This is a working overview of Alpha-MSH, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
Reviewed 2026-08-01. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
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.
Lyophilised melanotan-2 is supplied as a solid, which is more stable than a solution. The material is hygroscopic, so weighing is done quickly, in low humidity, with the container kept sealed. Reconstitution usually uses water for injection or bacteriostatic water, added down the wall of the vial to limit foaming. A reconstituted solution is held at 2 to 8 °C and kept away from light. Repeated freezing and thawing of the same vial is avoided because ice crystal formation and concentration effects degrade the peptide.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography is the routine method for purity assessment. Peptides absorb near 214 nm because of the peptide bond, and a gradient of acetonitrile in water separates the intact peptide from deletion sequences, oxidised products, and earlier-eluting fragments at neutral pH. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry provides an orthogonal check: the measured mass must agree with the theoretical value. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping confirm structure but are used less often. Reference standards remain scarce because the peptide is not described in any pharmacopoeia.
Regulatory treatment varies by country. In the United States the peptide is not approved as a medicine, and products offered for human use may be treated as unapproved new drugs; some states also restrict sale. Australia, the United Kingdom, and European Union member states apply comparable restrictions to unapproved peptide products. Border agencies have seized shipments labelled as research chemicals. Classification may change over time, and the legal position for personal importation is not clearly settled in most published guidance.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Synthetic cyclic heptapeptide | Analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone |
| Common synonyms | MT-II; melanotan 2 | No internationally accepted non-proprietary name |
| Typical presentation | Lyophilised powder in a sealed vial | Often supplied alongside a separate diluent |
| Regulatory status | Unapproved therapeutic substance | Customs seizure reported in several jurisdictions |
| Reported route in use | Subcutaneous injection | Self-administered outside clinical settings |
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.
Lyophilized peptide powder is generally stored frozen, protected from light and moisture. Tryptophan residues are susceptible to oxidation, and the lactam bridge can hydrolyze under strongly acidic or basic conditions. Solutions prepared for laboratory work degrade faster than dry powder, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles accelerate loss. Common practice is to aliquot solutions before freezing and to avoid alkaline buffers. Reported stability windows vary with concentration, buffer, and temperature, so exact shelf lives are method-specific rather than universal.
Regulatory status differs by country, and in many places supplying the compound for human consumption is unlawful. Vendors frequently label material as intended for research use only, a designation that shifts stated purpose but does not create a legal pathway for personal use. Certificates of analysis accompanying such products vary widely in detail and provenance. Third-party testing exists but is voluntary, and results are rarely linked to a specific lot in a publicly verifiable way.
In the United Kingdom, a television advertisement campaign, the Gold Blend couple starring Anthony Head and Sharon Maughan ran in 12 instalments between 1987 and 1993. The first 11 episodes were released as a promotional compilation video called Love Over Gold in 1993. A novelisation of the same name written by Susan Moody (under the pseudonym Susannah James) was released in the same year. The legendary boxer Chris Eubank and soccer star Ian Wright featured separately in television ads in the late 1990s and 2000s. Before the Gold Blend couple made their debut, a series of British adverts for Nescafé starred Gareth Hunt, shown shaking his closed hand and opening it to reveal coffee beans, then smelling the aroma. Greene, who starred in some 26 adverts, commented that the shaking of the beans was crucial to the campaign's success, due to their sexual connotations. By 1986, adverts in this campaign also starred Sarah Greene and Mike Smith. In the 1986 Smash Hits readers poll, Nescafé were simultaneously ranked fifth in the "Best TV Ad" category and first in the "Worst TV Ad" category. In 2003, the company reintroduced the Nescafé brand in Canada and the US, and the product is now known as Nescafé Taster's Choice. It is sold in North American supermarkets in both glass and plastic packaging. While the Nescafé brand was created for soluble coffee, it has subsequently been used as an umbrella brand on a number of instant coffee products, including, in the UK, Gold Blend and Blend 37 freeze-dried coffees.
== Causes of Basal Rate == The liver is the primary contributing organ which produces glucose continuously even when nothing is being eaten. The liver will supply glucose either from fats or from previously eaten foods. Therefore, the basal rate can be thought of as a sort of "second bolus" after the initial bolus intake of insulin.
== Legal Issues == On 2 May 2018, he was charged with seven counts of drug trafficking and possession. He was released on $20,000 bail to appear in court at a later date. He was later cleared of trafficking but convicted of possession.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Further reading == Almond, Mark (2002). Uprising!: Ideological Shifts and Political Upheavals That Have Shaped the World. London: Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7607-3348-6. Garton Ash, Timothy (1990). The magic lantern: the revolution of '89 witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-58884-1. Deletant, Dennis (1999). Romania under communist rule. Iasi: The Center for Romanian Studies. ISBN 978-973-98392-8-0. Gives a detailed account of the events in December 1989 in Timișoara. Engel, Jeffrey A. (2017). When the world seemed new: George H.W. Bush and the end of the Cold War. Boston; New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-42306-7. Ștefănescu, Domnița (1995). Cinci ani din istoria Romaniei: o cronologie a evenimentelor (decembrie 1989-decembrie 1994) [Five years of Romanian history: a chronology of events (December 1989-December 1994)] (in Romanian). Bucharest: Mașina de Scris. ISBN 978-9-73-971622-2. OCLC 909545436.
By the preponderance of American power and the absence of balance of power William Wohlforth explains the peacefulness and stability of the present world order. No distribution of power rules out war. "The greater the preponderance of power, however, the more extreme the values of other variables must be to produce war [...]" Campbell Craig believes that "Power Preponderance theory" will become one of the dominant American IR schools of the post-Cold War era:
The coat of arms shows a white horse (Saxon Steed) against a red background, which is an old symbol of the Saxon people. Legend has it that the horse was a symbol of the Saxon leader Widukind, albeit a black horse against a yellow background. The colours changed after the Christian baptism of Widukind. White and red are colours (besides black and gold) of the Holy Roman Empire symbolising Christ as the saviour, who is still shown with a red cross against a white background.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No. No major regulatory agency has granted a marketing authorisation for melanotan II as a medicine. Products sold under this name are generally presented as laboratory reagents and are not subject to the batch-release testing applied to approved drugs.
It was developed in the 1980s by researchers investigating analogues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone for pigmentation and related endpoints. Early work included small human studies during the 1990s. Development did not progress to licensing, and the compound remained a research and grey-market item.
Peptides are prone to truncation, oxidation and aggregation during synthesis and handling. Without independent testing, a buyer cannot confirm the identity or the content of a vial. Analytical surveys of unapproved peptide products have repeatedly found discrepancies between label claims and measured composition.
Low temperature slows hydrolysis and oxidation, the two main routes by which the peptide backbone and side chains are modified. A lyophilised powder stored at −20 °C is more stable than one kept at room temperature, and once the material is dissolved the degradation rate rises, making refrigeration more important.