enkephalin

[en-kef-uh-lin]

noun

Biochemistry.

1. either of two pentapeptides that bind to morphine receptors in the central nervous system and have opioid properties of relatively short duration; one pentapeptide Met enkephalin has the amino acid sequence Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met and the other Leu enkephalin has the sequence Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu.

enkephalin

/ ɛnˈsɛfəlɪn, ɛnˈkɛfəlɪn /

noun

1. a chemical occurring in the brain, having effects similar to those of morphine See also endorphin

Word History and Origins

Origin of enkephalin¹

1970–75; < Greek enképhal ( os ) encephalon + -in ²

Example Sentences

Two years later, British biologists discover enkephalins, a group of endogenous opioids — or endorphins.

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Researchers discovered in the 1970s that we also make our own opioids in the form of peptides like the endorphins and enkephalins.

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A great example of how difficult the process is concerns molecules called enkephalins.

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For example, once they understood the structure of enkephalins, pain-control substances found naturally in the body, they were able to make progress in developing new pain-killing drugs.

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"If we could deliver the gene that makes enkephalins," he says, "they could be released from cells directly into the nervous system and potentially reduce pain in a more targeted fashion."

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