DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide)

PubChem CID68816

FormulaC35H48N10O15

Mol. Weight848.8 g/mol

Sequence

Mechanism of Action

DSIP is a nonapeptide originally isolated from rabbit brain and studied for its association with delta (slow-wave) sleep EEG activity across several species. Despite decades of research, no dedicated DSIP receptor or definitive downstream signaling cascade has been characterized, and its relationship to endogenous sleep regulation remains genuinely unresolved in the primary literature — this uncertainty is itself a notable and honestly-reported finding, not a gap in this summary.

No confirmed receptor identified — proposed hypothalamic and GABAergic modulation

Research Literature

Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): a still unresolved riddle

Other

Journal of Neurochemistry · 2006

Concludes that decades after its isolation, no DSIP receptor or clear mechanistic link to sleep regulation has been established, and structural analogues rather than DSIP itself produced slow-wave-sleep effects in animal models.

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Study of delta sleep-inducing peptide efficacy in improving sleep on short-term administration to chronic insomniacs

Human Trial

International Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Research · 1987

Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study of IV DSIP in chronic insomniacs found reductions in nocturnal awakenings and NREM sleep latency, but concluded the improvements lacked clear clinical significance versus placebo.

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