Sleep, Mood & Stress; Hormonal & Sexual Health

Melanotan II

A non-selective melanocortin signal with tanning and appetite/arousal effects.

Last updated 12 August 2026

Studied forTanning research · Sexual-function signaling · Appetite reduction

Evidence on file1 randomised human trial · 1 human case report or series · 1 animal study · 1 in-vitro study · 4 citations not yet graded

Strongest sourceNCT07437560: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 2 Study of Melanotan II (Synthetic Cyclic M… (randomised human trial)

Mechanism

Cyclic peptide activating MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R.

Reported effects

What sources associate with this compound. Reported categories, not outcomes we have graded — each would need its own citation and rung.

Tanning research
Sexual-function signaling
Appetite reduction

Dosing on file unverified

250-500 mcg daily, cycled 1–4 weeks

Reported dose	Volume	Draw
Low — 250 mcg	0.25 mL	25 units
High — 500 mcg	0.5 mL	50 units

What that assumes. Assumes 2 mg in 2 mL (1000 mcg/mL) drawn on a U-100 barrel — the preset on this record, not a recommendation and not the only way to mix it. Change the vial mass, the diluent or the barrel and every number in this table changes. Run your own.

Carried from a source that labels it unverified, and reproduced with that label attached. A record of what is reported, not a recommendation. No citation on this page establishes it.

Reconstitution

Vial	Diluent	Concentration	Typical dose	Draw
2 mg	2 mL	1000 mcg/mL	250 mcg	25 units

mass ÷ diluent = concentration; dose ÷ concentration = volume; volume × the syringe factor = units on the barrel (100 for U-100, 40 for U-40). Run your own numbers.

Reported adverse effects

Nausea

Very commononset: Within an hourreported reversible
Facial flushing

Commononset: Within an hourreported reversible
Darkening of existing moles and new nevi

Reportedonset: Weeks to monthsreversibility not on file
Spontaneous erections

Common in malesonset: Hoursreported reversible

Literature on file 8

in vitro
Evaluation of Melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study (Life Sciences 1996, cited 116x) graded on: an in-vitro system — read from the indexed abstract — “in vitro”
animal in vivo
Antidepressant-like and antistress effects of the ACTH(4-10) synthetic analogs Semax and Melanotan II on male rats in a model of chronic unpredictable stress. graded on: an animal model — “rats”
human case series
Changes in Oral Mucosa Associated with Melanotan II Injections: A Case Report. graded on: a case report or series — “Case Report”
human RCT
NCT07437560: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 2 Study of Melanotan II (Synthetic Cyclic Melanocortin Receptor Agonist) as an Adjunct to Narrowband UV-B Phototherapy in Adults With Stable Nonsegmental Vitiligo graded on: randomised and placebo-controlled — “Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled”

Not graded

4 citations whose study design could not be read from the title. Left ungraded rather than guessed at.

Identity

Space-filling 3D model of Melanotan II, carbon grey, nitrogen blue, oxygen red — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms, bonds and stereochemistry are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

2D chemical structure of Melanotan II — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms, bonds and stereochemistry are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

Molecular weight: 1024.2
Molecular formula: C50H69N15O9
PubChem CID: 92432
InChI key: JDKLPDJLXHXHNV-MFVUMRCOSA-N
Sequence: XDHFRWK
SMILES: CCCC[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@H]1CC(=O)NCCCC[C@H](NC(=O)[C@@H](NC(=O)[C@@H](NC(=O)[C@H](NC(=O)[C@@H](NC1=O)CC2=CN=CN2)CC3=CC=CC=C3)CCCN=C(N)N)CC4=CNC5=CC=CC=C54)C(=O)N)NC(=O)C
InChI: InChI=1S/C50H69N15O9/c1-3-4-16-36(59-29(2)66)44(69)65-41-25-42(67)55-20-11-10-18-35(43(51)68)60-47(72)39(23-31-26-57-34-17-9-8-15-33(31)34)63-45(70)37(19-12-21-56-50(52)53)61-46(71)38(22-30-13-6-5-7-14-30)62-48(73)40(64-49(41)74)24-32-27-54-28-58-32/h5-9,13-15,17,26-28,35-41,57H,3-4,10-12,16,18-25H2,1-2H3,(H2,51,68)(H,54,58)(H,55,67)(H,59,66)(H,60,72)(H,61,71)(H,62,73)(H,63,70)(H,64,74)(H,65,69)(H4,52,53,56)/t35-,36-,37-,38+,39-,40-,41-/m0/s1

Classified as

Melanocortin Receptor Agonismmechanism: A record listing only melanocortin agonism with no receptor subtype is underspecified. Pigmentation, appetite and arousal come from different receptors, so a claim graded for one says nothing about the others.
Subcutaneousroute: This is the route the reconstitution arithmetic assumes. Mass divided by diluent volume gives concentration, dose divided by concentration gives volume, and volume in mL multiplied by 100 gives units on a U-100 barrel: 5 mg in 2 mL is 2.5 mg/mL, and 0.25 mg comes out at 0.1 mL, which is 10 units.

Also called

DTXCID3075626
DTXSID90153135
Melanotan II
Melanotan II (Mood)

Notes unverified prose

Not approved for human use; no official dosing guidelines; nausea affects >50% users; Phase I pilot (1996/1999); no FDA approval; community protocols only; research only

Not on file 1

1 of the 8 fields we track hold nothing on this record, and each says why. A blank field is a bug; a named absence is a finding.

CAS registry numberthe reference database returned nothing for it

Each field links to every other record missing the same thing. The full ledger holds 521 gaps across 136 records.

Listed prices 1

What 1 shop we track listed for Melanotan II, read from their own public catalogues on 2026-08-12. We take no commission on these and they are not ranked by any payment — how vendors are scored.

Listed in CAD
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
Buy Peptides 4 Research Canada	size not listed	$32.99 CAD	—

Prices are the vendor's own listing, reproduced with the date we read it — never converted between currencies, and compared per milligram only where the vendor states the vial size.

At a glance

Strongest rung: human RCT
Citations: 8
Regulatory: Human research reported (unverified)
Route: Subcutaneous
Declared gaps: 1

Citations by rung

Strongest wins, never an average.