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In stockMelanotan 2
Melanotan II Acetate
Melanotan-2, often searched as MT2, is supplied as 10mg lyophilised powder for laboratory research. Price is shown in your currency, and its Certificate from a named outside laboratory is published on this page. Not for human or veterinary use.
Size10mgPurity99.64%FormulaC50H69N15O9
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic seven-amino-acid analogue of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, acting as a non-selective agonist at MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R. It is used as a reference tool in melanocortin receptor pharmacology research. Supplied strictly for laboratory research use only.
€45
Quantity
HPLC verified
9–14 day shipping
Full COA
Worldwide delivery
About this compound
The research profile.
Melanotan 2 (MT-II) is a synthetic cyclic lactam analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), designed at the University of Arizona using molecular-dynamics modelling of the native hormone's bioactive conformation. Cyclisation and the D-phenylalanine substitution at position 7 give the molecule far greater potency and metabolic stability than linear alpha-MSH, which is degraded within minutes in circulation.
Pharmacologically, MT-II is a non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist with activity at MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R. MC1R signalling on melanocytes activates adenylate cyclase, raising cAMP and driving the tyrosinase-dependent eumelanin synthesis pathway; MC3R and MC4R are expressed centrally and account for the appetite and autonomic effects reported in the clinical literature. This receptor promiscuity is why MT-II became a reference tool compound for dissecting melanocortin biology, and why later clinical candidates pursued receptor-selective analogues instead.
Human data are limited to small early-phase studies: a pilot phase-I trial characterised tolerability and melanotropic activity of subcutaneous MT-II under bodyweight-based dosing, and a double-blind crossover study documented its MC4R-mediated erectile effects — the observation that led to the development of the selective analogue bremelanotide (PT-141). MT-II itself remains an unapproved research compound.
Published research
20 peer-reviewed studies on Melanotan 2 are summarised in our research library, including 12 published since 2023 — with study designs, reported findings and what the evidence does not establish.
Read the Melanotan 2 evidence baseFor research purposes only. Not for human consumption, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of any condition.
Categorised as Skin — Copper peptides and compounds for dermal research.
Dosing at a glance
What the literature reports.
For research and laboratory use only. Not for human consumption.
Route
Subcutaneous
Frequency
Once daily (study protocols)
Reported range
250–500 mcg
Protocol duration
2 weeks (phase-I protocols)
250 mcgper administration500 mcg
The phase-I literature dosed by bodyweight, starting at 0.01 mg per kg and escalating to 0.025–0.03 mg per kg — roughly the per-administration range shown. Higher amounts were dose-limited by nausea and flushing in the published trials.
Ranges reflect protocols reported in the published literature on Melanotan 2 — see research citations.
Calculate a dilutionReconstitution & storage
From powder to solution.
- Step 01
Add 2 ml bacteriostatic water
Aim the stream at the vial wall rather than the powder.
- Step 02
Swirl gently — never shake
Rotate the vial until the solution runs clear. Agitation degrades the peptide.
- Step 03
Refrigerate at 2–8 °C
Reconstituted vials belong in the fridge, protected from direct light.
- Step 04
Use within 28 days
Discard any remainder once the stability window closes.
Lyophilised · −20 °CReconstituted · 2–8 °C, 28 days
Reconstitution calculator
10 mg vialmg
ml
mcg
250 mcg = 0.25 mg
Draw
5units · U-100 insulin syringe
- Concentration
- 5 mg/ml
- Draws per vial
- 40
- Cost per draw
- €1.13
For research and laboratory use only. Not for human consumption.
Laboratory arithmetic for Melanotan 2 — enter the COA-verified vial content for exact figures. Not medical advice.
Effect timeline
Observed across the research window.
Milestones summarise findings reported in the cited studies. Outcomes vary across models and protocols.
Start
Receptor activation
Receptor-pharmacology studies show melanocortin-receptor binding and cAMP signalling within minutes of exposure; the compound's design gives it prolonged activity relative to native alpha-MSH.
Week 1
Early tolerability observations
The phase-I protocol administered escalating bodyweight-based doses on consecutive weekdays, recording transient nausea, flushing, and spontaneous erectile responses as the principal dose-limiting observations in the first week.
Week 2
Pilot protocol end point
The published pilot study concluded after two weeks of dosing, at which point melanotropic activity measures were compared against the saline-control days.
Beyond
Follow-on receptor-selective research
Subsequent research moved to receptor-selective analogues — most notably the MC4R-focused bremelanotide programme that grew out of the crossover-study findings.
For research and laboratory use only. Not for human consumption.
Scientific research
The published evidence.
The dosing ranges and timeline milestones on this page summarise the peer-reviewed publications below.
References
- 01
Potent and prolonged acting cyclic lactam analogues of alpha-melanotropin: design based on molecular dynamics. J Med Chem (1989). PubMed · 2555512
- 02
Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study. Life Sci (1996). PubMed · 8637402
- 03
Synthetic melanotropic peptide initiates erections in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study. J Urol (1998). PubMed · 9679884
Laboratory verification
One Certificate, published unaltered.
The Certificate is a test report from a named laboratory outside AKH, ordered by our manufacturer and shown here exactly as the laboratory issued it. A printed copy ships in every parcel.
- Batch
- 26087
- Test date
- 07 Aug 2026
- Task ID
- #1812383
- Purity
- 99.64%
Results
Melanotan II: 10mg | Purity: 99.64%
Verified by Brown Institute of Biomolecular Research. Scan the full report for every measurement.
Product FAQ
Questions researchers ask.
Pairs well with
Frequently co-studied.
Compounds that appear alongside Melanotan 2 in the research literature.
For research and laboratory use only. Not for human consumption.
From the blog
Further reading.
- Research notes
What is MT2 (Melanotan 2)?
MT2 is the shorthand for Melanotan II, a synthetic cyclic analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and a non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist. A definition-first explainer of the abbreviation, the receptor activity, and the safety signals the published literature documents.
Read the post - Research notes
MT1 vs MT2: melanocortin receptors explained
MT1 vs MT2 is a comparison between melanocortin receptor subtypes, not between two peptides. This explainer separates the receptor labels from Melanotan 2, the synthetic analogue studied at those receptors, and points to the published evidence record.
Read the post
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