Either of two #0excludeGlossary compounds produced in the brain (#1excludeGlossary and Leu-enkephalin) that mimic the activity of morphine.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
enkephalin (noun)either of two pentapeptides with opiate and analgesic activity that occur naturally especially in the brain and have a marked affinity for opiate receptors - compare endorphin
Enkephalin (Wikipedia)
An enkephalin is a pentapeptide involved in regulating nociception (pain sensation) in the body. The enkephalins are termed endogenous ligands, as they are internally derived (and therefore endogenous) and bind as ligands to the body's opioid receptors. Discovered in 1975, two forms of enkephalin have been found, one containing leucine ("leu"), and the other containing methionine ("met"). Both are products of the proenkephalin gene:
- Met-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met.
- Leu-enkephalin is Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu.
 Met-enkephalin 3D structure, alpha-carbons shown as balls and labeled by residue. | |||||||
| Identifiers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | PENK | ||||||
| NCBI gene | 5179 | ||||||
| HGNC | 8831 | ||||||
| OMIM | 131330 | ||||||
| RefSeq | NM_006211 | ||||||
| UniProt | P01210 | ||||||
| Other data | |||||||
| Locus | Chr. 8 q23-q24 | ||||||
| |||||||
Enkephalin (Wiktionary)
English
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐγκέφαλος (enképhalos, “brain”) + -in.
Noun
enkephalin (plural enkephalins)
- (biochemistry) Any of a group of pentapeptide endorphins that have opiate-like effects
Derived terms
Translations
Read MoreEndogenous morphine, Endogenous opioid, Neurochemical, Pain reliever, Painkiller