Cobalt PeptidesResearch Grade

Scientific Reference

DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide)

Evidence profile: Controlled human evidence

DSIP, or delta sleep-inducing peptide, is a nine-residue peptide first described in rabbits during experimentally induced sleep. It was isolated from blood drawn from animals in which sleep had been produced by electrical stimulation of the brain, and the name comes from the slow-wave activity reported when that material was transferred to other animals. Later studies in animals and small human studies gave inconsistent findings on sleep, and the name describes how the peptide was found rather than an agreed function. No gene encoding DSIP and no dedicated receptor have been found. Work continued on its possible roles in stress hormones and other systems, but the literature is fragmented, and much of it is several decades old.

Mechanism of Action

Without an identified receptor or gene, DSIP's standing as a signalling molecule in its own right is uncertain, and its mechanism is described through scattered observations. Animal and tissue studies have reported interactions with GABA and glutamate transmission, including NMDA receptors, with opioid signalling, and with the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, where release of ACTH and corticosterone has been examined. Immunoreactive material resembling DSIP has been reported in the brain and in peripheral tissues. These reports come from different models and methods, and no single pathway has emerged that ties them together.

Molecular Information

  • Type: Nonapeptide
  • Length: 9 amino acids
  • 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 PubMed

  • The 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