This is a working overview of cyclic heptapeptide, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2025-08-22 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
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.
Identity and purity are usually assessed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, which separates the target peptide from truncated or oxidised impurities. Mass spectrometry, most often coupled to liquid chromatography, confirms molecular mass and detects substitutions that chromatography alone may miss. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping supply additional structural evidence, while nuclear magnetic resonance is reserved for full structural confirmation. Laboratories that examine samples sold online report wide variation in actual content, with some vials containing little or none of the labelled material.
Melanotan-2 appears on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list within the peptide hormone class, and several national regulators treat it as an unapproved prescription substance. Some countries restrict importation or sale for personal use. Because the compound is widely traded as a research chemical, the practical legal picture differs between jurisdictions and shifts over time. Human safety data covering long periods are limited, and whether repeated pigmentation changes carry any lasting risk to melanocytes remains an open question.
Freeze-dried melanotan-2 is normally kept as a desiccated powder at minus twenty degrees Celsius or lower, shielded from light and moisture. Peptides of this size degrade through hydrolysis, oxidation and deamidation, and each pathway accelerates as temperature and water activity rise. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles promote aggregation and loss of material, so aliquoting a stock solution before freezing is standard laboratory practice. Once dissolved, the solution is markedly less stable than the powder. In laboratory work, solutions are generally refrigerated and used within days rather than kept for months.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Compound class | Synthetic cyclic heptapeptide | Alpha-MSH analogue containing a D-phenylalanine residue |
| Molecular formula | C50H69N15O9 | Average molecular mass approximately 1024.2 g/mol |
| Appearance | White to off-white lyophilised powder | Normally supplied as a freeze-dried solid in a sealed vial |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water and polar solvents | Dissolves readily in aqueous buffers and in alcohol-water mixtures |
| Receptor targets | MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, MC5R | Acts as a non-selective melanocortin receptor agonist |
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.
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.
Solid peptide kept dry at minus twenty degrees Celsius, shielded from light and moisture, is generally considered stable for extended periods. Solutions are divided into single-use aliquots and held at minus twenty or minus eighty degrees Celsius, because repeated freeze-thaw cycles promote aggregation and loss of material to container surfaces. Hydrolysis of the backbone and oxidation of tryptophan are the principal degradation routes in aqueous solution, and both accelerate at ambient temperature. Hygroscopic uptake after a vial is opened can also shift the actual mass weighed, which affects any concentration calculated from it.
Routine characterisation relies on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres, using a C18 column and a water-acetonitrile gradient containing trifluoroacetic acid. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry confirms the expected molecular mass and can reveal truncated or oxidised by-products that co-elute poorly. Sequence and stereochemistry require additional work, such as peptide mapping or amino acid analysis, because a chromatographic purity figure alone does not distinguish a diastereomer from the target peptide. Independent testing of research-grade material frequently shows measured content below the stated label, so a certificate of analysis is best read together with the method that produced it.
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.
Scientific discussion of Melanotan-2 spans pharmacology, dermatology, and public-health literature. Laboratory studies examine its receptor binding and cellular effects, while clinical reports describe outcomes observed after unregulated use. These two bodies of work differ in rigour and intent. Peer-reviewed trials of the compound as a medicine are limited, so much of the available information comes from case reports and surveillance data. Authors frequently note the gap between experimental findings and real-world use.
Reported observations after unregulated use include shifts in skin pigmentation and, in some accounts, unintended changes to moles and other lesions. Whether these outcomes are causally linked to the compound, and how often they occur, remain open questions because controlled data are scarce. The absence of standardised dosing and verified product purity complicates interpretation. Researchers have called for better surveillance and analytical characterisation of samples obtained outside regulated channels. Conclusions drawn from anecdotal evidence should be treated as provisional.
Melanotan-2 has not received marketing authorisation from major regulatory agencies for any therapeutic indication. Several jurisdictions classify it as a prescription-only medicine or a controlled substance when supplied for human use. Because approved products do not exist, material sold online usually sits outside pharmaceutical supply chains and formal quality oversight. Regulators have issued public notices describing the compound as unapproved. Enforcement varies, and the legal position differs between countries, which complicates any single general statement about its status.
== Early life == Kleinman was born into a family that valued nature, often gardening, fishing, and hiking. Kleinman's father was a trained geologist and would collect rocks and arrowheads on hikes, which sparked Kleinman's interest in chemical and biological sciences.
Organized crime is heavily intertwined with the geography of the largest cities in Brazil, particularly in their poorest neighborhoods, commonly known as favelas. Many Brazilian cities have their wealthiest and most tourist-driven communities located close to informal neighborhoods that face high rates of poverty, drug addiction, unemployment, violence and homelessness; This extreme economic inequality and lack of proper social services in these areas facilitates the formation and survival of organized crime, which is present in every Brazilian state. Residents of these neighborhoods frequently face social stigma, which is commonly intertwined with racism, social segregation and class discrimination; The lack of both proper education and formal job opportunities caused by this social discrimination also causes organized crime to grow even further. Criminal organizations often rely heavily on relationships with both political and state actors to advance their influence. These relations usually involve large-scale corruption, such as bribery and the use of informal favours or personal connections to achieve control over many government institutions, such as the police and judiciary. Members of some security forces, particularly of the Civil and Military polices, have also formed their own criminal organizations, popularly known as "militias".
The precise reason why there are only four nucleotides is debated, but there are several unused possibilities. Furthermore, adenine is not the most stable choice for base pairing: in Cyanophage S-2L, diaminopurine (DAP) is used instead of adenine. Diaminopurine basepairs perfectly with thymine as it is identical to adenine but has an amine group at position 2 forming 3 intramolecular hydrogen bonds, eliminating the major difference between the two types of basepairs (weak A-T vs strong C-G). This improved stability affects protein-binding interactions that rely on those differences. Other combination include:
=== Origins === Synapsida, a clade that contains mammals and their extinct relatives, originated during the Pennsylvanian subperiod (~323 million to ~300 million years ago), when they split from the reptile lineage. Crown group mammals evolved from earlier mammaliaforms during the Early Jurassic. The cladogram takes Mammalia to be the crown group.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Classification == There are more than 20 types of reticular fibers. In Reticular Connective Tissue type III collagen/reticular fiber (100-150 nm in diameter) is the major fiber component. It forms the architectural framework of liver, adipose tissue, bone marrow, spleen and basement membrane, to name a few.
== Gene == The COL3A1 gene is located on the long (q) arm of chromosome 2 at 2q32.2, between positions 188974372 and 189012745. The gene has 51 exons and is approximately 40 kbp long. The COL3A1 gene is in tail-to-tail orientation with a gene for another fibrillar collagen, namely COL5A2. Two transcripts are generated from the gene using different polyadenylation sites. Although alternatively spliced transcripts have been detected for this gene, they are the result of mutations; these mutations alter RNA splicing, often leading to the exclusion of an exon or use of cryptic splice sites. The resulting defective protein is the cause of a severe, rare disease, the vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS). These studies have also provided important information about RNA splicing mechanisms in multi-exon genes.
== Mannose receptors == Mannose receptor provide reception of extracellular ligands. To the family of mannose receptors belong: mannose receptor, M-phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R), Dec-205, Endo180/uPARAP. They share and extracellular domain, which contains N-terminal domain rich in cystein, F2 fibronectin type II domain and several C-lectin domains. From this mannose family, collagen is specifically bound by mannose receptor, M-phospholipase A2 receptor and Endo180 receptor. Binding of collagen or denatured collagen (gelatin) is provided by F2 domain and partly by C-terminal domain (aa 1000-1453), which binds type I collagen triple helix. Inability to internalize collagen and reduced ability of adhesion and related increased migration in collagen matrix was observed in fibroblast population with nonfunctional Endo180 receptor. The exact principal of collagen binding to mannose receptor is not known so far. Endo180 receptor is expressed on fibroblasts, endothelial cells and macrophages.
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== Mechanism of action == They bind to an ATP-dependent K+ (KATP) channel on the cell membrane of pancreatic beta cells in a similar manner to sulfonylureas but have a weaker binding affinity and faster dissociation from the SUR1 binding site. This increases the concentration of intracellular potassium, which causes the electric potential toward the intracellular side of the membrane to become more positive. This depolarization opens voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. The rise in intracellular calcium leads to increased fusion of insulin granula in the cell membrane, and therefore increased secretion of (pro) insulin.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
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.
No approved regulatory indication exists in major markets. An approval exists for a different peptide, afamelanotide, which is used for a rare photosensitivity disorder called erythropoietic protoporphyria. Melanotan-2 itself remains a research compound with no cleared clinical role.
Melanocortin-1 receptors on melanocytes are the receptor most closely linked to pigment production. The peptide is not selective, however, and also activates melanocortin-3, melanocortin-4, and melanocortin-5 receptors. That lack of selectivity is the usual explanation offered for both its range of observed effects and its off-target effects.
The lyophilised solid is best kept cold, dry and dark, typically at minus twenty degrees Celsius. Moisture and repeated warming cycles are the main causes of degradation. Solutions prepared from the powder are less stable and are normally used quickly.