Exorphin

Exorphins are exogenous opioid peptides, distinguished from endorphins, or endogenous opioid peptides.

Exorphins include opioid food peptides like gluten exorphin and microbial opioid peptides and any other opioid peptide foreign to a host that have metabolic efficacy for that host.[1] Exorphins can be converted from plants and animals but also dairy products and certain vegetables like spinach and soy.[2]

Exorphins can be released for many different kinds of proteins and thus can be isolated from various sources such as from plant proteins or from enzymes of the digestive system of animals. The study of exorphins as a bioactive peptide can be a source of discovery for new kinds of food and drugs to treat and prevent diseases associated with the accumulation of exorphins.[3]

  1. ^ Pruimboom L, de Punder K (November 2015). "The opioid effects of gluten exorphins: asymptomatic celiac disease". Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition. 33 (1): 24. doi:10.1186/s41043-015-0032-y. PMC 5025969. PMID 26825414.
  2. ^ Teschemacher H (2003-06-01). "Opioid receptor ligands derived from food proteins". Current Pharmaceutical Design. 9 (16): 1331–44. doi:10.2174/1381612033454856. PMID 12769741.
  3. ^ Yoshikawa M (2013). "Chapter 214: Exorphins". In Kastin AJ (ed.). Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides (2nd ed.). Academic Press. pp. 1570–1576. ISBN 978-0-12-385096-6.