MELANOTAN 1 10MG | UV Protection & Tanning

Melanotan 1 10mg is a research-grade alpha-MSH analog studied for melanin synthesis, skin pigmentation and photoprotection. This 3 ml vial containing 10 mg presentation is intended for laboratory investigation of MC1R-driven melanogenesis. Melanotan 1 (afamelanotide) is a linear analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone with two substitutions, norleucine at position 4 and D-phenylalanine at position 7, that increase receptor binding and resist enzymatic degradation. It binds the MC1R receptor on melanocytes, activating adenylate cyclase and the MITF pathway, which increases tyrosinase expression and melanin synthesis.

The resulting eumelanin darkens skin and provides some photoprotection independent of UV exposure. Levine and colleagues (JAMA, 1991) reported that subcutaneous administration of a potent synthetic melanotropin induced skin tanning in healthy volunteers. Later clinical work in erythropoietic protoporphyria established afamelanotide as a photoprotective agent, confirming that MC1R activation can increase epidermal melanin without sunlight. Researchers use Melanotan 1 to study melanogenesis, MC1R signalling, photoprotection and pigmentary disorders.

It is also a comparator for the more broadly acting Melanotan 2, which additionally engages MC3R and MC4R. The 10 mg vial supports repeated-administration protocols in pigmentary research. Because the peptide is linear and relatively short-lived, dosing schedules typically aim for sustained MC1R occupancy, and studies should measure melanin density rather than visual tanning alone. Keep the sealed vial at -20C until use, shield it from light, and reconstitute under sterile conditions with bacteriostatic water or the buffer specified in the study protocol.

Working solutions should be kept cold, aliquoted, and used within the stability window established for that peptide. Questions include the durability of induced pigmentation, the risk of melanocytic proliferation with chronic MC1R activation, and how afamelanotide receptor selectivity compares with Melanotan 2. Sold for laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not for diagnostic or therapeutic applications.