Melanotan is a peptide that is produced in the body as a way of making an animals skin tan. This is used as a response to exposure to UV rays to protect the animals body against skin cancer and other damage. This chemical has been synthesied as melanotan 2! which was de"eloped by researchers at the Uni"ersity of #riona. This synthetic analog mimics the beha"iors of the melanocortin peptide hormone alpha$melaocyte stimulating hormone. The synthetic "ersion of this peptide has been found to produce similar melanogenesis effects and aphrodisiac effects in animal test sub%ects! in the initial clinical trials that ha"e been performed. To date! no compounds that contain melanotan 2 peptides ha"e been appro"ed for human use as clinical trials are still ongoing. &owe"er! initial research indicates that this peptide may be "ery useful in pre"enting a "ariety of cancers and other diseases if the effects of it can be regulated to minimie side effects. This has increased the desire for bulk purchases of this peptide. There are a "ariety of ways to secure melanotan 2 for research purposes! but a great deal of care will need to be gi"en in order to ensure that the product you purchase is the proper 'uality for this purpose. Warnings for Melanotan Shoppers Because products containing melanotan ha"e not been appro"ed for the public market! the "ariety of products that claim to contain these ingredients actually dont. (roducts that contain any form of melanotan 2 are not allowed to be sold for human use) there are a "ariety of items online that claim to contain this ingredient because they ha"e been manufactured in markets that do not ha"e a ban on melanotan. *n many cases these products contain fraudulent ingredients that are designed to mimic the effects of melanotan 2 to take ad"antage of less than credible customers. There are a "ariety of regulatory bodies that are currently attempting to catalogue these products and issue a warning to those that might attempt to purchase them due to the se"ere risk of interacting with these unknown chemical mixes. Those that are in"esting in melanotan as part of a research study can sa"e a great deal of money and time by purchasing stores of melanotan from internet retailers! but the same risks that are posed to customers attempting to bend the rules may apply to these research facilities as well. *f a product claims to contain melanotan 2! but is actually a counterfeit product! it could throw off research results. This could also pose a danger for animal test sub%ects which could experience unpredictable side effects that could be life threatening. *n order to eliminate the risk of working with counterfeit products during research! scientists should only purchase melanotan 2 from companies that are certified to sell research 'uality peptides. These products will be sterilied and contain a specific list of the methods used to create the peptide so that researchers can ensure that they can predict how these chemicals will beha"e in chemical trials when they are applied to animal test sub%ects. This will also ensure that any bulk purchases are consistent to a"oid any potential for an alteration of reactions during clinical trials that cannot be accounted for. Evolution of Melanotan Development (ilot studies using cylic heptapeptide analogs of aM+& and melanotan 2 ha"e found to ha"e super potent melanotropic acti"ities in "itro. #ingle blind studies utiliing alternating day trials with placebo controlled trials were conducted on male animal test sub%ects with initial applications of .,-mg.kg of melanotan 2. +ubcutaneous in%ections of saline or melantotan 2 were applied daily during weekdays for two weeks. Two of the test sub%ects saw an increase in the increments of melanotan applications with .,,,/! .,0 and . ,2/mg.kg applications gi"en throughout the length of the study. *n these two sub%ects! .,0mg.kg applications and higher were found to cause fatigue and somnolence. Test sub%ects gi"en applications of melanotan also showed signs of mild nausea at most dosing le"els. +tretching and yawning complex appeared to correlate with applications around -$/ hours after the chemical was applied. &owe"er! the length of time between these reactions appeared to correlate with the sie of the application of melanotan 2 that was pro"ided. 1f the three test sub%ects that were used in this study! two saw increased pigmentation around the face and upper body which was determined by comparing pictures of the test sub%ects against "isual perception a week into the study. This was also compared a week after applications of melanotan 2 had ceased. These results help to demonstrate the tanning ability of melanotan 2 at / low applications up to / days of subcutaneous in%ections can pro"ide. *t is currently recommended for future animal research that applications begin at single applications of . ,2/mg.kg a day in animal test sub%ects! though this can be increased2 based on the animals reaction to the chemical and the sie of the test sub%ect. Additional Considerations for Melanotan Research Much of the research surrounding melanotan focuses on mimicking the peptides that are naturally found in animal skin! but there are some uses for this product that could pose for additional promise for the future use of melanotan 2 products. Melanotan was initially designed to mimic the chemicals in an animals body that are used to darken the skin tone as a protecti"e barrier against UV rays from the sun. This pigment can also be released after the skin is damaged! which can lead to the pigmentation which is shown in an area that has been scarred! though this is an effect that need not be replicated in a pharmaceutical setting. *f this reaction can be mimicked with an artificial "ersion of melanotan 2 it could be used as a means of tanning the skin to pre"ent damage! including skin cancer! which is caused by o"erexposure to the sun. +ome would also like to use melanotan 2 for cosmetic reasons! causing the skin to take on an attracti"e tan color without the unnecessary risks that are associated with staying out in the sun or using tanning beds. #t this time melanotan has not been de"eloped to the point where it can create a controlled reaction by an animals body! which is restricting researchers ability to release products containing this peptide to the public. Because melanocortin naturally has a "ery short half$life! the peptide has been altered to create melanotan 2. This altered chemical composition has been found to be helpful in creating a peptide that has a longer shelf life and effecti"eness when exposed to the bloodstream. These altered chemical bonds within the peptide ha"e been found to ha"e alternati"e effects! when exposed to animal tissues. This altered reaction may be helpful in allowing this peptide to be used for pre"iously unpredicted chemical reactions. Melanotan has been found to cause a "ariety of side effects in test sub%ects during clinical trials. 3"en low applications in animals could cause nausea! stretching and yawning. Male animals ha"e also been found to experience spontaneous penile erections when they are exposed to melanotan 2 applications. These side effects on their own are not typically considered to be dangerous for test sub%ects in"ol"ed in this research! but it is belie"ed that larger applications could impact the se"erity of these side effects! which should be accounted for when working with a "ariety of animals during study. Resource Box: http4..en.wikipedia.org.wiki.Melanotan5** http4..www.maximpeptides.com.melanotan$ii$-,mg. http4..www.sciencedirect.com.science.article.pii.,,2602,/78,,-8,7