Melanotan II · 10 May 2026
Melanotan II: A Broad Melanocortin Receptor Tool Compound
Essential Peptides Au · Journal · 3 min read
A synthetic analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, with affinity for several melanocortin receptor subtypes. Investigated in pigmentation and appetite regulation models, with the broader receptor activity making it a useful tool compound in melanocortin system research more generally.
Mechanism in brief
The melanocortin receptor family comprises five subtypes (MC1R–MC5R), all class A GPCRs that primarily couple via Gs to adenylyl cyclase. Melanotan II is a cyclic α-MSH analog (Ac-Nle⁴-c[Asp⁵,D-Phe⁷,Lys¹⁰]-α-MSH) with broad selectivity across MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R — which is what makes it a general tool compound for the melanocortin system rather than a single-receptor probe.
In current research
Assay panels typically compare Melanotan II against more selective analogs — MC1R-dominant Melanotan I and the MC3/4R-enriched metabolite PT-141 — using subtype-selective antagonists to attribute cAMP responses to individual receptor populations.
Pigmentation pathway studies in melanocyte models and appetite-regulation readouts are the two contexts in which it is most often cited.
View compound
Melanotan II in the catalogue
Related reading
For research use only. This article is provided for research and educational purposes and does not describe or imply therapeutic use. None of these compounds are for human or veterinary consumption.