Peptide Database

Hypocretin-1 · OXA

Orexin A (Hypocretin-1) is a 33-amino-acid neuropeptide produced exclusively by lateral hypothalamic neurons. It promotes wakefulness, arousal, and energy expenditure via OX1R and OX2R receptors, and its deficiency (due to autoimmune destruction of orexin neurons) is the cause of narcolepsy with cataplexy. Orexin receptor antagonists (suvorexant, lemborexant) are approved for insomnia; orexin agonists are under development for narcolepsy.