DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide)

CNot approvedNootropic and sleep peptides →delta sleep-inducing peptideDSIPTrp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu
In one paragraphDSIP is a nine-amino-acid peptide isolated from rabbit brain in the 1970s and named for the sleep pattern it appeared to induce. Unusually for a grey-market sleep peptide, it was tested in people: several small studies in chronic insomnia through the 1980s and 90s. The best-controlled of them found effects that were weak, possibly artefactual, and concluded it was unlikely to be of major therapeutic benefit. Development stopped.
Schematic 3D structure of DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide)
9 residues · Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu · schematic
Overall gradeC Weak
Human trialsSeveral small trials, 1981–1998
Outcomes graded4
Last reviewed3 September 2026
EvidenceWhat it isHow it worksUnknownsMolecule & PKRegulationQuestionsReferences

What the human research shows

Better evidenced than most sleep peptides and still not good — which is more informative than no evidence at all. The trials were done, they were small, and they were unconvincing.

MetabolicCardioMuscleHealingNeuroImmuneSexualSkinAgeing

Evidence profile0–5

  • Metabolic & weight—0.0
  • Cardiovascular—0.0
  • Muscle & growth—0.0
  • Healing & repair—0.0
  • Neuro & sleepC0.0
  • Immune & inflammation—0.0
  • Sexual & hormonal—0.0
  • Skin & appearance—0.0
  • Ageing & longevity—0.0
No benefit outcome for DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide) has both human evidence and a measurable effect, so the profile is empty. That is the finding, not a gap in the chart.
OutcomeGradeEffect sizeHuman studiesWhere the evidence comes from
Sleep in chronic insomniaCWeakNot measurable1 double-blind RCT (n=16) + small studiesIntravenous DSIP improved measured sleep efficiency and latency against placebo, but the authors judged the effects weak and partly attributable to a change in the placebo group, with no improvement in how patients rated their own sleep.1
Opioid withdrawalDNo human evidenceNot measurable1 open trialAn open-label study in opioid detoxification was published in 1998. Without a control group it cannot separate the peptide from the natural course of withdrawal, and it was not followed up.2
Recovery, stress or performanceDNo human evidenceNot measurableNoneThe recovery and anti-stress claims made for DSIP today have no controlled human trial behind them.
Safety in humansadverseDNo human evidenceNot measurableNo systematic dataThe old studies were small and short, and none was designed to characterise safety. There is no modern safety dataset at the doses and routes used on the grey market.
AMultiple good human trials, consistentBSome human trials, mostly consistentCFew or weak human studiesDAnimal or anecdotal onlyeffect size · red = adverse

Literature searched to 3 September 2026. Human studies only; animal and cell work informs the mechanism section and nothing else.

What it is

DSIP was identified in the 1970s in the blood of rabbits whose brains had been electrically stimulated into slow-wave sleep, and named for that effect. Its status as a genuine endogenous sleep regulator has never been firmly established.

It is sold as an injectable sleep and recovery peptide. What distinguishes it from most of that category is that it was taken into human trials — which is why it earns a C rather than a D for sleep.

How it is thought to work

No mechanism is established. It has been proposed to act on sleep regulation and on stress hormone release, but the receptor and pathway remain unclear, which is part of why development did not continue.

What is still unknown

  • Whether it does anything for sleep at doses and routes used outside a laboratory.
  • Whether it is a genuine physiological sleep factor at all.
  • Safety with repeated use — never characterised.

The molecule and how long it lasts

Identity
Formula
C35H48N10O15
Molecular weight
848.8 g/mol
CAS number
62568-57-4
PubChem
CID 68816

PubChem record, read 23 September 2026.

Pharmacokinetics
Route
Intravenous in the 1980s sleep studies, which report no PK
Half-life
No human pharmacokinetic data

No pharmacokinetic study in people.

Regulatory status

European Union
Unauthorised medicinal product

No marketing authorisation in any member state; supplying it for human use is an offence under national medicines law.

United States
Not approved

Not an approved drug and not a dietary-supplement ingredient; sold as a research chemical.

United Kingdom
Unlicensed medicine

No MHRA licence; supply for human use is an offence.

Australia
Prescription-only / unapproved

Not on the ARTG; imports are seized.

Canada
Not authorised

No Drug Identification Number.

Sport (WADA)
Prohibited at all times

As a non-approved substance it falls under the non-approved-substances class and is prohibited in and out of competition.

Questions people actually ask

Does DSIP help you sleep?
The best-controlled trial found weak effects on measured sleep, no change in how patients rated their own sleep, and concluded it was unlikely to be of major therapeutic benefit. That is a genuine negative result rather than an absence of evidence.
Why is it still sold if the trials were negative?
The trials are forty years old, small, and largely forgotten outside the literature. The name — 'delta sleep-inducing peptide' — does a great deal of marketing work on its own.
Is DSIP safe?
Unknown. The old studies were too small and too short to characterise safety, and there is no modern data at the doses sold today.

One page per claimed effect

References

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3

Change log

  • 2026-09-03Initial publication. Sleep graded C on small trials with a negative conclusion; other claims graded D.