Dermorphine
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Dermorphine is a hepta-peptide that sometimes is found in human blood and urine.[citation needed]
It is a highly potent mu-agonist, originally isolated from the skin of the South American frog Phyllomedusa sauvaei. This peptide is quite difficult for the body to break down, and is thought to cause or worsen mental illness.[1]
Where dermorphine comes from is still a mystery, but it is clear that its source is microbial. The reason for this is that one of the amino acids in this peptide is not among the 20 encoded by DNA and cannot be produced by higher organisms. The guess is that bacteria or molds are responsible.
- Structure of dermorphine: H-Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH2
- Chemical formula: C40H50N8O10
- Molecular weight: 802.9 g/mol
References
- ↑ Emel'yanova TG, Usenko AB, Kamenskii AA, Deigin VI, Yarova EP. "Effects of dermorphine on thermoregulation". Institute of Chemical Physics. Russian Academy of Sciences. PMID: 1841629.
Intraperitoneal administration of dermorphine induces dose-dependent changes in the temperature of the body and the tail skin of rats. The character of these changes is largely determined by the ambient temperature, i.e. it depends on the initial functional state of the thermoregulation system. Pretreatment with naloxone reduces the dermorphine-induced effects on thermoregulation but does not eliminate them completely
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