The short version of post-marketing surveillance fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
This page was last updated on 2026-02-09 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
The compound was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by academic researchers investigating melanocortin signaling and pigmentation. Early work explored whether synthetic analogs could reproduce effects of the natural hormone under controlled conditions. The molecule never advanced through the full regulatory pathway required for approval as a medicine. From the mid-2000s onward it appeared in unregulated consumer markets, often distributed through informal channels. That gap between research origins and commercial availability shapes how the compound is discussed today.
Melanotan-2 is a synthetic peptide designed as an analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a signaling molecule produced in the pituitary and skin. Its structure is a linear chain of seven amino acids that folds into a ring through an internal lactam bridge joining two side chains. The compound is sometimes written as MT-II or MEL-2 in informal and commercial contexts. It belongs to the melanocortin peptide family, a group of short signaling molecules that share a conserved core sequence recognized by melanocortin receptors.
Scientific discussion of Melanotan-2 spans pharmacology, dermatology, and public-health literature. Laboratory studies examine its receptor binding and cellular effects, while clinical reports describe outcomes observed after unregulated use. These two bodies of work differ in rigour and intent. Peer-reviewed trials of the compound as a medicine are limited, so much of the available information comes from case reports and surveillance data. Authors frequently note the gap between experimental findings and real-world use.
Reported observations after unregulated use include shifts in skin pigmentation and, in some accounts, unintended changes to moles and other lesions. Whether these outcomes are causally linked to the compound, and how often they occur, remain open questions because controlled data are scarce. The absence of standardised dosing and verified product purity complicates interpretation. Researchers have called for better surveillance and analytical characterisation of samples obtained outside regulated channels. Conclusions drawn from anecdotal evidence should be treated as provisional.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular class | Synthetic cyclic heptapeptide | Analog of alpha-MSH with an internal lactam bridge |
| Molecular weight | Approximately 1024 daltons | Free base value; salt forms differ |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Usually supplied as a lyophilized solid |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water | Poorly soluble in nonpolar solvents |
| Typical storage | −20 °C, dry, protected from light | Repeated freeze-thaw cycles degrade peptides |
Research interest has centred on photoprotection and pigmentation, with a smaller body of work on appetite and sexual function. Published human data remain limited to small, frequently uncontrolled studies, and the compound has never received marketing approval from a national medicines regulator. Most laboratory work treats it as a pharmacological tool for probing melanocortin signalling in cell culture or animal models. Whether pigmentation changes observed in people translate into measurable protection against ultraviolet-induced DNA damage remains an open question.
Melanotan-2 is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide designed as an analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, the naturally occurring peptide involved in pigmentation signalling. Its sequence is conventionally written as Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2, with a lactam bridge joining the aspartate side chain to the lysine side chain. The empirical formula is C50H69N15O9 and the monoisotopic mass lies near 1023.5 daltons. N-terminal acetylation and the D-configured phenylalanine both increase resistance to enzymatic breakdown compared with the parent hormone.
Routine characterisation relies on reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres, using a C18 column and a water-acetonitrile gradient containing trifluoroacetic acid. Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry confirms the expected molecular mass and can reveal truncated or oxidised by-products that co-elute poorly. Sequence and stereochemistry require additional work, such as peptide mapping or amino acid analysis, because a chromatographic purity figure alone does not distinguish a diastereomer from the target peptide. Independent testing of research-grade material frequently shows measured content below the stated label, so a certificate of analysis is best read together with the method that produced it.
Melanotan-2 is handled in the laboratory as a lyophilised powder that dissolves readily in water, dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethylformamide, with limited solubility in ethanol. Stock solutions prepared in an organic solvent often precipitate when diluted into aqueous buffer, so gradual dilution with mixing is standard practice. The peptide carries a tryptophan residue and a histidine residue, both sensitive to oxidation and to alkaline conditions. Working solutions are therefore kept near neutral to slightly acidic pH, protected from light, and consumed within the same working session whenever that is practical.
Regulatory treatment varies between countries. Several national medicines agencies have classified the peptide as unapproved, and customs authorities in some jurisdictions seize shipments on that basis. A few jurisdictions channel supply through prescription-only frameworks that do not list the substance by name. Because the material circulates mainly through online vendors, composition and purity are rarely verified before sale. Surveys of unapproved peptide products have reported labels that did not match measured content in a substantial fraction of samples.
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a naturally occurring peptide involved in pigmentation signalling. Its structure substitutes a lactam bridge between side chains to increase stability relative to the native hormone. The compound is also known by the shorthand MT-II and by several non-proprietary synonyms used in research catalogues. It is not an approved therapeutic product in any major jurisdiction; material sold under this name is typically offered as a laboratory reagent rather than as a medicine.
Activity is attributed to agonism at melanocortin receptors, particularly MC1R and MC4R. Activation of MC1R on melanocytes increases melanin synthesis, which underlies the reported tanning effect. MC4R engagement in the central nervous system is linked to appetite suppression and to effects on sexual arousal reported in early clinical studies. Those studies were small and were not designed to establish efficacy or long-term safety. Receptor selectivity among the melanocortin subtypes is not absolute, which complicates attribution of any effect to a single pathway.
Identity and purity are usually assessed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, which separates the target peptide from truncated or oxidised impurities. Mass spectrometry, most often coupled to liquid chromatography, confirms molecular mass and detects substitutions that chromatography alone may miss. Amino acid analysis and peptide mapping supply additional structural evidence, while nuclear magnetic resonance is reserved for full structural confirmation. Laboratories that examine samples sold online report wide variation in actual content, with some vials containing little or none of the labelled material.
Melanotan-2 appears on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list within the peptide hormone class, and several national regulators treat it as an unapproved prescription substance. Some countries restrict importation or sale for personal use. Because the compound is widely traded as a research chemical, the practical legal picture differs between jurisdictions and shifts over time. Human safety data covering long periods are limited, and whether repeated pigmentation changes carry any lasting risk to melanocytes remains an open question.
Freeze-dried melanotan-2 is normally kept as a desiccated powder at minus twenty degrees Celsius or lower, shielded from light and moisture. Peptides of this size degrade through hydrolysis, oxidation and deamidation, and each pathway accelerates as temperature and water activity rise. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles promote aggregation and loss of material, so aliquoting a stock solution before freezing is standard laboratory practice. Once dissolved, the solution is markedly less stable than the powder. In laboratory work, solutions are generally refrigerated and used within days rather than kept for months.
=== COVID-19 pandemic === In June 2020, following Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, several players tested positive for COVID-19. Due to his possible exposure, Zverev announced on Twitter that he would be following self-isolation procedures after testing negative for the virus. However, one week later, Zverev was captured on video at a party in Monaco, prompting criticism from fellow tennis players Nick Kyrgios and Katie Boulter.
Statin-associated autoimmune myopathy (SAAM), also known as anti-HMGCR myopathy, is a very rare form of muscle damage caused by the immune system in people who take statin medications. However, there are cases of SAAM in patients who have not taken statin medication, and this can be explained by the exposure to natural sources of statin such as red yeast rice, which is statin rich. This theory is supported by the higher prevalence of statin-naive SAAM patients in Asian cohorts, who have statin-rich diets. The exact cause is unclear. A combination of consistent findings on physical examination, the presence of anti HMG-CoA reductase antibodies in a person with myopathy, evidence of muscle breakdown, and muscle biopsy diagnose SAAM. Treatment involves stopping the associated statin medication and taking medication to suppress the immune system. SAAM is estimated to occur in 2-3 people out of every 100,000 statin-treated individuals. It appears to be more common in people over the age of 50.
=== Wrongful death lawsuits === Carrey's girlfriend Cathriona White married Mark Burton in 2013, in Las Vegas. She and Carrey had been dating on and off since 2012, and she was still married but dating Carrey when she died in 2015. On September 19, 2016, Burton filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Carrey, claiming that he had used his "immense wealth and celebrity status" to illegally obtain and distribute prescription drugs involved in White's death. Carrey released a statement the following day:
== Isolable thioketenes == Thioketenes can be stabilized by either steric protection or by electronic effects. Thus, di-tert-butyl thioketene is easily isolated and air-stable. Several examples have been characterized by X-ray crystallography. The C=S distance is 157 pm and the C=C distance is 124 pm, both bonds being suitable for the C=C=S assignment. The violet color characteristic of thioketenes indicates the small HOMO–LUMO gap. Bis(trifluoromethyl)thioketene ((CF3)2C=C=S) is an example of an electronically stabilized thioketene.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The crossover video game Lego Dimensions, which incorporates the use of Lego minifigures with a special gamepad, includes Portal-themed elements, as first demonstrated during its Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 trailer. A Portal-themed level appears as part of the main story campaign, with GLaDOS playing a significant role in the game's plot. A Chell minifigure was released that comes packaged with buildable sentry turret and companion cube; the figure unlocks an additional level and open-world area based on the series when used in-game. The Portal levels include Easter eggs based on Doug Rattmann hiding himself away. The game also features a new song written by Jonathan Coulton and performed by Ellen McLain that plays over the end credits. The series' main antagonist, GLaDOS, was included as the dealer in Poker Night 2. This game features Portal themed unlockables such as playing cards, table and room. Wheatley is also featured as a bargaining chip. A Portal based pinball table for Zen Pinball 2, Pinball FX2, and Pinball FX3 was developed by Zen Studios in collaboration with Valve. GLaDOS guest stars in Defense Grid: The Awakening in a full-story expansion. A cosmetic set based on the Companion Cube was released as a visual replacement for the "Io" character in Valve's multiplayer online battle arena game, Dota 2. P-Body is a playable character in the Windows release of Super Bomberman R.
In 2009, more than 18,000 votes were cast in a BBC poll to find the UK's favourite poet; Thomas was placed 10th. Several of his poems have passed into the cultural mainstream, and his work has been used by authors, musicians and film and television writers. The BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs, in which guests usually choose their favourite songs, has heard 50 participants select a Dylan Thomas recording. John Goodby states that this popularity with the reading public allows Thomas's work to be classed as vulgar and common. Goodby also cites that, despite a brief period during the 1960s when Thomas was considered a cultural icon, the poet has been marginalized in critical circles due to his exuberance, in both life and work, and his refusal to know his place. Goodby believes that Thomas has been mainly snubbed since the 1970s and has become "... an embarrassment to twentieth-century poetry criticism", his work failing to fit standard narratives and thus being ignored rather than studied. In June 2022, Thomas was the subject of BBC Radio 4's In Our Time.
Holyhead Old Town is built around St Cybi's Church, which is built inside one of Europe's few three-walled Roman forts (the fourth boundary being the sea, which used to come up to the fort). The Romans also built a watchtower on the top of Holyhead Mountain inside Mynydd y Twr, a prehistoric hillfort. Settlements in the area date from prehistoric times, with circular huts, burial chambers and standing stones featuring in the highest concentration in Britain. The current lighthouse is on South Stack on the other side of Holyhead Mountain. Soldiers Point Hotel, located near the breakwater park in Holyhead, was built in 1848 as the residence of an engineer who was in charge of the government-sponsored alterations to Holyhead Harbour being carried out. It was badly damaged in a fire in 2011.
=== Optoelectronics === Graphene strongly interacts with photons, with the potential for direct band-gap creation. This is promising for optoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. Light interaction arises due to the Van Hove singularity. Graphene displays different time scales in response to photon interaction, ranging from femtoseconds (ultra-fast) to picoseconds. Potential uses include transparent films, touch screens and light emitters or as a plasmonic device that confines light and alters wavelengths.
What I mean by reified consciousness, I can illustrate—without elaborate philosophical contemplation—most simply with an American experience. Among the frequently changing colleagues which the Princeton Project provided me with, was a young lady. After a few days, she had gained confidence in me, and asked most kindly: "Dr Adorno, would you mind a personal question?". I said, "It depends on the question, but just go ahead", and she went on: "Please tell me: are you an extrovert or an introvert?" It was as if she, as a living being, already thought according to the model of multi-choice questions in questionnaires.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Implications in cancer development === There is a growing body of evidence supporting the role of GST, particularly GSTP, in cancer development and chemotherapeutic resistance. The link between GSTP and cancer is most obvious in the overexpression of GSTP in many cancers, but it is also supported by the fact that the transformed phenotype of tumor cells is associated with aberrantly regulated kinase signaling pathways and cellular addiction to overexpressed proteins. That most anti-cancer drugs are poor substrates for GSTP indicates that the role of elevated GSTP in many tumor cell lines is not to detoxify the compounds, but must have another purpose; this hypothesis is also given credence by the common finding of GSTP overexpression in tumor cell lines that are not drug resistant.
==== MeSH E05.196.941 – ultracentrifugation ==== MeSH E05.196.941.336 – centrifugation, density gradient MeSH E05.196.941.336.253 – centrifugation, isopycnic MeSH E05.196.941.336.419 – centrifugation, zonal
Jay Johnson, previously head coach of the University of Nevada baseball program, succeeded Andy Lopez who retired after the 2015 season. In his first season as head coach, Johnson guided his team to the programs 17th College World Series appearance and 8th championship series appearance. Johnson resigned from the Wildcat program in June 2021 to accept the head coaching job at LSU. This was after leading the Wildcats to a Pac-12 conference championship and the 18th College World Series appearance in program history; they were eliminated in Omaha by Stanford. In July 2021, Chip Hale was named the new head coach of Arizona baseball. Hale played for the Wildcats under Jerry Kindall and was on the 1986 College World Series championship team; he went on to play, coach and manage in the major leagues for several years, serving as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2015 and 2016, and most recently serving as the third base coach of the Detroit Tigers. Arizona baseball also has a student section named The Hot Corner. Seventy-five former Arizona baseball players have played in the Major Leagues. Famous alums include Terry Francona, Kenny Lofton, Shelley Duncan, Trevor Hoffman, Mark Melancon, Chip Hale, Craig Lefferts, J. T. Snow, Don Lee, Carl Thomas, Jack Howell, Mike Paul, Dan Schneider, Rich Hinton, Ed Vosberg, Hank Leiber, Ron Hassey, Brad Mills, Joe Magrane, Alex Mejia, Dave Baldwin, Brian Anderson, Jack Daugherty, Scott Erickson, Gil Heredia, Casey Candaele, George Arias, and Scott Kingery.
=== Tax evasion === In 2015, officials from the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence conducted searches at 25 locations of DS Group's companies across several states, based on gathered intelligence. The investigation revealed that fake invoices for declared goods, labelled as "sandalwood compound or oil", were issued to Messrs Dharampal Satyapal Limited through dummy factories in the Haridwar–Roorkee area, Kanpur, and Lucknow. Owners of these front supplier firms admitted to generating bills for DSL on a commission basis without manufacturing or obtaining clearance for declared goods. Allegedly, DS Group evaded taxes by claiming inadmissible Cenvat credit, totaling ₹90 crore (US$9.3 million). In 2019, the company was involved in a ₹900 crore (US$93 million) scam, which revolved around the avoidance of value-added tax (VAT) on tobacco products. According to the state Criminal Investigation Department, the directors of Dharmpal Satyapal Limited and the Gujarat trade were implicated in importing gutka and other tobacco products into the state without proper documentation, selling them in the market, and thereby avoiding the payment of VAT.
Sodium nitrite is a preservative used in lunch meats, hams, sausages, hot dogs, and bacon to prevent botulism and other foodborne pathogens. It serves the important function of controlling the bacteria that cause botulism, but sodium nitrite can react with proteins, or during cooking at high heats, to form carcinogenic N-nitrosamines. It has also been linked to cancer in lab animals. The commonly used sodium benzoate has been found to extend the shelf life of bottled tomato paste to 40 weeks without loss of quality. However, it can form the carcinogen benzene when combined with vitamin C. Many food manufacturers have reformed their products to eliminate this combination, but a risk still exists.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
It is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide modeled on alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It carries two non-natural substitutions and a cyclic bridge that increase its stability relative to the natural hormone. It circulates as a research chemical and is not an approved medicine.
Melanotan-1, also called afamelanotide, is a shorter linear analog with a different amino acid sequence and no lactam ring. It has been evaluated in formal clinical programs, while melanotan-2 has not. The two are distinct molecules and are not interchangeable.
No. Bremelanotide is a related but distinct cyclic peptide that reached approved status for one specific clinical indication. Melanotan-2 is a separate molecule with its own sequence and properties. Shared ancestry in the melanocortin family does not make them the same substance.
Major regulatory agencies have not approved it for any indication. Some countries permit it only under prescription frameworks, while others classify it as a controlled substance.