Also known as MT-2 · MT-II
Synthetic cyclic analog of α-MSH; non-selective melanocortin receptor agonist.
Melanotan II is a cyclic heptapeptide α-MSH analog developed at the University of Arizona. Acts as a non-selective agonist across MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R — pigmentation and sexual-response effects have both been documented.
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic analog of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), developed at the University of Arizona. It is a non-selective agonist across the melanocortin receptors MC1R through MC5R.
Through MC1R it stimulates melanin production (pigmentation); through MC4R it influences central sexual-response pathways. Both effects are documented in research, but its non-selectivity also drives side effects, and it is not FDA-approved.
Non-selective melanocortin receptor (MC1-5R) agonism.
Behind every vial of Melanotan II is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how Melanotan II, specifically, is brought into being.
On paper, Melanotan II is C50H69N15O9 — about 1,024.2 daltons of precisely arranged atoms. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.
Melanotan II is assembled by solid-phase peptide synthesis — the chain grows one protected residue at a time on resin, and what you fail to build cleanly here you pay to remove later. It also carries cyclization, an extra step beyond a plain chain that adds both capability and cost.
The crude mixture — Melanotan II plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one.
A real batch of Melanotan II proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry against its ~1,024.2 Da, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of Melanotan II — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.
Producing Melanotan II to a genuine purity spec means solid-phase synthesis, preparative HPLC purification, and batch quality control — none of it cheap, and none of it something you can verify by eye.
Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.
Recent clinical trials and publications mentioning Melanotan II, pulled automatically from ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed and refreshed daily. Listings are unfiltered search results, not curated endorsements.
Melanotan II is a synthetic, non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist (an α-MSH analog) studied for pigmentation and sexual-response effects.
PT-141 (bremelanotide) is a melanocortin agonist with preferential MC4R activity studied for sexual function; Melanotan II is non-selective and also drives pigmentation.
No — Melanotan II is not FDA-approved. This page is a research and educational reference, not a usage recommendation.
It activates melanocortin receptors MC1R through MC5R without selectivity.
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ViewDosing protocols, mechanism, comparisons, and the latest trials — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.