Neuropeptide Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (α-MSH): The Forgotten Peptide Linking the Brain, Immune System, Skin, and Inflammation
Exploring the Science of One of the Body's Most Powerful Anti-Inflammatory Signals
By Dr. David Traster, DC, MS, DACNB
Co-owner, The Neurologic Wellness Institute
Boca Raton • Chicago • Waukesha • Wood Dale
www.neurologicwellnessinstitute.com
When most people hear the word melanin, they think about skin pigmentation and tanning. However, few realize that one of the body’s most important regulatory peptides is directly involved in controlling melanin production. Alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (α-MSH) is far more than a tanning hormone. It is a powerful neuropeptide that influences immune regulation, inflammation, appetite, pain perception, energy balance, autonomic function, and neuroprotection.
Over the last several decades, researchers have discovered that α-MSH acts throughout the brain and body as a master regulator of homeostasis. It participates in communication between the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system and may play important roles in numerous chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders.
Although α-MSH is not as widely discussed as hormones such as cortisol, insulin, or testosterone, it may be one of the body’s most important anti-inflammatory and protective signaling molecules.