melanocortin receptor is one of those subjects where the details matter more than the headlines. This page pulls together the background, the mechanisms, and the practical points readers ask about most.
Last reviewed on 2025-08-29. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Published human data come mostly from small, short studies rather than large controlled trials. Reported outcomes include increased skin pigmentation and, in some reports, effects on appetite and libido, but sample sizes are small and follow-up is limited. Whether long-term use produces durable pigment changes or adverse effects is not established. Because products sold outside pharmacies are not standardized, the actual content of any given vial is often unknown. Independent testing of such material is uncommon.
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide analog derived from the core sequence of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Researchers at the University of Arizona synthesized it during the 1980s while studying pigmentation and appetite signaling. The compound is not an approved medicine in any major jurisdiction and appears mainly in laboratory and research-chemical settings. Its structure incorporates a lactam bridge between side chains, which constrains the ring and slows enzymatic breakdown relative to the natural hormone.
No regulatory authority has approved melanotan-2 for human use, and several countries classify it as a prescription-only or controlled substance, which restricts lawful supply. Material sold online is generally labelled as a research chemical and is not required to meet pharmaceutical standards of identity or purity. Published human data consist mainly of small uncontrolled studies, case reports and adverse-event notifications, so the evidence base is descriptive rather than confirmatory. Whether repeated melanocyte stimulation alters long-term naevus behaviour remains an open question that no completed trial has resolved.
Melanotan-2 is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide designed as a structural analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, the endogenous tridecapeptide that regulates pigment production. Two modifications distinguish it from the natural hormone: norleucine replaces methionine at the N-terminus, which limits oxidation, and a D-phenylalanine substitution raises receptor affinity. The ring is closed through an aspartate-lysine lactam bridge, giving the molecule a constrained conformation. The free base has a molecular mass near 1024 daltons, and commercial material is usually supplied as an acetate salt. It appears in the literature as a research peptide rather than an approved therapeutic agent.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Synthetic cyclic heptapeptide | Analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone |
| Primary receptor family | Melanocortin receptors MC1R through MC5R | Binding is not subtype-selective |
| Development period | 1980s | Synthesized during pigmentation and appetite research |
| Regulatory status | Not an approved medicine | No major regulator has authorized human use |
| Related compound | Afamelanotide | Linear analog studied for photoprotection |
Two structural changes distinguish the synthetic peptide from the natural hormone. A norleucine residue replaces methionine at one position, and a D-configured phenylalanine replaces the natural L-form at another. Both substitutions slow enzymatic breakdown, which extends the molecule's persistence relative to the parent hormone. The lactam bridge further constrains the backbone into a stable conformation. These features are standard design strategies in peptide chemistry and are not unique to this compound; they appear across many research peptides built for improved stability.
The compound was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by academic researchers investigating melanocortin signaling and pigmentation. Early work explored whether synthetic analogs could reproduce effects of the natural hormone under controlled conditions. The molecule never advanced through the full regulatory pathway required for approval as a medicine. From the mid-2000s onward it appeared in unregulated consumer markets, often distributed through informal channels. That gap between research origins and commercial availability shapes how the compound is discussed today.
Melanotan-2 is a synthetic peptide designed as an analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a signaling molecule produced in the pituitary and skin. Its structure is a linear chain of seven amino acids that folds into a ring through an internal lactam bridge joining two side chains. The compound is sometimes written as MT-II or MEL-2 in informal and commercial contexts. It belongs to the melanocortin peptide family, a group of short signaling molecules that share a conserved core sequence recognized by melanocortin receptors.
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide with the sequence Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2, corresponding to a molecular formula of C50H69N15O9 and a monoisotopic mass near 1024 daltons. It was designed as a structural analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a peptide hormone produced by cleavage of proopiomelanocortin. A lactam bridge between the aspartate and lysine side chains closes the ring, and the C-terminal amide removes a free carboxyl group. Both modifications increase resistance to enzymatic degradation compared with the linear parent hormone. Four substitutions distinguish it from afamelanotide, the linear analogue studied under the name melanotan I.
Receptor-binding studies classify melanotan II as a non-selective melanocortin agonist. It interacts with MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R, with reported affinities in the low nanomolar range and no strong subtype preference. Activation of MC1R on dermal melanocytes shifts pigment synthesis toward eumelanin, the dark polymer deposited in melanosomes and transferred to keratinocytes. Because the same peptide engages MC4R in the hypothalamus, it also appears in animal work on food intake and erectile response, which is why it is discussed in both pigment and metabolic research. Which receptor populations dominate after systemic exposure in humans is not fully established.
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a naturally occurring peptide involved in pigmentation signalling. Its structure substitutes a lactam bridge between side chains to increase stability relative to the native hormone. The compound is also known by the shorthand MT-II and by several non-proprietary synonyms used in research catalogues. It is not an approved therapeutic product in any major jurisdiction; material sold under this name is typically offered as a laboratory reagent rather than as a medicine.
Activity is attributed to agonism at melanocortin receptors, particularly MC1R and MC4R. Activation of MC1R on melanocytes increases melanin synthesis, which underlies the reported tanning effect. MC4R engagement in the central nervous system is linked to appetite suppression and to effects on sexual arousal reported in early clinical studies. Those studies were small and were not designed to establish efficacy or long-term safety. Receptor selectivity among the melanocortin subtypes is not absolute, which complicates attribution of any effect to a single pathway.
Regulatory treatment varies between countries. Several national medicines agencies have classified the peptide as unapproved, and customs authorities in some jurisdictions seize shipments on that basis. A few jurisdictions channel supply through prescription-only frameworks that do not list the substance by name. Because the material circulates mainly through online vendors, composition and purity are rarely verified before sale. Surveys of unapproved peptide products have reported labels that did not match measured content in a substantial fraction of samples.
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.
Melanocortin receptors comprise five subtypes with distinct tissue distributions and functions. Melanotan-2 is described in the literature as a non-selective agonist that engages several of these subtypes, including MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R. MC1R is the subtype most directly linked to melanin production in skin cells. Because the compound is not subtype-selective, its observed effects in experimental settings are generally attributed to activity across multiple receptor pathways rather than to a single target.
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== Nomenclature == This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting on NADH or NADPH with a quinone or similar compound as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is 2-hydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone:NADH oxidoreductase. Other names in common use include hydroxybenzoquinone reductase, 1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene:NAD oxidoreductase, and NADH:2-hydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone oxidoreductase.
=== Mean lifetime === If the decaying quantity, N(t), is the number of discrete elements in a certain set, it is possible to compute the average length of time that an element remains in the set. This is called the mean lifetime (or simply the lifetime), where the exponential time constant,
Terrestrial plants make leaf waxes to coat the surfaces of their leaves, to minimize water loss. These waxes are largely straight-chain n-alkyl lipids. They are insoluble, non-volatile, chemically inert, and resistant to degradation, making them easily preserved in the sedimentary record, and therefore good targets as biomarkers. The main water source for land plants is soil water, which largely resembles the HIC of rain water, but varies between environments and with enrichment by precipitation, depletion by evaporation, and exchange with atmospheric water vapor. There can be a significant offset between the δD value of source water and the δD value of leaf water at the site of lipid biosynthesis. No fractionation is associated with water uptake by roots, a process usually driven by capillary tension, with the one exception of xerophytes that burn ATP to pump water in extremely arid environments (with a roughly 10‰ depletion). However, leaf water can be substantially enriched relative to soil water due to transpiration, an evaporative process which is influenced by temperature, humidity, and the composition of surrounding water vapor. The leaf water HIC can be described with a modified Craig-Gordon model, where ΔDe is the steady state enrichment of leaf water, εeq is the temperature-dependent equilibrium fractionation between liquid water and vapor, εk is the KIE from diffusion between leaf internal air space and the atmosphere, ΔDv is the leaf/air disequilibrium, ea is atmospheric vapor pressure, and ei is internal leaf vapor pressure.
=== Labeling === For US food and dietary supplement labeling purposes the amount in a serving is expressed as a percent of Daily Value. For vitamin B6 labeling purposes 100% of the Daily Value was 2.0 mg, but as of May 27, 2016, it was revised to 1.7 mg to bring it into agreement with the adult RDA. A table of the old and new adult daily values is provided at Reference Daily Intake.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Field desorption ionization was first reported by Beckey in 1969. In field ionization, a high-potential electric field is applied to an emitter with a sharp surface, such as a razor blade, or more commonly, a filament from which tiny "whiskers" have been grown. This produces a very high electric field in which electron tunneling can result in ionization of gaseous analyte molecules. FI produces mass spectra with little or no fragmentation, dominated by molecular radical cations M+. and occasionally protonated molecules
is the mass of the solids. For materials that change in volume with water content, such as coal, the gravimetric water content, u, is expressed in terms of the mass of water per unit mass of the moist specimen (before drying):
Refers to the testing of experimental drugs in the test tube or in animals - the testing that occurs before trials in humans may be carried out. (NLM) Research using animals to find out if a drug, procedure, or treatment is likely to be useful. Preclinical studies take place before any testing in humans is done. (NCI) Predictive factor
In China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea, soybean and soybean products are a standard part of the diet. Tofu (豆腐 dòufu) is thought to have originated in China, along with soy sauce and several varieties of soybean paste used as seasonings. Japanese foods made from soya include miso (味噌), nattō (納豆), kinako (黄粉) and edamame (枝豆), as well as products made with tofu such as atsuage and aburaage. In China, whole dried soybeans are sold in supermarkets and used to cook various dishes, usually after rehydration by soaking in water; they find their use in soup or as a savory dish. In Korean cuisine, soybean sprouts (콩나물 kongnamul) are used in a variety of dishes, and soybeans are the base ingredient in doenjang, cheonggukjang and ganjang. In Vietnam, soybeans are used to make soybean paste (tương) in the North with the most popular products are tương Bần, tương Nam Đàn, tương Cự Đà as a garnish for phở and gỏi cuốn dishes, as well as tofu (đậu hũ or đậu phụ or tàu hũ), soy sauce (nước tương), soy milk (nước đậu in the North or sữa đậu nành in the South), and đậu hũ nước đường (tofu sweet soup).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
However, even the smallest proteins have over 1000 atoms, which makes determining their structure far more complex. In 1934, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin had taken crystallographic data on the structure of the small protein, insulin, although the structure of that and other proteins were not solved until the late 1960s. However, pioneering X-ray fiber diffraction data had been collected in the early 1930s for many natural fibrous proteins such as wool and hair by William Astbury, who suggested that "globular proteins in general might be folded from elements essentially like the elements of fibrous proteins." Since protein structure was so poorly understood in the 1930s, the physical interactions responsible for stabilizing that structure were likewise unknown. Astbury hypothesized that the structure of fibrous proteins was stabilized by hydrogen bonds in β-sheets. The idea that globular proteins are also stabilized by hydrogen bonds was proposed by Dorothy Jordan Lloyd in 1932, and championed later by Alfred Mirsky and Linus Pauling. At a 1933 lecture by Astbury to the Oxford Junior Scientific Society, physicist Charles Frank suggested that the fibrous protein α-keratin might be stabilized by an alternative mechanism, namely, covalent crosslinking of the peptide bonds by the cyclol reaction above. The cyclol crosslink draws the two peptide groups close together; the N and C atoms are separated by ~1.5 Å, whereas they are separated by ~3 Å in a typical hydrogen bond. The idea intrigued J. D.
Chloromorphide (α-chloromorphide) is an opiate analog that is a derivative of morphine, where the 6-hydroxy group has been replaced by chlorine. Developed in 1933 in Germany, it has approximately ten times the potency of morphine. It has similar effects to morphine, such as sedation, analgesia, and respiratory depression. Chloromorphide does not appear specifically in the Controlled Substances Act 1970 in the United States, but is presumably Schedule II controlled substance as a form of morphine or an analogue of morphine or morphinan. When halogenated morphides and codides are used for research or industrial uses, they are often synthesised on-site. Chloromorphide is one of a series of opioids known as morphides and codides, which are important precursors and intermediates in the synthesis of semi-synthetic opioid analgesic drugs, especially those with additions, substitutions, or other modifications at the 7, 8, and/or 14 positions on the morphine carbon skeleton. Semisynthetics with changes at other positions can also be made from these compounds. The codeine analog of chloromorphide is α-chlorocodide (alpha-chlorcodide), an intermediate in one method of desomorphine synthesis which uses codeine as precursor. During the 1930s, the entire series of alpha- and beta-halogenated codides, morphides, dihydromorphides, and dihydrocodides were produced and described, and α-bromomorphide and α-iodomorphide are sometimes currently used in research and manufacturing.
== Interactions == Miconazole is partly absorbed in the intestinal tract when used orally, as with the oral gel, and possibly when used vaginally. This can lead to increased concentrations of drugs that are metabolized by the liver enzymes CYP3A4 and CYP2C9, because miconazole inhibits these enzymes. Such interactions occur for example with anticoagulants of the warfarin type, phenytoin, some newer atypical antipsychotics, ciclosporin, and most statins used to treat hypercholesterolemia. These interactions are not relevant for miconazole that is applied to the skin.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No regulator in a major market has approved it for human use. It appears in research settings and in products marketed outside pharmacy channels. Legal status for personal possession varies by country.
Afamelanotide is a linear analog that has received approval in some jurisdictions for a specific photoprotection indication. Melanotan II is cyclic and less selective across melanocortin receptors. The two are related but are not interchangeable in regulatory or clinical terms.
A compound that activates several receptor subtypes may produce effects beyond pigmentation. Selectivity influences which tissues respond and shapes the side-effect profile described in reports. Designing subtype-selective analogs is a stated goal of melanocortin research.
No regulatory agency has authorised melanotan-2 as a medicine for any indication. It circulates mainly as a research chemical or through unregulated channels. As a result, identity, purity and content are not independently guaranteed.