Compound reference
Melanotan II
Cognitive & Neuro Research · vial. For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption, diagnostic use, therapeutic use, or clinical use.
Chemistry identity
Reference identifiers
COA documentation
Lot record status
COA on file - lab confirmation pendingView Lab ReportsPublished literature
Research context
Peer-reviewed literature referencing this compound, provided for research context.
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 stress2024
Inozemtseva LS, Yatsenko KA, Glazova NY, Kamensky AA, Myasoedov NF, Levitskaya NG, et al.
European journal of pharmacology
In a rat model of chronic unpredictable stress, systemic administration of the ACTH(4-10) analogs Semax and Melanotan II (a melanocortin receptor agonist) was evaluated for effects on stress-induced anhedonia-like behavior (sucrose preference), body-weight change, adrenal hypertrophy, and hippocampal BDNF levels, linking melanocortin receptor agonism to biomarkers of chronic stress load in this model.
Therapeutic Strategies Against Metabolic Imbalance in a Male Mouse Model With 5-HT2CR Loss-of-Function2024
Liu H, Liu Z, Wong HK, Xu N, Liu Q, Li Y, et al.
Endocrinology
Using a mouse model carrying a loss-of-function mutation in the serotonin 2C receptor gene (Htr2c), this study found that systemic administration of melanotan-II, a melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist, reduced food intake and attenuated diet-induced body-weight gain, implicating MC4R signaling downstream of the 5-HT2CR-melanocortin pathway in hypothalamic feeding-circuit regulation.
Melanocortin agonism in a social context selectively activates nucleus accumbens in an oxytocin-dependent manner2024
Ford CL, McDonough AA, Horie K, Young LJ
Neuropharmacology
In prairie voles, melanotan-II (a melanocortin receptor agonist) administered before social interaction selectively increased oxytocin-dependent neuronal activation (Fos expression) in the nucleus accumbens, a region implicated in social-learning circuitry, proposing a mechanistic basis for melanocortin-driven modulation of oxytocin-dependent social behavior in this animal model.
Melanocortin receptor agonist melanotan-II microinjected in the nucleus accumbens decreases appetitive and consumptive responding for food2022
Eliason NL, Martin L, Low MJ, Sharpe AL
Neuropeptides
Microinjection of the melanocortin-3/4 receptor agonist melanotan-II directly into the nucleus accumbens of mice decreased both home-cage food consumption and operant responding for food access, without producing conditioned taste avoidance or altering metabolic rate, supporting a role for accumbal melanocortin signaling in appetite regulation distinct from general aversion or metabolic effects.
A comparison of HPLC and bioassay methods for plasma melanotan-II (MT-II) determination: application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats1994
Ugwu SO, Blanchard J, Nguyen LD, Hadley ME, Dorr RT
Biopharmaceutics & drug disposition
This foundational pharmacokinetic study characterized plasma disposition of melanotan-II in rats following intravenous administration, comparing HPLC and bioassay quantification methods and establishing a biphasic elimination profile, laying early groundwork for subsequent melanocortin receptor pharmacology research.
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