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peptide
(pepītīd)
any member of a class of compounds of low molecular weight that can be broken down to yield two or more amino acids; they are the constituent parts of proteins and are formed by loss of water from the ammonia and carboxyl ends of adjacent amino acids. Peptides are known as dipeptides, tripeptides, and so on depending on the number of amino acids in the molecule; see also polypeptide.
vasoactive intestinal peptide
vasoactive intestinal polypeptide.

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