Sleep
DSIP
Also known as Delta sleep-inducing peptide
Neuropeptide first isolated in the 1970s and studied for sleep regulation.
Where the evidence comes from
20 verified records from 6 countries. The number of studies or countries is not proof that DSIP works or is safe.
Animal study: 13 · Narrative review: 3 · Randomized clinical trial: 1 · Human clinical trial: 3
What is known
Editorial summary not yet written.
What remains uncertain
Editorial summary not yet written.
Conflicting findings
Editorial summary not yet written.
U.S. regulatory status (FDA)
Compound
Product or formulation
FDA status
FDA-approved branded drug
Approved indication
Metara availability (compounded formulation)
Research material (research use only)
Source
Last verified
Notes
Approval applies only to the exact finished drug, formulation and indication. A shared active ingredient does not make a compounded version, blend or other use FDA-approved. Pharmacy or research-material availability is not FDA approval.
International regulatory status
Kept separate from U.S. status. The regulator's country is not the same as where studies took place.
No sourced international decisions recorded yet.
Continue your research
These are two different pathways, not two ways to get the same thing. Neither changes the FDA status shown above.
Clinical care
Available through Metara Health
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EXPLORE METARA HEALTH →Limitations
Small, older human studies with inconsistent results.
Human clinical evidence (4)
Effects of delta sleep-inducing peptide on sleep of chronic insomniac patients. A double-blind study.
Bes F, Hofman W, Schuur J, Van Boxtel C · Neuropsychobiology · DOI 10.1159/000118919
This double-blind human study compared DSIP with placebo in people with chronic insomnia. Objective sleep efficiency and time to fall asleep improved, but the effects were weak and partly may have reflected changes in the placebo group; perceived sleep quality did not improve. The authors concluded that short-term DSIP was unlikely to provide major therapeutic benefit.
Effects of delta-sleep-inducing peptide on 24-hour sleep-wake behaviour in severe chronic insomnia.
Schneider-Helmert D · European neurology · DOI 10.1159/000116143
This placebo-controlled, double-blind human trial studied DSIP in middle-aged people with chronic insomnia. Nighttime sleep improved, and daytime alertness and performance increased significantly. Sleep improvements persisted during the first night after treatment ended.
The influence of synthetic DSIP (delta-sleep-inducing-peptide) on disturbed human sleep.
Schneider-Helmert D, Schoenenberger GA · Experientia · DOI 10.1007/BF01971753
This human trial tested synthetic DSIP in middle-aged people with chronic insomnia. It reported longer, better-quality sleep with fewer interruptions and slightly more REM sleep, without daytime sedation or other reported side effects. Sleep-promoting effects were delayed, with a slight initial alerting effect.
Acute and delayed effects of DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide) on human sleep behavior.
Schneider-Helmert D, Gnirss F, Monnier M, Schenker J, Schoenenberger GA · International journal of clinical pharmacology, therapy, and toxicology · PMID 6895513
This double-blind crossover study compared intravenous DSIP with placebo in healthy human volunteers. DSIP increased sleep shortly after administration and was followed by faster sleep onset and better sleep efficiency that night, without classic sedative effects. It was well tolerated, with no psychological, physiological, or biochemical side effects observed in this study.
Systematic & narrative reviews (3)
Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): a still unresolved riddle.
Kovalzon VM, Strekalova TV · Journal of neurochemistry · DOI 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03693.x
This review examined animal and laboratory research on DSIP and its proposed role in sleep. It concluded that evidence for DSIP as a natural sleep-promoting factor remains weak and that its natural occurrence and biological activity remain unclear. The authors proposed that related, still-unidentified peptides might explain some reported effects.
Delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): an update.
Graf MV, Kastin AJ · Peptides · DOI 10.1016/0196-9781(86)90148-8
This review summarized DSIP research, including sleep effects in animals and investigations of its potential use for insomnia, pain, and withdrawal. It described additional reports of sleep-promoting or sleep-supporting effects in animals. DSIP's physiological roles and a proposed mechanism involving adrenaline-related nerve signaling remained unestablished.
Delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): a review.
Graf MV, Kastin AJ · Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · DOI 10.1016/0149-7634(84)90022-8
This review summarized DSIP research in humans and animals. It reported that DSIP mainly induced deep, slow-wave sleep in rabbits, rats, mice, and humans, while effects on REM sleep were more pronounced in cats. It also described effects beyond sleep, including changes in brain signaling, hormone levels, and daily activity patterns.
Laboratory, animal & other research (13)
Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide Recovers Motor Function in SD Rats after Focal Stroke.
Tukhovskaya EA, Ismailova AM, Shaykhutdinova ER, Slashcheva GA, Prudchenko IA, Mikhaleva II, Khokhlova ON, Murashev AN, Ivanov VT · Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · DOI 10.3390/molecules26175173
This animal study tested nasal DSIP given before and after an experimentally induced stroke in rats. DSIP significantly accelerated recovery of motor performance on a rotating-rod test. The area of damaged brain tissue was smaller in DSIP-treated animals, but that difference was not statistically significant.
Antiepileptic activity of delta sleep-inducing peptide and its analogue in metaphit-provoked seizures in rats.
Stanojlović OP, Zivanović DP, Mirković SD, Mikhaleva II · Seizure · DOI 10.1016/j.seizure.2005.02.001
This animal study tested DSIP and its analogue DSIP-12 in rats with chemically induced, sound-triggered seizures. Both peptides significantly reduced seizure occurrence, severity, and duration while increasing delta and theta brain-wave activity. DSIP-12 was more effective than DSIP, suggesting potential antiseizure activity in this animal model.
Delta-sleep-inducing peptide sequels in the mechanisms of resistance to emotional stress.
Sudakov KV, Coghlan JP, Kotov AV, Salieva RM, Polyntsev YuV, Koplik EV · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · DOI 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1995.tb44685.x
This animal study examined DSIP’s delayed effects on stress-related peptides and hormones in rat strains with different resistance to emotional stress. DSIP caused marked changes in substance P, beta-endorphin, and corticosterone, suggesting these changes may contribute to its longer-term stress-coping effects. Stimulation of resistance mechanisms was less pronounced in August rats than in Wistar rats.
Immunohistochemical localization of delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) in the brain and pituitary of the cartilaginous fish Scyliorhinus canicula.
Vallarino M, Feuilloley M, Yon L, Charnay Y, Vaudry H · Peptides · DOI 10.1016/0196-9781(92)90168-3
This animal study mapped DSIP-like material in the brain and pituitary gland of a cartilaginous fish. It provided the first evidence of a DSIP-related peptide in fish, with a distribution suggesting possible roles in nerve signaling and regulation of pituitary activity.
The effect of delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) and phosphorylated DSIP (P-DSIP) on the apomorphine-induced hypothermia in rats.
Tsunashima K, Masui A, Kato N · Brain research · DOI 10.1016/0006-8993(90)90748-z
This animal study tested how DSIP and its modified form, P-DSIP, affected apomorphine-induced lowering of body temperature in rats. Both enhanced the temperature drop, but P-DSIP acted and wore off more quickly. The findings suggest a connection with dopamine-related temperature regulation.
Delta sleep inducing peptide (DSIP) stimulates the release of LH but not FSH via a hypothalamic site of action in the rat.
Iyer KS, McCann SM · Brain research bulletin · DOI 10.1016/0361-9230(87)90069-4
This animal and laboratory study examined DSIP’s effects on reproductive hormone release in rats and isolated rat tissues. Brain-administered DSIP increased luteinizing hormone (LH), but not follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), in rats whose ovaries had been removed. It stimulated LH-releasing hormone from hypothalamic tissue but had no effect on cultured pituitary cells, supporting a site of action in the hypothalamus.
Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) stimulates LH release in steroid-primed ovariectomized rats.
Sahu A, Kalra SP · Life sciences · DOI 10.1016/0024-3205(87)90239-6
This animal and laboratory study tested DSIP’s effects on luteinizing hormone (LH) release in rats whose ovaries had been removed. DSIP stimulated LH release after estrogen and progesterone priming, but not without it, and had no direct effect on isolated pituitary tissue. The findings support the hypothesis that DSIP may act through brain circuits controlling LH release.
Reduced sleep in cats after intraperitoneal injection of delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP).
Sommerfelt L · Neuroscience letters · DOI 10.1016/0304-3940(85)90331-3
This animal study compared sleep and wakefulness in cats after DSIP or saline injections. DSIP reduced sleep, specifically light slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, and delayed the onset of REM sleep. The findings suggested increased wakefulness at the expense of light slow-wave sleep, alongside a specific REM-reducing effect.
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Profile last reviewed September 26, 2026. Educational content only. Not medical advice, a dosing protocol or a treatment recommendation.