Dermorphin is a hepta-peptide first isolated from the skin of South American frogs belonging to the genus Phyllomedusa.[1] The peptide is a natural opiate that binds as an agonist with high potency and selectivity to mu Opioid receptors.[2][3] Dermorphin is about 30-40 times more potent than morphine but less likely to produce drug tolerance and addiction.[4]
Dermorphin is not found in humans or other mammals and similar D-amino acid peptides have only been found in bacteria, amphibians and molluscs.[5] Dermorphin appears to be made in these through an unusual posttranslational modification carried out by an amino acid isomerase.[6] The reason why such an unusual process is needed is because the D-alanine in this peptide is not among the 20 in the genetic code and cannot be encoded in the genes by higher organisms.
