Melanotan 1

Volume Pricing

Price per pack (10 vials). Discount applies to this compound only – no mix and match.

Melanotan 1 — Selective MC1R Agonist / Pigmentation Research

Melanotan 1 (MT-1), now known clinically as afamelanotide, is a synthetic linear analogue of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) developed at the University of Arizona in the 1980s by researchers Mac Hadley and Victor Hruby. The natural α-MSH peptide has a plasma half-life of minutes; MT-1 was engineered with amino acid substitutions — most critically [Nle4, D-Phe7] — that extend metabolic stability while preserving receptor engagement. Unlike its cyclic counterpart Melanotan 2, MT-1 binds melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) with high selectivity, producing minimal activity at MC3R and MC4R. This receptor selectivity makes it the more targeted tool for photoprotection and pigmentation research.

Why MT-1’s MC1R Selectivity Matters

MC1R is expressed primarily on melanocytes and governs the switch between eumelanin (brown/black) and phaeomelanin (red/yellow) synthesis. Selective MC1R agonism drives eumelanin production without the central nervous system side effects — nausea, spontaneous erection — associated with MC4R agonism. This selectivity is why afamelanotide (MT-1) reached clinical approval for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) while MT-2 did not. Research applications requiring isolated pigmentation pathway activation without systemic melanocortin effects rely on this receptor profile.

Research Applications

Melanotan 1 is used in studies examining:

• Photoprotection mechanisms in UV-sensitive skin conditions
• Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) — the indication for which afamelanotide received EMA approval in 2014 and FDA approval in 2019
• Melanocyte biology and eumelanin/phaeomelanin ratio modulation
• MC1R pathway mapping and melanocortin receptor pharmacology
• Polymorphic light eruption and solar urticaria models
• Anti-inflammatory signaling via melanocortin receptors on macrophages and dendritic cells

Specifications

Reconstitution

Melanotan 1 arrives as lyophilized powder and must be reconstituted with bacteriostatic water prior to use. Use the formula:

Total mg ÷ Volume added (mL) = Concentration (mg/mL)

Example: 10mg vial + 2mL BAC water = 5mg/mL solution

Reconstituted peptide should be stored at 2–8°C and used within 28–30 days.

Protocol Notes

Published literature and clinical trial data provide context for research framework design. The approved clinical formulation (Scenesse) delivers afamelanotide as a 16mg subcutaneous implant released over approximately 60 days. Injection-based research frameworks have examined smaller, more frequent administrations.

• Dose range: 0.5–1mg subcutaneous per administration observed in early-phase research; 16mg implant in EPP clinical trials
• Frequency: Daily to every-other-day in injection-based research frameworks; implant replaced every 60 days clinically
• Study duration: 4–12 weeks typical in pigmentation studies; chronic administration studied in EPP models

Research Stacks

Melanotan 1 is commonly paired in research settings with:

• Melanotan 2 — Melanotan 2 is a more potent, non-selective melanocortin agonist with MC3R/MC4R activity beyond MT1’s MC1R selectivity; comparing or co-administering both allows researchers to attribute specific downstream effects to receptor subtype selectivity differences.
• SNAP-8 — SNAP-8 is a myosin-light-chain-pathway inhibitor studied for dermal effects; pairing with Melanotan 1 is studied in skin research models examining melanogenesis and dermal peptide activity in the same tissue compartment.
• GHK-Cu — GHK-Cu promotes ECM remodeling, collagen synthesis, and anti-inflammatory activity in skin tissue; co-administration with Melanotan 1 is studied to examine combined pigmentation and structural skin biology endpoints within the same experimental model.

Purity Guarantee

Every batch is ≥99% purity. If you independently test your compound and the results don’t match — send us the COA and we’ll issue store credit, no questions asked.