Orexin A (also known in research literature as Hypocretin-1) from Super Human Peptides UK is a highly advanced, naturally occurring 33-amino acid neuropeptide. Like Orexin B, it is produced by specialized neurons in the lateral hypothalamus to regulate arousal and energy homeostasis. In laboratory research, Orexin A is highly prized for its unique structural stability and receptor kinetics.
Unlike Orexin B, which strictly targets the Type 2 receptor, Orexin A is a powerful, non-selective agonist that binds with immense affinity to both the Orexin Type 1 (OX1R) and Type 2 (OX2R) receptors. Furthermore, its sequence features two intrachain disulfide bonds and an N-terminal pyroglutamate residue, making it highly lipophilic and exceptionally resistant to enzymatic degradation. This structure allows Orexin A to rapidly cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) when administered systemically.
Produced under GMP-compliant conditions and verified for 99% purity or higher, Orexin A is the ultimate preclinical model for investigating total sleep-wake cycle rescue, extreme arousal, and the neurobiology of addiction.
- —Dual Receptor Agonist: Binds with high affinity to both OX1R and OX2R, activating the entire orexinergic system.
- —Structural Stability: Two disulfide bridges grant the peptide a significantly longer biological half-life than Orexin B.
- —BBB Permeability: Highly lipophilic structure allows researchers to study central nervous system effects via systemic administration.
- —Master Arousal Regulator: The primary peptide model utilized for profound wakefulness, feeding behaviors, and narcolepsy reversal.
- —High Purity: 99% purity or higher (verified by HPLC and MS analysis).
- —Quality Standard: GMP / ISO certified manufacturing.
- —Blood-Brain Barrier Transport: Studying the unique pharmacokinetics that allow a 33-amino acid peptide to successfully navigate into the central nervous system via simple diffusion.
- —Narcolepsy Rescue: Preclinical models investigating the total, rapid restoration of wakefulness and muscle tone in genetically engineered orexin-deficient subjects.
- —Dual Receptor Kinetics: Measuring the distinct physiological differences between activating the OX2R pathway (sleep-wake) versus the OX1R pathway (reward and autonomic tone).
- —Feeding and Metabolism: Researching the peptide's namesake "orexigenic" effect, heavily stimulating appetite and caloric intake to match heightened states of physical arousal.
- —Addiction Pathology: Evaluating how Orexin A projections to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens drive drug-seeking behavior, relapse, and dopamine sensitization.
Following the simultaneous discovery of the orexin/hypocretin system in 1998 by the Sakurai and de Lecea research teams, scientists quickly realized the profound functional differences between the two peptides. Laboratory studies utilizing synthetic Orexin A demonstrated that it is significantly more potent and longer-lasting than Orexin B. In landmark animal studies, researchers discovered that administering Orexin A intravenously (rather than directly into the brain) still successfully abolished cataplexy and restored sustained wakefulness, proving its remarkable ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Because it single-handedly activates the entire neuro-arousal network—increasing heart rate, stimulating appetite, and entirely preventing REM sleep intrusion—it remains one of the most powerful and heavily researched excitatory neuropeptides in modern neuroscience.
- 1.Sakurai, T. et al., "Orexins and orexin receptors: a family of hypothalamic neuropeptides and G protein-coupled receptors that regulate feeding behavior," Cell, 1998.
- 2.Kastin, A.J., & Akerstrom, V., "Orexin A but not orexin B rapidly enters brain from blood by simple diffusion," Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 1999.
- 3.John, J. et al., "Systemic administration of hypocretin-1 reduces cataplexy and normalizes sleep and waking durations in narcoleptic dogs," Sleep Research Online, 2000.
- 4.Harris, G.C. et al., "A role for lateral hypothalamic orexin neurons in reward seeking," Nature, 2005.
