Melanotan II
Melanotan II is a peptide, indexed here under Melanocortin receptor peptides.
Identity
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Classification | Peptide |
| Primary class | Melanocortin receptor peptides |
| CAS registry number | 121062-08-6[1] |
| PubChem CID | 92432[1] |
| UniProt accession | Unknown No UniProt query was run in v1. |
| Molecular formula | C50H69N15O9[1] |
| Molecular weight | 1024.2 g/mol[1] |
| Amino-acid sequence | Unknown Not reported by the PubChem property set retrieved for this record; no sequence database query was run in v1. |
| Reported half-life | Unknown No pharmacokinetics source was retrieved in v1. PubChem does not carry half-life as a property, so this is recorded as not yet sourced rather than estimated. |
What the cited literature examines
Melanotan II is described in a 1996 Life Sciences paper as a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide evaluated in a pilot phase I clinical study. A 2000 International Journal of Impotence Research paper reports human studies with melanocortin receptor agonists including this compound.
Rodent work in the retrieved set addresses feeding and thermogenesis: a 2003 Journal of Neuroendocrinology paper on the orexigenic and adipogenic effects of neuropeptide Y, and a 2004 Journal of Endocrinology paper on anorexic and thermogenic responses in diet-induced obese rats. A 2011 European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics paper reports a sustained peptide delivery system.
[3, 4, 5, 6, 7]Reported mechanism
A cyclic melanotropic peptide acting as a melanocortin receptor agonist; the retrieved literature describes it as non-selective across melanocortin receptor subtypes relative to the pigment-selective analogues.
[3, 4, 8]Derived: the cited 1996 Life Sciences and 2000 International Journal of Impotence Research titles establish melanotropic and melanocortin receptor agonist activity. The relative-selectivity clause is derived from the contrast between those reports and the pigmentary indication of the cited afamelanotide trial, not stated in any one retrieved title.
Targets named in the cited records: melanocortin receptors.
FDA application register
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.[2]
Scope statement: this records the result of a single automated query against the openFDA drugsfda endpoint on the stated date. It is not legal advice and is not a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction legality assessment.
Retrieved 2026-10-09.
Amounts reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset states an amount, so none is shown. Where an amount is recorded it is what a named study reported administering in its own stated model, in the past tense, and is not a protocol.
No study-reported dose was taken from a source read in v1. Literature-reported values are only recorded where the retrieved citation metadata states the figure.
Adverse effects reported in the cited literature
Unknown. No retrieved record in this dataset reports an adverse effect for this compound, so no row is shown. Absence of a row records the absence of a retrieved report, nothing more.
No adverse-effect row was taken from a source read in v1. Rows are only recorded with the study model named and the reporting citation attached.
Other names
Melanotan II appears under these other names in the cited records or in common usage. Each one resolves to this page rather than to a separate page of its own.
- MT-II
- MT-2
- Melanotan 2
Where this page sits
Research records
Cited research records for Melanotan II, each with its identifier, the publication type it is indexed as, and the study model stated by its assigned subject headings.
Side-by-side pages that include Melanotan II
Compounds indexed next to it
- Bremelanotide — Melanocortin receptor peptides
- Afamelanotide — Melanocortin receptor peptides
- Setmelanotide — Melanocortin receptor peptides
Named targets in the cited records
Class page: Melanocortin receptor peptides. Full index: all indexed compounds.
Questions this page answers
What does the cited literature examine for Melanotan II?
Melanotan II is described in a 1996 Life Sciences paper as a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide evaluated in a pilot phase I clinical study. A 2000 International Journal of Impotence Research paper reports human studies with melanocortin receptor agonists including this compound.
Which class is Melanotan II indexed under?
Melanotan II is indexed under Melanocortin receptor peptides. Melanocortin receptor peptides are analogues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone that act at melanocortin receptors.
What does the FDA application register show for Melanotan II?
A query of the FDA Drugs@FDA application register on 2026-10-09 returned no application records for this compound name. This compound is not approved by the FDA for human use.
Sources
- PubChem Compound Summary for CID 92432, melanotan-II. PubChem, National Library of Medicine (2026). pubchem:92432
- Drugs@FDA application register query for this compound, no application records returned. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA drugsfda endpoint (2026). fda:melanotan-ii
- Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study. Life Sci (1996). pmid:8637402
- Melanocortin receptor agonists, penile erection, and sexual motivation: human studies with Melanotan II. Int J Impot Res (2000). pmid:11035391
- The melanocortin agonist Melanotan-II reduces the orexigenic and adipogenic effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) but does not affect the NPY-driven suppressive effects on the gonadotropic and somatotropic axes in the male rat. J Neuroendocrinol (2003). pmid:12535159
- Unabated anorexic and enhanced thermogenic responses to melanotan II in diet-induced obese rats despite reduced melanocortin 3 and 4 receptor expression. J Endocrinol (2004). pmid:15225137
- Nanostructured porous silicon microparticles enable sustained peptide (Melanotan II) delivery. Eur J Pharm Biopharm (2011). pmid:20965250
- Afamelanotide for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. N Engl J Med (2015). pmid:26132941
On each stated value was matched to the record cited for it. That is record matching, not an appraisal of the research. Compiled and checked by: Peptide Monographs editorial desk. No qualified clinical reviewer.