Casomorphin is an

opioid Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...

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. ...

(protein fragment) derived from the digestion of the milk protein

casein Casein ( , from Latin ''caseus'' "cheese") is a family of related phosphoproteins ( αS1, aS2, β, κ) that are commonly found in mammalian milk, comprising about 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 60% of the proteins in hum ...

Health

Digestive enzymes Digestive enzymes are a group of enzymes that break down polymeric macromolecules into their smaller building blocks, in order to facilitate their absorption into the cells of the body. Digestive enzymes are found in the digestive tracts of anima ...

can break

down into peptides that have some biological activity in cells and in laboratory animals though conclusive causal effects on humans have not been established.European Food Safety Authority. 1 February 200
Review of the potential health impact of β-casomorphins and related peptides
/ref> Although research has shown high rates of use of complementary and alternative therapies for children with autism, including gluten and/or casein exclusion diets, there was a lack of evidence that these diets had any effect. If opioid peptides breach the intestinal barrier, typically linked to permeability and constrained biosynthesis of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4), they can attach to opioid receptors. Elucidation requires a systemic framework that acknowledges that public-health effects of food-derived opioids are complex with varying genetic susceptibility and confounding factors, together with system-wide interactions and feedbacks.

List of known casomorphins (non-exhaustive)

β-Casomorphins 1–3

*Structure: H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-OH *Chemical formula: C₂₃H₂₇N₃O₅ *Molecular weight: 425.48 g/mol

Bovine β-casomorphins 1–4

*Structure: H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-OH *Chemical formula: C₂₈H₃₅N₄O₆ *Molecular weight: 522.61 g/mol

Bovine β-casomorphin 1–4, amide

*Structure: H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-NH₂ *Chemical formula: C₂₈H₃₅N₅O₅ *Molecular weight: 521.6 g/mol Also known as

morphiceptin Morphiceptin is a tetrapeptide (Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-NH2) that is a selective μ-opioid receptor agonist. It is derived from β-casomorphin and has over 1,000 times selectivity for μ- over δ-opioid receptors. When injected intracerebroventricular ...

Bovine β-casomorphin 5

*Structure: H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-Gly-OH *Chemical formula: C₃₀H₃₇N₅O₇ *Molecular weight: 594.66 g/mol

Bovine β-casomorphin 7

*Structure: H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-Ile-OH *Chemical formula: C₄₁H₅₅N₇O₉ *Molecular weight: 789.9 g/mol

Bovine β-casomorphin 8

*Structure: H-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-Ile-Pro-OH *Chemical formula: C₄₆H₆₂N₈O₁₀ *Molecular weight: 887.00 g/mol (Note: There is also a form of bovine β-casomorphin 8 that has histidine instead of proline in position 8, depending on whether it is derived from A1 (His) or A2 (Pro) beta-casein.)

References

{{Opioidergics Dairy products Peptides