A hemoglobin-derived peptide promoted deep sleep through the CB1 cannabinoid receptor in mice | Research

The takeaway

A peptide derived from hemoglobin, (m)VD-hemopressin(alpha), promoted NREM sleep in mice through CB1 cannabinoid receptor activation, adding to evidence that the endocannabinoid system regulates sleep.

Sleep researchers, neuroscientists studying the endocannabinoid system, and drug developers targeting cannabinoid pathways for sleep disorders.

Hemoglobin-derived peptide promoted NREM sleep via CB1 receptors in mice

What the researchers found

The hemoglobin-derived peptide (m)VD-HPalpha promoted non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep when administered to mice. This sleep-promoting effect was mediated through CB1 cannabinoid receptors, providing new evidence for endocannabinoid system involvement in sleep regulation.

Why it matters

Sleep disruption is one of the most common reasons people use cannabis. Understanding how the endocannabinoid system naturally regulates sleep could lead to targeted sleep therapeutics without the side effects of whole-plant cannabis.

The numbers in context

(m)VD-HPalpha, an 11-residue peptide, promoted NREM sleep in mice. Effect was CB1 receptor-dependent.

How the study worked

Animal study examining sleep architecture in mice following administration of (m)VD-hemopressin(alpha). Sleep stages monitored. CB1 receptor involvement confirmed using pharmacological tools.

What this study cannot tell us

Mouse study with uncertain human translation. Direct peptide administration to the brain is not a clinically feasible route. Sleep architecture differs between mice and humans. Unknown whether this peptide plays a role in natural human sleep.

How to read the evidence

Well-designed mechanistic animal study. Very early-stage finding with no immediate clinical application.

When this study was published

Published 2023.

The bigger picture

Endogenous cannabinoid-related peptides like hemopressin are revealing new layers of the endocannabinoid system. If specific peptides promote sleep through CB1 receptors, they could inspire sleep medications that leverage the body's own signaling.

Questions still open

Could hemopressin-related peptides be developed into sleep medications? Does endogenous hemopressin contribute to the sleep-promoting effects reported by cannabis users?

Common questions

Does the cannabinoid system control sleep?

Growing evidence supports this. This study found that a peptide that interacts with CB1 cannabinoid receptors promoted deep (NREM) sleep in mice. The endocannabinoid system appears to be one of several systems that regulate when and how well we sleep.

Is this why cannabis helps people sleep?

The finding that CB1 receptor activation promotes sleep in mice is consistent with reports from cannabis users. However, many pathways are involved, and this specific peptide is not the same as THC. Whether this particular mechanism explains cannabis sleep effects in humans is unknown.

Read the original research

An α-hemoglobin-derived peptide (m)VD-hemopressin (α) promotes NREM sleep via the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.

Frontiers in pharmacology, 14, 1213215

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Xie, Jun-Fan; Wang, Lin-Xin; Ren, Wen-Ting; Wang, Can; Gao, Jin-Xian; Chen, Hai-Lin; Zhao, Xue-Qi; Ren, Yan-Li; Xie, Yu-Ping; Shao, Yu-Feng; Hou, Yi-Ping. (2023). An α-hemoglobin-derived peptide (m)VD-hemopressin (α) promotes NREM sleep via the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.. Frontiers in pharmacology, 14, 1213215. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1213215