Peptide Dosage Reference

Melanotan II Dosage

A cyclic α-MSH analogue studied for melanocortin-receptor pharmacology, pigmentation biology, and related neuroendocrine effects.

Synthetic cyclic melanocortin receptor agonistHalf-life Short plasma residence in rodent…Also called Melanotan-2, MT-II, MT2…3 verified citations

Melanotan II dosage calculator

Pre-loaded with a typical Melanotan II vial. Change any value to match what you actually have.

mg
mL
Draw to this mark
units
mL · per
050u100u
Concentration
Per syringe unit
Administrations per vial

Amounts reported in the literature

What published research and laboratory protocols actually document for Melanotan II. Where a compound has no single microgram figure, we say so rather than inventing one.

Reported amountFrequencyRouteWhere this figure comes from
700 mcg – 2.1 mgweekday research dosing over short coursessubcutaneousPilot phase I subcutaneous research (Dorr et al.)
Human pilot work explored roughly 0.01–0.03 mg/kg SC; 0.025 mg/kg was discussed for future study design. mcg bounds above approximate a 70 kg research subject.
1.75 mginvestigational single/short-term SC dosingsubcutaneousPsychogenic ED pharmacodynamic study (Wessells et al.)
Study used 0.025 mg/kg SC under clinical research conditions.
Read this before using the table. Reference information only. The values below summarize amounts reported in published research literature and laboratory protocol discussions. They are not dosing recommendations, not medical advice, and not instructions for use in humans. All compounds referenced are for laboratory research use only and are not for human consumption.

People searching this page also look for: melanotan 2 peptide dosage, melanotan peptide dosage, melanotan 1 peptide dosage, melanotan 2 peptide dosage chart, melanotan 2 peptide dosage calculator, melanotan 1 peptide dosage chart, peptide melanotan 2 dosage, melanotan 2 peptide dosage for tanning.

What Melanotan II is

Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide analogue of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. In research settings it is used to probe melanocortin receptors, especially MC1R-linked pigmentation pathways and central MC3R/MC4R circuits involved in sexual function and energy balance. It is investigational and is discussed here strictly as a research compound.

Small human pilot studies in the 1990s characterized subcutaneous dosing, pigmentation changes, and dose-limiting effects such as nausea and yawning/stretching complexes. Separate controlled work examined erectile responses in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Those papers are historical clinical-research documents, not modern use guides.

Because Melanotan II sits in a compliance-sensitive category often misused in cosmetic tanning communities, educational content must stay inside research-use-only language. No cosmetic self-administration guidance is provided or implied.

How it works

Melanotan II is a non-selective melanocortin receptor agonist. MC1R activation on melanocytes increases eumelanin synthesis, which is why pigmentation endpoints appear in early trials. Central MC3R/MC4R engagement helps explain observed effects on sexual behavior and appetite-related readouts in experimental models. Cyclic structure improves potency and enzymatic stability versus linear native α-MSH fragments.

Where it shows up in research

melanocortin receptor pharmacology · pigmentation biology · sexual function neuroendocrine research · energy balance and appetite models · peptide PK assay development

Who studies it

Dermatology-adjacent pigment labs, melanocortin neuropharmacology groups, and sexual-medicine research units are the historical audiences. Regulatory, toxicology, and analytical chemists also study it because unregulated cosmetic channels created public-health surveillance questions. This profile is for research literacy only.

Storage & handling

Store lyophilized Melanotan II frozen or refrigerated per COA, dry and light-protected. After bacteriostatic-water reconstitution, keep refrigerated and protected from light; discard according to lab stability policy.

Commonly researched alongside

Research literature more often studies Melanotan II alone as a melanocortin probe than as part of a modern peptide stack. Mechanistic comparisons are made with afamelanotide/Melanotan I (linear NDP-MSH) and with selective MC4R agonists used in metabolic or sexual-function research. No cosmetic stacking discussion is appropriate or provided.

Melanotan II dosage questions

The questions people actually search for, answered plainly.

Human pilot research commonly referenced about 0.025 mg/kg subcutaneously (on the order of 1–2 mg for many adult body weights) under clinical supervision. Those are historical trial exposures for research characterization only.

For a typical 10 mg research vial, 2–3 mL bacteriostatic water is a common laboratory dilution so that mcg/kg calculations are syringe-measurable. Exact volume is protocol-dependent.

Early phase I designs used repeated weekday subcutaneous doses over about two weeks rather than an indefinite daily lifestyle schedule. Published human work is short-course and supervised.

Research charts, when used, convert mg/kg trial doses into mcg for a stated body mass and diluent volume. They are literature translation tools, not tanning guides.

Rodent pharmacokinetic reports describe rapid plasma clearance, while pigmentation biology can continue after the peptide is no longer measurable in blood. Human half-life characterization remains limited compared with approved melanocortin drugs.

Controlled research generally evaluates it as a single melanocortin agonist. Combining research chemicals for cosmetic tanning is outside the scope of legitimate RUO education and is not advised here.

No. Afamelanotide (Melanotan I / NDP-MSH) is a related but distinct linear analogue with a different clinical development path. Melanotan II is the cyclic heptapeptide MT-II.

It is not an FDA-approved tanning or sexual-function drug, and unsupervised cosmetic use has raised safety and quality concerns. Educational content therefore stays inside research-literature framing.

Research citations

Primary literature on Melanotan II. Open access where available.

Every citation above was programmatically checked against the NCBI PubMed database. Titles shown are the official indexed titles, not paraphrases.

Other dosage references

Browse all peptide dosage charts →

Not sure how to read your vial?

Our support assistant walks through reconstitution, syringe units, storage, and how to read a Certificate of Analysis. Free, no account.

Read the guides