Met-enkephalin vs DADLE

Head-to-head comparison of Met-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met) and DADLE ([D-Ala2, D-Leu5]-enkephalin) — benefits, dosing, side effects, research data, and where to buy.

Research Score

PropertyMet-enkephalinDADLE
CategoryPain ManagementPain Management
Full NameTyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met[D-Ala2, D-Leu5]-enkephalin
Molecular Weight573.67 Da569.67 Da
Half-Life1-5 minutes in plasma5-20 minutes in plasma
Amino Acids55
Typical Dose0.1-5 ug per animal0.01-2 ug per animal
RouteIntrathecal / intracerebroventricularIntrathecal / intracerebroventricular
Purity≥98%≥98%
Studies Count1200450
Research StatusPre-clinicalPre-clinical

Met-enkephalin Benefits

  • endogenous opioid signaling
  • analgesic reference ligand
  • spinal antinociception
  • neurochemical pain-pathway probe

DADLE Benefits

  • delta-opioid agonism
  • enhanced peptide stability
  • spinal analgesia models
  • research on tolerance mechanisms

Met-enkephalin Dosing

Intrathecal 0.1-5 ug per animal|Intracerebroventricular 0.1-2 ug per animal|In vitro 1-100 nM

DADLE Dosing

Intrathecal 0.01-2 ug per animal|Intracerebroventricular 0.01-1 ug per animal|In vitro 0.1-50 nM

Met-enkephalin Side Effects

  • sedation at higher exposure
  • constipation-like opioid effects
  • rapid enzymatic degradation

DADLE Side Effects

  • sedation
  • motor suppression at higher doses
  • opioid tolerance with repeated exposure

Research Overview

Met-enkephalin

Met-enkephalin has been extensively used in receptor pharmacology and nociception studies to map mu and delta opioid biology. The main limitation in translational work is very short half-life from peptidase cleavage and poor systemic stability.

DADLE

DADLE has been studied for analgesic, neuroprotective, and receptor-selective opioid effects in animal and tissue models. It remains important as a mechanistic probe because it is more stable than endogenous enkephalins but still peptide-like in its delivery constraints.

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Common Stacking Partners

Met-enkephalin stacks with:

gabapentinketamine

DADLE stacks with:

morphineketamine
opioid-peptideenkephalinmu-opioidanalgesiaenkephalin-analogdelta-opioidpeptide-therapeutic