Endorphin

One of the body's own painkillers, an opioid (morphine-like) chemical produced by the body that serves to suppress pain. Endorphins are manufactured in the brain, spinal cord, and many other parts of the body. They are released in response to neurotransmitters and bind to certain neuron receptors (the same ones that bind opiate medicines). Endorphins act as analgesics (diminishing the perception of pain) and as sedatives. Chemically, endorphins are peptides (amino acid chains that are shorter than proteins) and they are rapidly inactivated by enzymes called peptidases.

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en·dor·phin en-'dȯr-fən n any of a group of endogenous peptides (as enkephalin and dynorphin) found esp. in the brain that bind chiefly to opiate receptors and produce some of the same pharmacological effects (as pain relief) as those of opiates specif beta-endorphin

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n.

one of a group of chemical compounds, similar to the encephalin, that occur naturally in the brain and have pain-relieving properties similar to those of the opiates. They are also responsible for sensations of pleasure. The endorphins are derived from a substance found in the pituitary gland known as beta-lipotrophin; they are thought to be concerned with controlling the activity of the endocrine glands.

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en·dor·phin (en-dorґfin) (enґdor-fin) [endogenous + morphine] any of three neuropeptides, amino acid residues of β-lipotropin; they bind to opioid receptors in the brain and have potent analgesic activity. β-Endorphin is the C-terminal 30–amino acid residue and is found in the adenohypophysis, hypothalamus, and other sites in the brain; one function appears to be mediation of pain perception. α-Endorphin and γ-endorphin are the N-terminal 16 and 17 amino acid residues, respectively. See also enkephalin and dynorphin.