Search for endogenous

By the turn of the century the theory of chemical mediation of physiologic responses had gained some currency. There ensued in some laboratories an intense search for endogenous chemical modifiers of bodily responses. The first such agent to be isolated from mammalian tissue was the ubiquitous hormone, epinephrine—at that time known as adrenaline. This compound has played an important role in pharmacology as well as in medicinal chemistry. 

De Robertis, E, Pena, C, Paladini, AC and Medina, JH (1988) New developments on the search for endogenous ligand(s) of central benzodiazepine receptors. Neurochem. Int. 13 1-11. 

The third group consists of naturally occurring and synthetic peptides with opioid-like properties. The opioid peptides were discovered during the search for endogenous ligands of the opioid receptors and share the same action and side-effect profile as the non-peptidic compounds... 

Finally, the discovery of a CNS receptor that is specific for benzodiazepines has led to some interesting speculation as to the possible existence of some type of endogenous sedative-like agent. The presence of a certain type of receptor to indicate that the body produces an appropriate agonist for that receptor makes sense. For instance, the discovery of opiate receptors initiated the search for endogenous opiate-like substances, which culminated in the discovery of the enkephalins. It has been surmised that certain endogenous steroids such as allopregnanolone (a metabolic byproduct of... 

A search for endogenous amino acids in martian meteorite ALH84001. Science 279, 362-365. 

McDonald G. D. and Bada J. L. (1995) A search for endogenous amino acids in the martian meteorite EETA79001. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 59, 1179-1184. 

Sleep Studies. As early as 1907, Legendre and Pieron discovered the existence of endogenous sleep factors (21). Injection of blood serum from sleep-deprived dogs could induce sleep in dogs who were not deprived of sleep. The search for endogenous sleep factors is still continuing. 

During the mid-1970s the search for endogenous ligands for opioid receptors led to the discovery of peptides with opiate-like activity. The first opioid peptides reported were the pentapeptides leucine and methionine enkephalin (Sand 4) (7), followed shortly thereafter by dynorphin A (3 8) (260,261) and ( endorphin (51)(262). Because these peptides are structurally distinct from the alkaloid opiates, the term opioid was introduced to describe all compounds, both nonpeptide and peptide, with opiate-like activity. These mammalian opioid peptides share a common N-terminal tetrapeptide sequence, but differ in their C-terminal residues (Fig. 7.9). They also differ in... 

Mechoulam, R. Hanus, L. and Martin, B.R. Search for endogenous ligands of the cannabinoid receptor. Biochem Pharmacol 48(8) 1537-1544, 1994. 

Neubert et al. (1980) Dmg-induced damage in the embryo or fetus. Springer, New Ymk, pp 242-331 Nguyen LP, Bradfield CA (2008) The search for endogenous activators of the aryl hydrocarbon... 

A metabolomic search for endogenous substrates for P450 2W1 revealed lysolecithins [1236], Hydrojgrlation and epoxidation at the internal carbons of the fatly acids were observed, and the reaction occurred with other monoacyl (but not diacyl) glycerophosphohpids [1236]. Other reported substrates are indole, 3-methylin-... 

The possibility that PPARy participates in normal and pathological adipocyte differentiation has aroused considerable interest and has prompted an active search for endogenous molecules that may serve as ligands for this nuclear receptor. Along with drugs... 

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