Reference
What is Melanotan I?
Melanotan I, also called afamelanotide, is a thirteen-residue analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It follows the natural hormone closely, with substitutions intended to make it more stable than the parent molecule.
Classification
| Type | Peptide |
| Chain length | 13 amino acid residues |
| Family | Alpha-MSH analogue |
| Origin | Developed at the University of Arizona from the 1980s; also known as afamelanotide |
| Supplied as | Lyophilised powder in a sealed vial |
It came out of a University of Arizona research programme on melanocortin peptides that also produced Melanotan II. The two are often treated as versions of the same thing; chemically they are quite different, one being a linear analogue and the other a cyclic one.
Where it sits by length
At 13 residues, Melanotan I is a mid-length chain, comfortably within peptide territory. The boundary is a convention, not a rule of chemistry — chains up to roughly fifty residues are generally called peptides.
What this page does not cover
Nothing here describes what Melanotan I does, what it is used for, or whether it is safe. We publish analytical results and ship parcels; we give no guidance on dosing, preparation or use, and that applies to our reference pages as much as to the product pages. The person to ask about any of that is a registered prescriber.
Related by family
Where it came from
Melanotan I came out of a University of Arizona programme that was substituting residues into alpha-MSH to stop the body taking it apart so quickly.
The 1980s — University of Arizona, Tucson. When was Melanotan I created?
Further reading
Melanotan I vs Melanotan II — a chain and a ring from the same lab, and why only one became a medicine.
More on Melanotan I
See Melanotan I in the range · What is a peptide? · Discovery timeline · All reference
