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Melanotan Compound

An editorial digest of the Melanotan 2 literature, read alongside its melanocortin cousins.

Where the facts came from

Where Melanotan 2 study facts come from

Each study and medical report is listed here. You can read what happened, see who was tested, and judge what the finding means for you.

Return to the study notesRead effects and harms

What you'll find in the source list

The notes below support each number and study claim on this site. You'll find the first small human tests of Melanotan 2. You'll also find mouse and rat work, reports of harm, and tests of related approved drugs. Each item links to PubMed, a public list of medical papers. Think of these as the endnotes in your newspaper. You can take a paper to your doctor and ask what its findings mean for you and your health.

  1. Hadley ME, Dorr RT. Melanocortin peptide therapeutics: historical milestones, clinical studies and commercialization. Peptides. 2006;27(4):921-930. ↗
  2. Dorr RT, Lines R, Levine N, Brooks C, Xiang L, Hruby VJ, Hadley ME. Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study. Life Sci. 1996;58(20):1777-1784. ↗
  3. Wessells H, Fuciarelli K, Hansen J, Hadley ME, Hruby VJ, Dorr R, Levine N. Synthetic melanotropic peptide initiates erections in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study. J Urol. 1998;160(2):389-393. ↗
  4. Hadley ME, Dorr RT. Melanocortin peptide therapeutics: historical milestones, clinical studies and commercialization. Peptides. 2006;27(4):921-930. ↗
  5. Langendonk JG, Balwani M, Anderson KE, et al. Afamelanotide for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. N Engl J Med. 2015;373(1):48-59. ↗
  6. Molinoff PB, Shadiack AM, Earle D, Diamond LE, Quon CY. PT-141: a melanocortin agonist for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003;994:96-102. ↗
  7. Bloemers J, et al. Melanocortin 4 receptor agonism enhances sexual brain processing in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. J Clin Invest. 2022;132(19):e152341. ↗
  8. Melanotan II User Experience: A Qualitative Study of Online Discussion Forums. 2021. ↗
  9. Eruptive dysplastic nevi following melanotan use. 2012. ↗
  10. Peters B, Hadimeri H, Wahlberg R, Afghahi H. Melanotan II: a possible cause of renal infarction: review of the literature and case report. CEN Case Rep. 2020;9(2):159-161. ↗
  11. Identification and characterization by LC-UV-MS/MS of melanotan II skin-tanning products sold illegally on the Internet. 2015. ↗
  12. Risks of unregulated use of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues: a review. 2017. ↗
  13. Strom MA, et al. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH): biology, clinical relevance and implication in melanoma. J Transl Med. 2023;21(1):562. ↗
  14. Ugwu SO, Blanchard J, Dorr RT, Levine N, Brooks C, Hadley ME, Aickin M, Hruby VJ. Skin pigmentation and pharmacokinetics of melanotan-I in humans. Biopharm Drug Dispos. 1997;18(3):259-269. ↗
  15. The 'Barbie Drug'-marketing and perceptions of melanotan on social media. 2025. ↗
  16. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced eruptive nevi. 2009. ↗
  17. Eruptive melanocytic naevi following melanotan injection. 2009. ↗
  18. Eruptive naevi and darkening of pre-existing naevi 24 h after a single mono-dose injection of melanotan II. 2014. ↗
  19. Dermoscopic changes in melanocytic nevi during use of melanotan II. 2012. ↗
  20. Melanotan-associated melanoma. 2011. ↗
  21. Melanoma associated with the use of melanotan-II. 2014. ↗
  22. Melanotan-associated melanoma in situ. 2012. ↗
  23. Changes of melanocytic lesions induced by Melanotan injections and sun bed use in a teenage patient with FAMMM syndrome. 2012. ↗
  24. Melanotan II injection resulting in systemic toxicity and rhabdomyolysis. 2012. ↗
  25. Melanotan II overdose associated with priapism. 2013. ↗
  26. Melanotan Tanning Injection: A Rare Cause of Priapism. 2021. ↗
  27. Melanotan-induced priapism: a hard-earned tan. 2019. ↗
  28. Melanotan and the posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. 2013. ↗
  29. Hemodynamic actions and mechanisms of systemically administered alpha-MSH analogs in mice. 2012. ↗
  30. Systemic but not central nervous system nitric oxide synthase inhibition exacerbates the hypertensive effects of chronic melanocortin-3/4 receptor activation. 2011. ↗
  31. Assessment of the aversive consequences of acute and chronic administration of the melanocortin agonist, MTII. 2003. ↗
  32. LC-HRMS characterization of the skin pigmentation and sexual enhancers melanotan II and bremelanotide sold on the black market of performance and image enhancing drugs. 2021. ↗
  33. Operation resistance: A snapshot of falsified antibiotics and biopharmaceutical injectables in Europe. 2016. ↗
  34. Falsification of biotechnology drugs: current dangers and/or future disasters? 2018. ↗
  35. The unregulated use of melanotan-II is of public health interest to Australian dermatologists. 2017. ↗
  36. Hjuler KF, et al. Melanotropic peptides: more than just 'Barbie drugs' and 'sun-tan jabs'? 2010. ↗
  37. Long-term observational study of afamelanotide in 115 patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria. 2015. ↗
  38. Discovery and development of novel melanogenic drugs. Melanotan-I and -II. 1998. ↗
  39. Eliason NL, Martin L, Low MJ, Sharpe AL. Melanocortin receptor agonist melanotan-II microinjected in the nucleus accumbens decreases appetitive and consumptive responding for food. Neuropeptides. 2022;96:102289. ↗
  40. van den Heuvel JK, Eggels L, van Rozen AJ, Fliers E, Kalsbeek A, Adan RA, la Fleur SE. Inhibitory Effect of the Melanocortin Receptor Agonist Melanotan-II (MTII) on Feeding Depends on Dietary Fat Content and not Obesity in Rats on Free-Choice Diets. Front Behav Neurosci. 2015;9:358. ↗
  41. Bonchev A. Changes in Oral Mucosa Associated with Melanotan II Injections: A Case Report. Life (Basel). 2026;16(2):265. ↗