melanotan-2 raises a handful of sensible questions. This page answers them in order, starting with the fundamentals and moving to applications.
Reviewed 2026-08-01. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
Melanotan-2 is a synthetic linear peptide built from seven amino acids arranged in a short chain. Its sequence is commonly written as Ac-Nle-Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys-NH2, which includes a modified N-terminus and an amidated C-terminus. The molecule belongs to the melanocortin family and acts as a receptor agonist. Structural features such as the D-phenylalanine residue and the Nle substitution are associated with increased stability against enzymatic degradation relative to the natural parent peptide.
The compound emerged from research programs in the 1980s that examined analogues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone for pigmentation and photoprotection. Investigators modified the native sequence to extend activity duration and potency. A related analogue, afamelanotide, was developed within the same broad line of inquiry and eventually gained approval in certain jurisdictions for a rare light-sensitivity condition. Melanotan-2 itself did not progress through the same regulatory route and has no approved therapeutic indication.
Melanocytes are the pigment-producing cells of the skin, and they carry melanocortin-1 receptors on their surface. When the receptor is activated, cyclic adenosine monophosphate rises inside the cell and raises the activity of enzymes such as tyrosinase, which increases melanin output. Melanotan-2 binds melanocortin-1 receptors in vitro and in animal models, and this binding is generally described as the basis for the tanning effect. Other receptors account for different effects: melanocortin-4 receptors contribute to appetite and erectile signalling, while melanocortin-3 and melanocortin-5 receptors contribute to energy balance and exocrine function.
Early published reports described melanotan-2 as a tanning agent without sun protection, which means darkening is not the same as protection against ultraviolet radiation. Later studies explored the peptide in erectile dysfunction, hemorrhagic shock, and some skin conditions. No regulator in the United States or Europe has approved it for clinical use. Many products labelled melanotan-2 are sold without approval and their identity and purity are unverified. Its long-term safety in humans remains an open question.
Melanotan-2, also written Melanotan II, is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide designed as an analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Its sequence is Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2, and the lactam bridge between the aspartate and lysine side chains constrains the peptide into a ring. This structural change increases receptor affinity and metabolic stability relative to the native hormone. The compound was created in the 1980s as a research tool for studying pigmentation biology.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C50H69N15O9 | Free base; salt forms differ |
| Molecular weight | Approximately 1024 g/mol | Calculated for the free base |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typically supplied as a lyophilised solid |
| Solubility | Soluble in water and polar solvents | Poorly soluble in non-polar solvents |
| Typical storage | -20 degrees Celsius, dry, protected from light | Refers to the solid form |
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Schröder (1993, 2002) reviewed the issue of CPA dosage and recommended a dosage of 200 to 300 mg/day for CPA as a monotherapy and a dosage of 100 to 200 mg/day for CPA in combined androgen blockade (that is, CPA in combination with surgical or medical castration). However, the combination of CPA with castration for prostate cancer has been found to significantly decrease overall survival compared to castration alone. Hence, the use of CPA as the antiandrogen component in combined androgen blockade would appear not to be advisable. When used by intramuscular injection to treat prostate cancer, CPA is used at a dosage of 300 mg once a week. The combination of CPA with an estrogen such as ethinylestradiol sulfonate or low-dose diethylstilbestrol has been used as a form of combined androgen blockade and as an alternative to the combination of CPA with surgical or medical castration.
Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin and sold under the brand name Rapamune among others, is a macrolide compound that is used to coat coronary stents, prevent organ transplant rejection, treat a rare lung disease called lymphangioleiomyomatosis, and treat perivascular epithelioid cell tumour (PEComa). It has immunosuppressant functions in humans and is especially useful in preventing the rejection of kidney transplants. It is a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase inhibitor that reduces the sensitivity of T cells and B cells to interleukin-2 (IL-2), inhibiting their activity. This compound also has a use in cardiovascular drug-eluting stent technologies to inhibit restenosis.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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=== Indonesia === Acetorphine is considered as a class 1 narcotic drug in Indonesia, along with etorphine and dihydroetorphine. A class 1 narcotic drug can only be used for scientific development purposes and not be used in therapy.
Golden Harvest Group (Bengali: গোল্ডেন হারভেস্ট গ্রুপ) is a Bangladeshi diversified conglomerate based in Dhaka. Rajeeb Samdani is the conglomerate’s managing director while Mohius Samad Choudhury is the main director.
Benefits: It can be less expensive to use this drying method (there are still costs associated with storing the wood, and with the slower process of getting the wood to market), and air drying often produces a higher quality, more easily workable wood than with kiln drying. Drawbacks: Depending on the climate, it takes several months to a number of years to air-dry the wood.
=== Vacuum ultraviolet === Vacuum ultraviolet, Vacuum UV, or VUV, includes wavelengths shorter than 200 nm, ovelapping the UVC range. These wavelengths are strongly absorbed by molecular oxygen in the air, though the longer wavelengths around 150–200 nm can propagate through nitrogen. Scientific instruments can, therefore, use this spectral range by operating in an oxygen-free atmosphere (pure nitrogen, or argon for shorter wavelengths), without the need for costly vacuum chambers. Significant examples include 193-nm photolithography equipment (for semiconductor manufacturing) and circular dichroism spectrometers. Technology for VUV instrumentation was largely driven by solar astronomy for many decades. While optics can be used to remove unwanted visible light that contaminates the VUV, in general, detectors can be limited by their response to non-VUV radiation, and the development of solar-blind devices has been an important area of research. Wide-gap solid-state devices or vacuum devices with high-cutoff photocathodes can be attractive compared to silicon diodes.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No. Melanotan-2 is manufactured synthetically. The naturally occurring peptide in the same family is alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which the body produces as part of normal endocrine and neural signalling.
Both are synthetic analogues derived from the same parent hormone. Reference descriptions usually characterise afamelanotide as more selective for the MC1R subtype, whereas melanotan-2 is reported to interact with a wider range of melanocortin receptors.
Early studies explored melanocortin signalling and pigmentation, which later led to informal use of the label tanning peptide. That label is not a regulatory category and does not imply approved status for any purpose.
No. It is a laboratory-made peptide, while the natural hormone is alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a longer peptide produced by the pituitary gland and by skin cells. Melanotan-2 mimics only a short active region of that hormone and contains non-natural residues such as D-phenylalanine.