endorphinn.
/ɛnˈdɔːfɪn/, U.S. /ɛnˈdɔrfən/ Biochemistry.
Any of a group of peptides that occur naturally in the brain and bind to the same receptors as does morphine.
ΚΠ
1976 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73 3942/1 We have reported isolating from a crude extract of (porcine) hypothalamus-neurohypophysis three peptides named endorphins.
1978 Nature 22 June 675/1 Recent research has led to the hypothesis that acupuncture produces analgesia through the release of endorphins.
1983 D. J. Weatherall et al. Oxf. Textbk. Med. II. xxi. 21/1 Electrical stimulation of nerve trunks or of cutaneous nerves can result in endorphins appearing in the cerebrospinal fluid, presumably indicating activation of pain inhibitory mechanisms.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1989; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1976