substance P


noun

a small peptide released upon stimulation in the nervous system and involved in regulation of the pain threshold.

Origin of substance P

earlier standard preparation P (1931); the initial is unexplained by the substance's discoverers

Medical definitions for substance p

substance P

n.

A short-chain polypeptide that functions as a neurotransmitter especially in the transmission of pain impulses from peripheral receptors to the central nervous system.