Kev tshawb pom ntawm neuropeptides hnub rov qab mus rau ib nrab xyoo pua 20th; Nrog rau kev nce qib sai ntawm biochemistry thiab molecular biology cov tswv yim, cov kws tshawb fawb tau maj mam nthuav tawm qhov xwm txheej ntawm cov me me molecules. Tsis zoo li cov tshuaj neurotransmitters ib txwm muaj (xws li acetylcholine thiab dopamine), neuropeptides feem ntau muaj ntau ntau txog ntau pua cov amino acids txuas los ntawm peptide bonds, yog li muaj ntau dua molecular complexity thiab tshwj xeeb. Lawv pom tsis tau tsuas yog nyob rau hauv lub paj hlwb tab sis kuj dav faib thoob plaws endocrine caj pas thiab lub cev tiv thaiv kab mob, ua kom lub teeb liab kis tau tus mob nyob rau hauv ob qho tib si ntev thiab luv deb ntawm cov ntshav ncig los yog hauv zos diffusion.
Cov txheej txheem ntawm kev ua ntawm neuropeptides cuam tshuam cov teeb liab sib txuas. Lawv thawj khi rau cov receptors tshwj xeeb rau ntawm lub hom phiaj ntawm lub hlwb, ua rau muaj kev cuam tshuam ntawm intracellular signaling cascades uas thaum kawg hloov cov noob qhia, protein synthesis, lossis ion channel ua haujlwm, yog li ua kom muaj kev tswj hwm ntawm cov cellular zog thiab lub cev lub cev ntawm tag nrho cov kab mob. Cov txheej txheem no tsis tsuas yog ua kom pom lub cev muaj peev xwm hloov tau zoo rau kev hloov pauv hauv ib puag ncig sab hauv thiab sab nraud tab sis tseem qhia txog lub luag haujlwm tseem ceeb ntawm neuropeptides ua si hauv kev tswj hwm lub cev homeostasis.
