MT-1 / Melanotan-1 10mg

Specification

What does the research on Melanotan-1 investigate?

Melanotan-1, also known as afamelanotide, is a synthetic thirteen-residue analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, and its sequence is a lesson in designing around a known weakness. The parent hormone carries a methionine that oxidises readily; this analogue replaces it with norleucine, a non-natural residue of almost identical shape and size that cannot oxidise, so the molecule keeps the geometry and loses the liability. The chain also carries a D-configured phenylalanine and is amidated at the C-terminal end, both of which make it harder for enzymes to take apart. Analytically this is a linear peptide with one remaining tryptophan, so oxidation is still the change to watch for, but the main modification is deliberate rather than a defect. The published research uses the sequence in melanocortin receptor binding studies. Nothing here describes a use, benefit, dose or effect in people.

Is Melanotan-1 legal in the UK?

Afamelanotide is a licensed prescription medicine in the European Union and the United States when presented for human use. The material listed here is not that product, is not licensed for any use, and is not supplied for human use. It is offered strictly as a research chemical for in-vitro laboratory work, and that framing is what makes the listing lawful rather than any property of the molecule.

Three pieces of legislation frame that distinction. The Human Medicines Regulations 2012 make it an offence to sell an unlicensed product for human use. The Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 prohibits supplying a psychoactive substance for human consumption, which is why a research-only basis is not a formality. The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 would apply only if the compound were scheduled, and it is not. Each of these turns on the purpose of the supply, so the statements on this page are written plainly rather than tucked into small print.

In practice that means a supplier may lawfully sell to a researcher, research organisation or business buying for research, and the buyer confirms at checkout that they are 18 or over, buying in the course of research, and responsible for handling, storing and disposing of the material lawfully. Nothing here is legal advice for your own circumstances; if you need a position, take qualified advice.

The material listed here is not the licensed product, is not licensed for any use, and is not supplied for human use.

How are identity and quality assured?

Each released lot is tested and the result is published, rather than the material being described as high purity on the strength of a supplier's word. Purity is measured by reversed-phase HPLC at an independent laboratory. The laboratory used for every lot published so far is Janoshik Analytical, in the Czech Republic, and the result is stated alongside the measured content against label so the two can be read together.

The report carries the lot number printed on the vial, which is the part that matters. A certificate showing a result without a lot number cannot be tied to the vial in front of you, and a certificate for a different lot tells you nothing about yours. Matching the printed number on the label to the number on the report is a five second check and it is the whole point of publishing both.

Identity confirmation by mass spectrometry is a separate test and is ordered as an add-on, so the figures published here come from RP-HPLC purity testing unless a report says otherwise. Where no report is published for a listing yet, the documentation held for the lot being shipped can be requested before you order. We would rather send you what exists than let you assume a certificate is available when it is not.

Synthesis and supply

Peptide material is built by solid-phase synthesis, purified by preparative HPLC, then lyophilised. Lyophilisation freezes the solution and removes the solvent under vacuum, which is why the vial arrives holding a cake or powder rather than a liquid and why a solvent has to be added before the material can be worked with. Removing water also removes the main route by which a peptide degrades in storage, which is the reason the format is used.

Sequence length and modification are what make batches differ in difficulty. Every coupling step is an opportunity for a truncated or deleted by-product, and a heavily modified or long chain presents more of them, which is why the purity trace rather than the headline figure is what a certificate is read for. Vials are filled and labelled with the lot number, and the lot number is what the report and the verification lookup resolve against.

External resources for researchers

These are the public reference sources we use when checking the identity of Melanotan-1, and the ones worth going to before relying on anything stated on a product page, including this one.

• PubChem — Compound records, computed properties, depositor-supplied identity data.
• CAS Common Chemistry — CAS Registry lookups where a registry number is known.
• ChEBI — Curated chemical ontology entries with cross-references.
• Europe PMC — Primary literature search by compound name, sequence or registry number.
• Certificate hub — Reports published for the lots released so far.

Frequently asked questions

Documentation & batch verification

The current released lot is IP-MT1-002, tested 2026-08-24 by Janoshik Analytical (CZ): RP-HPLC purity 99.719% (RP-HPLC), measured content 10.65 mg/vial, identity Purity confirmed (RP-HPLC). The full report for this lot is published and can be checked online — verify this batch. See the full record for lot IP-MT1-002 or all published certificates of analysis.

Published batch records show the laboratory, report date, purity and measured content where reported. Check the certificate for the exact lot: an HPLC purity result does not establish LC-MS identity, sterility or suitability for human or animal use. Review the published batch record before ordering.