If you have been reading about cyclic heptapeptide and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Last reviewed on 2025-07-25. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
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.
Receptor studies place melanotan-2 among non-selective melanocortin agonists, binding MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R rather than a single subtype. Activation of MC1R on cutaneous melanocytes raises tyrosinase activity and shifts pigment synthesis toward eumelanin, which is darker and more photostable than pheomelanin. Central receptors, particularly MC4R, are associated with appetite suppression and with reported effects on sexual function. Because subtype selectivity is low, the same molecule engages pigment, metabolic and vascular pathways at once, and this breadth is a common explanation offered for the range of adverse events described in user reports.
Melanotan-2 is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide designed as an analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, the naturally occurring peptide involved in pigmentation signalling. Its sequence is conventionally written as Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2, with a lactam bridge joining the aspartate side chain to the lysine side chain. The empirical formula is C50H69N15O9 and the monoisotopic mass lies near 1023.5 daltons. N-terminal acetylation and the D-configured phenylalanine both increase resistance to enzymatic breakdown compared with the parent hormone.
Pharmacologically, melanotan-2 behaves as a non-selective agonist across the melanocortin receptor family. Binding at MC1R on dermal melanocytes promotes eumelanin synthesis, which underlies the tanning response described in early human work. Activity at the centrally expressed MC4R receptor is associated with reported effects on appetite and erectile function. Because the peptide does not discriminate strongly among receptor subtypes, attributing any single observed effect to one receptor pathway is generally not possible without selective antagonists or receptor knockout models.
Research interest has centred on photoprotection and pigmentation, with a smaller body of work on appetite and sexual function. Published human data remain limited to small, frequently uncontrolled studies, and the compound has never received marketing approval from a national medicines regulator. Most laboratory work treats it as a pharmacological tool for probing melanocortin signalling in cell culture or animal models. Whether pigmentation changes observed in people translate into measurable protection against ultraviolet-induced DNA damage remains an open question.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular formula | C50H69N15O9 | Free base; salt forms add to total mass |
| Molecular mass | About 1024 daltons | Calculated for the free base |
| Structural class | Cyclic heptapeptide | Contains D-phenylalanine and norleucine |
| Parent hormone | Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone | Endogenous tridecapeptide of 13 residues |
| Receptor profile | Non-selective melanocortin agonist | Interacts with MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R |
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.
=== March === 1 March – 2024 Rochdale by-election: Sir Keir Starmer apologises to the voters of Rochdale for disowning the Labour Party's candidate, but says it was "the right decision". In a statement outside 10 Downing Street, Sunak warns that Islamists and far-right extremists, which he describes as "two sides of the same extremist coin", are trying to "deliberately" undermine the UK's "multi-faith democracy", and says the UK must face them down. Figures from the National Audit Office show the UK government will pay Rwanda a total of £350m for the agreement to take asylum seekers, with £150,000 also being paid to Rwanda for each person sent there. Conservative peer Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB, retires from the House of Lords. 2–3 March – The London Labour conference is held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in Tower Bridge. 4 March – Sunak says the UK economy is "getting on the right track" ahead of what is expected to be the last budget before the next election. George Galloway is sworn in as an MP at Westminster. Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam, announces he is standing down from Parliament at the next general election. Lee Waters announces he is stepping down as Wales's Transport Minister when the new First Minister of Wales is elected. 5 March – A bid by the Welsh Conservatives and Welsh Liberal Democrats to change planned reforms to the way Senedd members are elected from the 2026 election is rejected by the parliament. 6 March – Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers the 2024 United Kingdom budget.
Team Psykskallar (Swedish for "psych heads") consisted of Andreas "ruMpel" Rönnberg (level designer, music, and team leader), James "Minuit" Marchant (programmer, modeler, animator, and team leader), Stig "DragonNOR" Sydtangen (QA tester and voice of Simon), Lasse "BerZerk" Holmen (QA tester and voice of the Doctor), Jordy "Sporkeh" Boerema (weapons animator and modeler), and Aina Hatlevik (voice of Sophie). Rönnberg had previously created the Half-Life horror mod Afraid of Monsters (2005) by himself when he was 13 years old. The concept for Cry of Fear started when Rönnberg, who was going through a difficult time in his life, wanted to make "something damn sick and scary" and asked his friend Marchant to join him. The two began working on the project together, then later sought more people for their team. Rönnberg took photographs of Stockholm as a reference to design custom textures of the game's city, which resulted in a photo-realistic appearance. For example, Waspet Gardens is modeled after Humlegården, Saxon Avenue is modeled after Sankt Eriksplan, and the train station is modeled after T-Centralen, the main central subway station in Sweden. The apartments are a replica of the building where Rönnberg's father lived, and one of the earliest created locations in the game. Harbor College is based on the college Rönnberg graduated from, Cyber Gymnasiet, and was originally a 3D project for a class. This allowed Rönnberg to work on Cry of Fear while attending school.
Estradiol can be administered in a very long-lasting form via subcutaneous implantation of pure crystalline estradiol compressed into a small solid cylindrical pellet. These pellets slowly and completely dissolve and are replaced once every 6 to 12 months, achieving high and very constant circulating levels of estradiol. They are surgically inserted with the aid of a trocar by a trained physician in a medical office or clinic, and can be placed into locations including the lower abdomen, lower back, buttocks, or hips. Subcutaneous pellets containing 20 mg estradiol (brand name Meno-Implant) or 25, 50, or 100 mg estradiol (brand name Estradiol Implants; discontinued) for replacement usually once every 6 months (range 4 to 8 months) are or have been available as approved pharmaceutical medications. Up to 800 mg estradiol per implantation has been used. Pharmaceutical estradiol pellet implants have been used almost exclusively in the United Kingdom, but have also been available in Australia and the Netherlands. However, estradiol pellets have been discontinued in both the United Kingdom and Australia. An estradiol implant has not been approved by the FDA as a pharmaceutical medication in the United States, but hormone pellet implants, including estradiol pellets, are available as custom compounded products in this country. Estradiol pellet implants are advantageous in that some women seem to need higher levels of estradiol for adequate relief of menopausal symptoms, and subcutaneous estradiol pellets are easily able to achieve such levels.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The station is at 750 m (2,460 ft) and the surrounding mountains at 1,100 m (3,600 ft), causing cold air to pool in the valley: recent studies show that winter temperatures in the area increase with elevation by as much as 10 °C (18 °F). The average temperature in Oymyakon has risen about 2.7 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times. On December 22, 1991, the Klinck Automatic Weather Station (AWS) (located at 72°31′N 40°48′W, altitude 3,105 metres (10,187 ft)) in Greenland recorded a temperature of −69.6 °C (−93.3 °F). The WMO validated the metadata and observations and was able to conclude that the observation was credible in terms of instrument calibration, monitoring of the station and the synoptic situation. The WMO Rapporteur accepted the observation as the officially lowest observed near‐surface air temperature for the Northern and Western Hemispheres.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. is an Indian multinational pharmaceutical company based in Hyderabad, with U.S. headquarters in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The company was founded by Kallam Anji Reddy, who previously worked in the mentor institute Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited. Dr. Reddy's manufactures and markets a wide range of pharmaceuticals in India and overseas. The company produces over 190 medications, 60 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for drug manufacture, diagnostic kits, critical care, and biotechnology. Dr. Reddy's began as a supplier to Indian drug manufacturers, but it soon started exporting to less-regulated markets that had the advantage of not having to spend time and money on a manufacturing plant that would gain approval from a drug licensing body such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By the early 1990s, the expanded scale and profitability from these unregulated markets enabled the company to begin focusing on getting approval from drug regulators for their formulations and bulk drug manufacturing plants – in more-developed economies. This allowed their movement into regulated markets such as the US and Europe. By 2007, Dr. Reddy's had seven FDA plants producing active pharmaceutical ingredients in India and seven FDA-inspected and ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) certified plants making patient-ready medications – five of them in India and two in the UK.
=== Cultivation === White-barked birches in particular are cultivated as ornamental trees, largely for their appearance in winter. The Himalayan birch, Betula utilis, especially the variety or subspecies jacquemontii, is among the most widely planted for this purpose. It has been cultivated since the 1870s, and many cultivars are available, including 'Doorenbos', 'Grayswood Ghost' and 'Silver Shadow'; 'Knightshayes' has a slightly weeping habit. Other species with ornamental white bark include Betula ermanii, Betula papyrifera, Betula pendula and Betula raddeana.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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.
Melanotan-1, also called afamelanotide, is a linear analogue with greater selectivity for MC1R and has received approval in some jurisdictions for a specific photosensitivity disorder. Melanotan-2 is cyclic, less selective, and reaches central receptors more readily. The two are often confused in online discussion despite different pharmacology and regulatory status.
Alpha-MSH is an endogenous tridecapeptide derived from pro-opiomelanocortin. Melanotan-2 reproduces its core receptor-binding sequence inside a shortened, stabilised ring. The result is a molecule with a longer effective half-life and higher potency than the parent hormone.
It is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, containing seven amino acids with a lactam ring and a D-configured phenylalanine residue. It is supplied as a lyophilised powder for laboratory research.