Opioid peptides Synthesis and binding properties of dermorphin related heptapeptides

C-Terminal amino acid residues of dermorphin (H-Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH₂) were replaced by N^α-methyl- or D-amino acids in order to examine the effect on opioid activity. In binding studies based on displacement of μ, Δ, and κ opioid receptor selective radiolabels from guinea pig brain membranes, the 13 new analogues showed, like dermorphin, a negligible affinity for the κ binding site. The introduction of N^α-methyl- or D-amino acid residues at position 5, 6, or 7 of dermorphin, when matched with C-terminal amide function modifications, generally produced analogues with reversed μ/δ specificity.