MT1
Stocked in 5mg at MontanaPep in Great Falls, Montana. Sold for laboratory research use only.
| Size | Catalog no. | Price per vial |
|---|---|---|
| 5mg | MT1 | $20 |
Classification
Linear alpha-MSH analogue; FDA-approved as Scenesse for one rare disease
Structure and chemistry
Melanotan-1, generic name afamelanotide, is a linear tridecapeptide — 13 amino acids — analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Its research designation, [Nle4, D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH, describes the two substitutions that distinguish it from the native hormone: norleucine at position 4 and D-phenylalanine at position 7, which together confer greater potency and metabolic stability. It is chemically distinct from Melanotan-II, which is a smaller cyclic heptapeptide, and the two should not be conflated: MT-1 is linear and selective for MC1R, MT-II is cyclic and non-selective.
What the published research shows
Afamelanotide has a complete pharmaceutical evidence base — pilot studies, randomized placebo-controlled Phase 2 trials in the EU and US, a pivotal trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and full regulatory review by three national authorities. That puts it in a small group within this catalog: compounds whose claims rest on regulatory-grade evidence rather than preclinical inference.
Mechanism of action
A melanocortin 1 receptor agonist. It binds MC1R on melanocytes and stimulates production of eumelanin in the epidermis — crucially, without the ultraviolet-induced cellular damage that occurs when melanin production is driven by UV exposure. Eumelanin is photoprotective: it absorbs, scatters and quenches ultraviolet light, scavenges free radicals, and acts as a neutral density filter reducing all wavelengths equally.
Development history
Developed at the University of Arizona in the 1980s by the same research program under M.E. Hadley and V.J. Hruby that produced Melanotan-II, as part of work on alpha-MSH analogues for photoprotection. Commercial development was carried out by Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals under the designation CUV1647.
Current regulatory status
Afamelanotide is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (Scenesse, Clinuvel), approved 8 October 2019 to increase pain-free light exposure in adult patients with a history of phototoxic reactions from erythropoietic protoporphyria. The approved product is a 16 mg bioresorbable implant. Material sold as “Melanotan-1” is a different formulation and is not the approved product.
Analytical testing
Identity requires confirming both substitutions by mass spectrometry against a certified reference standard — the norleucine at position 4 and, importantly, the D-configuration phenylalanine at position 7. As with other D-amino-acid peptides, stereochemistry is not resolved by mass alone. Note also that afamelanotide and Melanotan-II differ substantially in size and structure, so any credible COA should make unambiguous which molecule is present.
Ordering from Great Falls
MontanaPep, also known as Montana Peptides, is an independently owned supplier based at 715 13th Ave S, Great Falls, Montana. Local pickup is available by arrangement, and we ship to research addresses across Montana including Billings, Missoula, Bozeman, Helena, Butte, Kalispell and Havre. Call (406) 799-0812 or email customerservice@montanapep.com.