DSIP.
A nine-amino-acid neuropeptide isolated from rabbit brain during slow-wave sleep in 1977, DSIP is found endogenously in human plasma and CSF and has been studied for nearly five decades across sleep architecture, circadian rhythm regulation, and stress-axis modulation.
Want the full narrative? Read the DSIP Research Guide for the published-study discussion and mechanism deep-dive.
- Key Signals
- Sleep · Stress · Circadian
- Origin
- Endogenous (brain, CSF, plasma)
- Investigator
- Schoenenberger & Monnier, 1977
- Class
- Endogenous nonapeptide
- Status (UAE)
- Research compound (off-label)
The Sleep Signal Hidden in the Brain
Schoenenberger and Monnier isolate DSIP from rabbit brain during delta-wave sleep and detect it subsequently in human plasma and CSF — 1977.
Human IV infusion studies through the 1980s report increased slow-wave sleep and reduced sleep-onset latency in insomnia cohorts.
Subsequent work characterises DSIP as a broader HPA-axis neuromodulator, with anxiolytic and stress-attenuating effects observed independently of sleep.
Nine residues, one sleep switch.
Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu
C₃₅H₄₈N₁₀O₁₅ · MW 848.8 Da
DSIP's nine-residue chain (Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu) is notable for its endogenous origin, unusual tryptophan N-terminus, and the small size thought to facilitate its penetration of the blood-brain barrier.
Promising signals, thin modern trials.
Solid early human data from 1980s Soviet studies; no large randomised trials have followed.
- SWS increase in rabbit models
- Sleep latency reduced in rodents
- HPA axis stress attenuation
- Antioxidant enzyme upregulation
- Opioid receptor interaction confirmed
- Slow-wave sleep increased (small n)
- Sleep latency reduced (IV route)
- Circadian normalisation reported
- Stress markers reduced
- Anxiolytic effects beyond sleep
- Oncostatic signalling (in vitro)
- Nociception modulation
- Anti-aging via antioxidant pathways
Sign in to view the full research brief.
Mechanism deep-dive and research dosing protocols — available to registered researchers. It's free and takes under a minute.
DSIP's Quiet Regulatory Status
In the UAE, research-grade peptides occupy a defined regulatory category distinct from licensed medicines. Compounds sold under this classification — including those offered by Dubai Peptides — are intended exclusively for qualified research applications, not for human administration.
DSIP has never been submitted for regulatory approval in any jurisdiction; the bulk of its clinical evidence originates from Soviet-era studies in the 1980s–90s, none of which was packaged into a formal regulatory submission. No manufacturer-sponsored IND or equivalent has been filed in the US, EU, or UAE. The compound circulates exclusively as a research-grade peptide through compounding channels.
Schoenenberger and Monnier isolate DSIP from rabbit brain and publish the first characterisation of its sleep-inducing properties in Pflügers Archiv.
Soviet and European teams conduct human IV infusion studies in insomnia cohorts; no regulatory submission results from this work.
DSIP enters the research-peptide market; no clinical trial has been registered and no regulatory body has reviewed it for any therapeutic indication.