Melanotan 2 Compound

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Melanotan 2 References

Every study cited across this site, with PubMed links.

Back to the researchEffects & safety

About this list

These are the peer-reviewed studies, case reports, and reviews cited throughout this Melanotan 2 digest. Each entry links to its PubMed record. Inline markers like [1] on the other pages map to the numbers here. Where a study reported a dose, that figure is presented as a fact about the study's design, not as guidance.

  1. 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. ↗
  2. 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. ↗
  3. Hadley ME, Dorr RT. Melanocortin peptide therapeutics: historical milestones, clinical studies and commercialization. Peptides. 2006;27(4):921-930. ↗
  4. 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. ↗
  5. 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. ↗
  6. Bonchev A. Changes in Oral Mucosa Associated with Melanotan II Injections: A Case Report. Life (Basel). 2026;16(2):265. ↗
  7. Lan EL, Ugwu SO, Blanchard J, Fang X, Hruby VJ, Sharma S. Preformulation studies with melanotan-II: a potential skin cancer chemopreventive peptide. J Pharm Sci. 1994;83(8):1081-1084. ↗
  8. Van der Ploeg LH, et al. Melanocortin receptors, melanotropic peptides and penile erection. Curr Top Med Chem. 2007;7(11):1098-1106. ↗
  9. Paiva L, Sabatier N, Leng G, Ludwig M. Effect of Melanotan-II on Brain Fos Immunoreactivity and Oxytocin Neuronal Activity and Secretion in Rats. J Neuroendocrinol. 2017;29(2):e12454. ↗
  10. Raposinho PD, White RB, Aubert ML. The melanocortin agonist Melanotan-II reduces the orexigenic and adipogenic effects of neuropeptide Y (NPY) but does not affect the NPY-driven suppressive effects on the gonadotropic and somatotropic axes in the male rat. J Neuroendocrinol. 2003;15(2):173-181. ↗
  11. Strom MA, et al. Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH): biology, clinical relevance and implication in melanoma. J Transl Med. 2023;21(1):562. ↗
  12. The 'Barbie Drug'-marketing and perceptions of melanotan on social media. 2025. ↗
  13. Eruptive dysplastic nevi following melanotan use. 2012. ↗
  14. alpha-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced eruptive nevi. 2009. ↗
  15. Eruptive melanocytic naevi following melanotan injection. 2009. ↗
  16. Eruptive naevi and darkening of pre-existing naevi 24 h after a single mono-dose injection of melanotan II. 2014. ↗
  17. Dermoscopic changes in melanocytic nevi during use of melanotan II. 2012. ↗
  18. Melanoma associated with the use of melanotan-II. 2014. ↗
  19. Melanotan-associated melanoma. 2011. ↗
  20. Melanotan-associated melanoma in situ. 2012. ↗
  21. Changes of melanocytic lesions induced by Melanotan injections and sun bed use in a teenage patient with FAMMM syndrome. 2012. ↗
  22. Melanotan II User Experience: A Qualitative Study of Online Discussion Forums. 2021. ↗
  23. Change in moles linked to use of unlicensed "sun tan jab". 2009. ↗
  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. Wessells H, et al. Melanocortin receptor agonists, penile erection, and sexual motivation: human studies with Melanotan II. Int J Impot Res. 2000. ↗
  32. Identification and characterization by LC-UV-MS/MS of melanotan II skin-tanning products sold illegally on the Internet. 2015. ↗
  33. 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. ↗
  34. Operation resistance: A snapshot of falsified antibiotics and biopharmaceutical injectables in Europe. 2016. ↗
  35. Falsification of biotechnology drugs: current dangers and/or future disasters? 2018. ↗
  36. Habbema L, Halk AB, Neumann M, Bergman W. Risks of unregulated use of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues: a review. Int J Dermatol. 2017;56:975-980. ↗
  37. The unregulated use of melanotan-II is of public health interest to Australian dermatologists. 2017. ↗
  38. Melanotropic peptides: more than just 'Barbie drugs' and 'sun-tan jabs'? 2010. ↗
  39. PT-141: a melanocortin agonist for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. 2003. ↗
  40. Discovery and development of novel melanogenic drugs. Melanotan-I and -II. 1998. ↗
  41. A comparison of HPLC and bioassay methods for plasma melanotan-II (MT-II) determination: application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats. 1994. ↗
  42. Afamelanotide for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria. 2015. ↗
  43. Long-term observational study of afamelanotide in 115 patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria. 2015. ↗
  44. van den Heuvel JK, et al. 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. ↗