This is a working overview of alpha-MSH analogue, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2026-04-12 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
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 II is a synthetic peptide analog modeled on alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a naturally occurring signaling peptide involved in pigmentation. Its structure is a cyclic heptapeptide containing two non-natural substitutions, norleucine at position four and D-phenylalanine at position seven. These modifications resist enzymatic breakdown and extend the molecule's activity relative to the native hormone. The compound binds melanocortin receptors and is studied mainly as a pharmacological tool rather than a therapeutic product. It has never received approval as a medicine in any major jurisdiction.
The compound was developed in the late 1980s and 1990s by academic researchers investigating photoprotection. The rationale held that stimulating melanin production might reduce ultraviolet damage to skin and lower skin cancer risk. Early work examined receptor binding, pigment response, and short-term tolerability in small studies. That program did not produce an approved drug, and formal development stalled after early-phase trials. Whether induced pigmentation confers meaningful photoprotection remains an open question.
Outside regulated medicine, melanotan II circulates through online vendors as a research chemical, often marketed for tanning. Products sold this way vary widely in purity, concentration, and labeling accuracy, and independent testing has documented discrepancies. Published reports describe both pigment effects and adverse reactions, including nausea, flushing, and darkening of existing moles. Long-term safety data are sparse, and no large controlled trial has established a risk profile. Questions about cumulative effects on melanocytes remain unresolved in the literature.
| 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 |
== Mechanism of action == After binding to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, polymyxins disrupt both the outer and inner membranes. The hydrophobic tail is important in causing membrane damage, suggesting a detergent-like mode of action. Removal of the hydrophobic tail of polymyxin B yields polymyxin nonapeptide, which still binds to LPS, but no longer kills the bacterial cell. However, it still detectably increases the permeability of the bacterial cell wall to other antibiotics, indicating that it still causes some degree of membrane disorganization. Gram-negative bacteria can develop resistance to polymyxins through various modifications of the LPS structure that inhibit the binding of polymyxins to LPS. Antibiotic resistance to this drug has been increasing, especially in southern China. Recently the gene mcr-1, which confers the antibiotic resistance, has been isolated from bacterial plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae.
=== Autosamplers === The autosampler provides the means to introduce a sample automatically into the inlets. Manual insertion of the sample is possible but is no longer common. Automatic insertion provides better reproducibility and time-optimization.Different kinds of autosamplers exist. Autosamplers can be classified in relation to sample capacity (auto-injectors vs. autosamplers, where auto-injectors can work a small number of samples), to robotic technologies (XYZ robot vs. rotating robot – the most common), or to analysis: Liquid Static head-space by syringe technology Dynamic head-space by transfer-line technology Solid phase microextraction (SPME)
== Major collections and examples == The world's fungal collections are concentrated in Europe and North America, although significant holdings exist elsewhere. Using data from Index Herbariorum, Thiers estimated that 15 to 20 million preserved fungal specimens exist across approximately 3,900 herbaria and fungaria worldwide. Historically, major fungaria were often housed within botanical institutes, plant-protection institutes, museums, and universities rather than existing as stand-alone institutions. Institutions listed in Index Herbariorum are assigned official acronyms, such as K and BPI, which are widely used in specimen numbering and in reference to collections.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Amnesty International stated the following month that the Salvadoran government had committed "massive human rights violations", including torture, against prisoners. In June 2024, Bukele told Time that the security situation in El Salvador had become sustainable and that he and his government hoped to end the state of emergency "in the near future". By 4 March 2025, the state of exception had been extended 36 times by the Legislative Assembly. By that same date, over 85,000 suspected gang members had been arrested, 3,319 of whom were minors according to Human Rights Watch. The large-scale arrests increased El Salvador's prison population from 37,190 in 2020 to over 105,000 by December 2023. With 1.7 percent of its population in prison, El Salvador has the highest incarceration rate in the world. By November 2024, more than 8,000 people had been released after the government determined that they were innocent. According to human rights organizations, at least 367 people had died in custody by March 2025. A number of opinion polls between May 2022 and June 2023 indicated that 80 to 90 percent of Salvadorans approved of the gang crackdown and measures taken by the government against the gangs.
In high school football, Lahainaluna High School and Paradise High School host a football game known as the Unity Bowl in Maui to bring both communities together. Both communities were devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire and 2023 Hawaii wildfires, respectively. September 6 A measles outbreak in Pennsylvania, concentrated in Lancaster County's Mennonite communities, becomes the nation's largest outbreak, with 577 cases statewide and 246 confirmed in the county; state officials had reported two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster County in August, Pennsylvania's first since 1991. At least five people are killed in an Amazon Air cargo aircraft crash at Miami International Airport. September 8 – Former president Joe Biden announces that the radiation treatment he received for prostate cancer last fall "worked as intended" and that doctors helped in disease control. September 9 The US announces that it destroyed five Iranian tankers in retaliation to additional attempted missile attacks on one of its Navy warships. The price of oil exceeds $100 per barrel for the first time since July. Trump promises a $5,000 "Trump dividend" to every adult US citizen if the Republican Party retains control of both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections. The proposal, which could cost $1.3 trillion and would require congressional approval, raises legal questions because the payments are conditional on a Republican electoral victory.
=== Downblending === The opposite of enriching is downblending. Surplus highly enriched uranium can be downblended with depleted uranium or natural uranium to turn it into low-enriched uranium suitable for use in commercial nuclear fuel. 238U from depleted uranium and natural uranium is also used with recycled 239Pu from nuclear weapons stockpiles for making mixed oxide fuel (MOX), which is now being redirected to become fuel for nuclear reactors. This dilution, also called downblending, means that any nation or group that acquired the finished fuel would have to repeat the very expensive and complex chemical separation of uranium and plutonium process before assembling a weapon.
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 peptide designed as an analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It acts on melanocortin receptors and is best known from research into pigmentation. It is not an approved pharmaceutical product.