Cognitive & Neuroprotection
β-Endorphin
Beta-endorphin is the body's own morphine: a fragment cut from the larger precursor pro-opiomelanocortin, acting on the same mu-opioid receptor as opioid drugs, and it is the molecule behind the phrase 'endorphin rush' and the usual explanation of runner's high. It was infused into people in studies running from the 1970s to the 1990s, at 1.5 to 11.5 milligrams intravenously, and is not used as a medicine now. Almost everything else on file is measurement rather than treatment — blood levels compared between people with and without a condition, among them bulimia, chronic pain and infant colic — which establishes association and leaves cause open.
Last updated
Mechanism
Agonist at the mu-opioid receptor, inhibiting nociceptive transmission and modulating dopaminergic reward signalling.
Reported effects
What sources associate with this compound. Reported categories, not outcomes we have graded — each would need its own citation and rung.
- Analgesia research
- Stress response research
- Reward signalling context
Dosing on file unverified
1.5-11.5 mg IV; 6-440 µg/kg IV infusion; 1.5-10 mg IV over 5-35 min
Carried from a source that labels it unverified, and reproduced with that label attached. A record of what is reported, not a recommendation. No citation on this page establishes it.
Literature on file 6
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human observational
Plasma immunoreactive beta-endorphin in bulimics (1986, cited 35x) graded on: 8 bulimic participants vs 8 controls, plasma beta-endorphin — read from the abstract — “abstract review”
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human observational
A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Endogenous Opioid System Biomarkers in Patients With Chronic Axial Pain, Chronic Widespread Pain, and Fibromyalgia. graded on: a synthesis of human studies — “Systematic Review”
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human observational
Endogenous opioid peptides in trichotillomania: An exploratory analysis of focused and automatic hair-pulling subtypes. graded on: a secondary or post-hoc analysis — “exploratory analysis”
- animal in vivo
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human observational
Serum Ghrelin, Motilin, and Beta-Endorphin Levels in Infants With Colic and Healthy Infants in Lebanon. graded on: 68 term infants, colicky vs non-colicky, serum hormone comparison — read from the abstract — “abstract review”
Not graded
1 citation whose study design could not be read from the title. Left ungraded rather than guessed at.
- not graded
Identity
- UniProt
- P01213 (precursor)
Caveat on these identifiers
P01213 (prodynorphin) is correct for Dynorphin A only; beta-endorphin derives from POMC, not this precursor.
Notes unverified prose
1977-1999 human studies: 1.5-11.5 mg IV; 440 µg/kg/30 min infusion produced no toxicity; Historical human IV infusion studies (1970s-1990s)
Not on file 9
8 of the 8 fields we track hold nothing on this record, and each says why. 1 further absence is named below. A blank field is a bug; a named absence is a finding.
- molecular weightnothing we hold supplies it
- molecular formulanothing we hold supplies it
- CAS registry numbernothing we hold supplies it
- PubChem identifiernothing we hold supplies it
- amino-acid sequencenothing we hold supplies it
- SMILES stringnothing we hold supplies it
- InChInothing we hold supplies it
- InChI keynothing we hold supplies it
- half-lifenothing we hold supplies it
Each field links to every other record missing the same thing. The full ledger holds 765 gaps across 163 records.