Melanotan 2

Melanotan 2 at a glance

Melanotan 2 is a lactam-bridged cyclic peptide modeled on alpha-MSH, the pituitary hormone that signals pigment cells. Its molecular formula is C50H69N15O9 and its molecular weight 1024.18 g/mol. Researchers at the University of Arizona created it while looking for a way to induce skin pigmentation without sun exposure. Ring closure and the inclusion of a D-phenylalanine residue make it far more resistant to enzymatic breakdown than the natural hormone it imitates.

Price and availability

Vital Edge Science lists this listing, shipped from Australia. It is listed at $36.00. Your payment waits in escrow until you confirm the parcel arrived, and only then is it released to the brand.

What it is studied for

MT-2 acts as an agonist across MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R, with little selectivity among them. On melanocytes, MC1R stimulation raises cAMP and shifts production toward eumelanin, the darker pigment. In the central nervous system, MC4R and MC3R engagement is linked in animal studies to reduced food intake and to erectile responses, the latter observation leading directly to bremelanotide. MC5R, found in exocrine glands, is less well studied. Because one molecule touches so many receptor subtypes, attributing any single observed effect to one pathway is difficult.

Research and regulatory status

Small early human studies from Arizona explored tanning and erectile responses, but MT-2 was never taken through full clinical development and has no approval anywhere. Regulators in several countries, including the UK and Australia, have issued warnings about unlicensed products sold online. Its research value today lies in melanocortin pharmacology, where it serves as a broad reference agonist. Case reports have described changes in moles among people using unregulated material, adding to calls for caution.

Checking the lab data

Mass spectrometry should match 1024.18 g/mol. Since PT-141 differs from MT-2 by roughly one mass unit at the C-terminus, high-resolution data or a reference retention time helps confirm the right compound. HPLC purity should be backed by an actual chromatogram for the specific lot. The freeze-dried cake normally appears white to off-white. Independent testing with a visible batch number and date is preferable to in-house certificates.

This listing has an independent lab report attached; the testing panel above summarises what the tested sample contained against its label.

Listing details

Compound

Melanotan 2

Synonyms

MT-2, Melanotan II

Class

Cyclic alpha-MSH analogue (melanocortin receptor agonist)

Format

Lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder

Molecular formula

C50H69N15O9

Molecular weight

1024.18 g/mol

Sold by

Vital Edge Science

Ships from

Australia

Lab report

Independent report attached

Storage and preparation

Keep unopened freeze-dried vials cold, sealed and out of the light; moisture is what degrades a lyophilized cake fastest. After reconstitution, refrigerate the solution and work within the stability window your protocol sets.

Buyer questions

Supplied for laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not a substitute for any prescription medicine. Nothing on this page is medical advice.