THE PRESENT INVENTION AIMS AT PROVIDING MOTILIN-LIKE PEPTIDE COMPOUNDS THAT MAINTAIN THE GASTROINTESTINAL MOTILITY STIMULATING ACTIVITY OF NATIVE MOTILIN AND WHICH ARE ADAPTED TO HAVE HIGHER ABSORBABILITY UPON TRANSMUCOSAL ADMINISTRATION. MOTILIN DERIVATIVES WERE DESIGNED AND SYNTHESIZED IN CONSIDERATION OF THE PATHWAY FOR THE DEGRADATION OF MOTILIN AT A SITE OF ITS TRANSMUCOSAL ABSORPTION AND THE MAINTENANCE OF MOTILIN’S PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY AND COMPOUNDS CHARACTERIZED BY SUBSTITUTIONS FOR THE AMINO ACID AT POSITION 21 OF NATIVE MOTILIN HAVE BEEN FOUND TO SHOW HIGHER ABSORBABILITY UPON TRANSMUCOSAL ADMINISTRATION AND YET MAINTAIN THE SAME ACTIVITY AS MOTILIN.