Structure-activity relationship of neuropeptide FF

Peptides play pivotal roles in controlling and modulating the physiological functions. More and more attention has focused on the subject of peptides due to its facilities of chemical synthesis and modification. Neuropeptide FF (NPFF), an important opioid- modulating peptide, mediates a variety of biological actions, such as opioid tolerance and abstinence. However, to date, the potent and highly selective agonists and antagonists for NPFF receptors are still lacking, which hamper studies of the pharmacological activities of NPFF. This paper introduces the finding of NPFF, and reviews the progress on the precursors, the receptors and the bio-activities of NPFF in recent years. The structrue-activitiy relationship studies of NPFF are especially described. Authors ' work in studying of the effects of chemical modifications of NPFF on the pharmacological activities is referred. The research trends for the future are proposed.