Zyklophin is a

semisynthetic Semisynthesis, or partial chemical synthesis, is a type of chemical synthesis that uses chemical compounds isolated from natural sources (such as microbial cell cultures or plant material) as the starting materials to produce novel compounds with ...

peptide Peptides (, ) are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Long chains of amino acids are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. A ...

derived from

dynorphin A Dynorphin A is a dynorphin, an endogenous opioid peptide with the amino acid sequence: Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-Arg-Arg-Ile-Arg-Pro-Lys-Leu-Lys. Dynorphin A1–8 is a truncated form of dynorphin A with the amino acid sequence: Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-Ar ...

and a highly selective

antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...

of the

κ-opioid receptor The κ-opioid receptor or kappa opioid receptor, abbreviated KOR or KOP, is a G protein-coupled receptor that in humans is encoded by the ''OPRK1'' gene. The KOR is coupled to the G protein Gi/G0 and is one of four related receptors that bind op ...

(KOR). It is systemically-active, displaying good metabolic stability and blood-brain-barrier penetration. Similarly to other KOR antagonists, it has been shown to block

stress Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition * Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...

-induced reinstatement of

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

-seeking in animals. The drug is currently experimental, and thus cannot be considered safe for consumption or usage.

References

Kappa-opioid receptor antagonists Opioid peptides Semisynthetic opioids {{nervous-system-drug-stub

See also

References