabetic wound healing, and general tissue regeneration. The evidence base for these indications is thinner than the hair follicle data and largely unpublished or early-stage as of mid-2026.

References & further reading

PubMed: Ryu et al 2021 KY19382 Wnt beta-catenin hair regrowth hair follicle neogenesis British Journal of Pharmacology
PubMed Central: PMC8251890 KY19382 hair follicle neogenesis CK Regeon
PubMed: CXXC5 Dvl PDZ interaction Wnt negative feedback hair follicle
PubMed: GSK3beta inhibitor Wnt activation dermal papilla hair follicle cycling
ClinicalTrials.gov: KY19382 CK Regeon Wnt activator (no trials registered as of 2026)