Scientific Reference
DSIP
Evidence profile: Controlled human evidence
DSIP stands for delta sleep-inducing peptide, a name that records how it was found and not necessarily what it does. Researchers collected blood from rabbits in which sleep had been brought on by electrical stimulation of the brain, isolated a nine-residue peptide from it, and reported slow-wave activity when the material was given to other animals. Subsequent animal and small human studies produced inconsistent results on sleep. No gene for DSIP and no dedicated receptor have ever been identified, and the research on possible roles in stress hormones and elsewhere is scattered and in large part decades old.
Mechanism of Action
With neither a receptor nor a gene, it remains uncertain whether DSIP is a signalling molecule in the usual sense, and its mechanism is pieced together from isolated observations. Studies in animals and tissue have described interplay with GABA and glutamate transmission, NMDA receptors included, with opioid signalling, and with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, where ACTH and corticosterone release were measured. Immunoreactive material resembling DSIP has been reported in brain and peripheral tissues. The findings come from varied models and methods, and no one pathway connects them.
Molecular Information
- Type: Nonapeptide
- Molecular weight: 848.8 g/mol
- Molecular formula: C35H48N10O15
- CAS: 62568-57-4
Published Research
Acute and delayed effects of DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide) on human sleep behavior
Schneider-Helmert D et al. · International journal of clinical pharmacology, therapy, and toxicology · 1981 · Clinical
PMID 6895513 — View on PubMedThe influence of synthetic DSIP (delta-sleep-inducing-peptide) on disturbed human sleep
Schneider-Helmert D et al. · Experientia · 1981 · Clinical
PMID 7028502 — View on PubMed