Human Opiorphin: A Potent Analgesic Peptide

This novel compound was recently identified in human saliva by researchers from Institut Pasteur and just reported in the literature. Described as a natural inhibitor of two enkephalin-catabolizing ectoenzymes, opiorphin shows “potent analgesic activity in chemical and mechanical pain models by activating endogenous opioid-dependent transmission.” Compound’s potency? Six times that of morphine.
The abstract at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
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