Credit goes out to Melanocyte for this! Stuff is certainly gaining popularity

Melanotan II (MT-2)

MT-2 is a fairly new biotech polypeptide and there is no other substance in the world that will increase melanin (skin pigment) production in humans. This is the only substance that will actually induce a tan in people. You DO NOT need any UV exposure to tan with MT-2, but it does expedite the process.

Melanotan I & II – from wikipedia, are analogs of the peptide hormone alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) that tend to induce skin tanning and, in the case of melanotan II, increase libido.
Both drugs were developed at the University of Arizona. Researchers there knew that one of the best defenses against skin cancer was a natural tan which has been slowly developed over weeks. They hypothesized that an effective way to reduce skin cancer rates in people would be to induce the body's natural tanning system to produce a protective tan prior to UV exposure. They knew the body's naturally occurring hormone alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) caused melanogenesis, a process by which the skin's tanning cells (melanocytes) produce the skin's tanning pigment (melanin). With that knowledge they tested to see if administering this hormone to the body directly could be an effective method to cause sunless tanning. What they found was that while it appeared to work, natural alpha-MSH had too short a half life in the body to be practical as a drug. So they decided to try and find a more potent and stable alternative, one that would be more practical.
After synthesizing and screening hundreds of molecules, the researchers headed by Dr. Victor Hruby, found a peptide that after trials and testing seemed to not only be safe but also approximately 1,000 times more potent than natural α-MSH. They dubbed this new peptide Melanotan. Since their discovery, numerous studies dating back to the mid-1980s have shown no obvious toxic effects of Melanotan. Because skin cancer (melanoma) today is a major health concern, Melanotan is expected to be used as a drug to combat it. Melanotan will do this by stimulating the body's natural tanning mechanism to create a tan without first needing exposure to harmful levels of UV radiation. This in turn will reduce the potential for skin damage that can eventually lead to skin cancer.

Melanotan I

Melanotan has the amino acid sequence Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Nle-Glu-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2 or [Nle4, D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH. Melanotan is currently being tested and developed under the name CUV1647 by the Australian company Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals, for indications such as Polymorphous Light Eruption (PMLE) and Actinic Keratosis (AK).

Melanotan II

Melanotan II has aphrodisiac properties. It is a cyclic lactam analog of alpha-MSH with the amino acid sequence Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2. Palatin Technologies of New Jersey has developed another hormone targeted towards Sexual dysfunction based upon melanontan II which they call Bremelanotide (formerly called PT-141). Bremelanotide is a metabolite of melanotan II that lacks the C-terminal amide function. Bremelanotide is currently in clinical trials to treat erectile dysfunction and sexual arousal disorder.

How it works:

MT-2 is a chemical analogue of a something the body naturally produces
called alpha-Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (a-MSH). A-MSH is what induces skin cells called melanocytes to produce melanin -- the pigment that tans a person's skin and is responsible for the various colors of skin around the world in humans.

MT-2 out competes a-MSH for binding to melanocyte receptors in humans and other mammals because it has a binding affinity over 1000x more potent than
a-MSH. Therefore only milligrams are needed to do what would normally take lots of a-MSH to do.

When you are exposed to UV rays (whether tanning bed or sunshine) your body produces more a-MSH, hence the eventual tan. However, genetically pale people fall into one of two categories. They either do not sufficiently produce enough a-MSH, or their melanocytes have a weak affinity for a-MSH.

MT-2 overcomes both of these limitations. Anybody can get as dark as they like with MT-2, it is simply a matter of dosage - the more the darker you will get. The tan is 100 % real, so it fades as slowly as a real tan once you stop using (3-4 weeks average).

The only people MT-2 will not work for is pure albinos -- they're melanocyte receptors have zero affinity, thus even MT-2 simply cannot bind and hence they have no skin pigmentation. MT-2 will work unequivocally for everyone else, even very pale redheads can get very dark.

How it is used:

You need to be properly informed in the storing and usage of peptides
-- they denature rapidly if you mishandle them.

If you order 30 mg (which is a sufficient amount for a first-time beginner cycle) you will receive your 30 mg of "lyophilized" (it means
"freeze-dried") MT-2.

Put two vials in the freezer (deep freeze if you have one) -- DO NOT
RECONSTITUTE (reconstitute just means "mix" with bacteriostatic water) these vials. Just freeze them as is.

Then with the vial you are going to be using, reconstitute (mix with
bacteriostatic water).

To mix the vial with bact water, take one of the syringes (BD Ultrafine II 1cc or 1/3 cc are excellent and I recommend them) and grab your bacteriostatic water. If using a 1 cc syringe (100 units) use the syringe to withdraw 1 full ml (1cc) and inject that into the vial of MT-2 through the rubber. Be sure to aim the needle towards the glass, so that it will trickle down. Swirl the vial to thoroughly mix and let the peptide dissolve.

So now you have 100 units (1cc) of bacteriostatic water mixed with 10 mg of MT-2 in your vial.

Then inject roughly 100 units (1 cc) of air into the vial so that the vial is not a vacuum -- otherwise withdrawing peptide will be tricky because of suction in the vial. Don't inject too much air into the vial; otherwise the air pressure will push too much air back into the syringe when you try to withdraw the peptide for injection. Around 100 units usually works fine -- the "units" I'm using as a ref. for injecting are on the side of the syringes (100 unit = one full syringe).

Now, that the vial is mixed (reconstituted), when you withdraw 10 units of the substance, that equals 1 mg of MT-2. So 30 units would equal 3 mg, get the idea?

Now you're ready for subcutaneous injection. If you've never performed sub-q injection before, it's very simple, and if done right, you literally don't feel anything. The needles used for sub-q injection are extremely small (8 mm) and you only go in 5 mm or so -- just into fatty tissue beneath skin. NOT intravenous or intramuscular this is a bit more complicated. Certain diabetics perform sub-q injections with the same tiny needles you'll be using two-three times a day.

You can use the same syringe you used to add the bacteriostatic water to the vial for your first injection. But never use the same syringe twice on yourself -- this is a universal rule no matter what you're injecting. Syringes and bacteriostatic water are extremely cheap and you can get them with ease.

You will store the reconstituted (mixed) vial in your fridge -- NOT your freezer like the others.

I recommend 1 mg of MT-2 per day for the first week or so. One morning injection, or one in the evening, it is up to you. Remember, you will experience some nausea most likely for the first couple days. Listen to your body. It's nothing to be alarmed about, it's perfectly normal. Your body is simply finding a new homeostasis as it acclimates to the peptide in your blood. Your body adjusts within 2-4 days at the latest and you will never have any nausea again -- unless you come off MT-2 for a long time (over 2 months) and then resume heavy dosing. So remember, the nausea is COMPLETELY normal and entirely goes away. The harder and more frequent erections as a side effect however will persist for as long as you are taking MT-2. MT-2 is more powerful than Viagra in this regard, and that is why we are interested in the analogue version of MT-2 called PT-141 to treat ED as well!

After a week of 1 mg per day dosing you can play with the dose until desired shade of tan is achieved. From there, maintenance dosing is minimal. I usually just use 1 vial over 10 days and then take 2-3 weeks off completely, and then repeat.

Remember, the lyophilized MT-2 (freeze dried) will last in your freezer for 1 year. But once mixed with bact water, the MT-2 will degrade. YOU MUST STORE THE RECONSTITUTED MT-2 in the REFRIGERATOR -- NOT freezer. Also, there is no magic pill or formula here. Trial and error are critical to learning. Share your melanotan experience so that our research continues to prosper!

Dear friend and fellow athlete,

The University of Arizona has developed a drug which when brought to market may change our entire perspective on medication and fulfill the prophecy that better living is indeed possible through chemistry. What they developed is a synthetic version of a natural cell-activating hormone called alpa-MSE also known as Melanotan. This drug was developed to promote a suntan -- without the need to expose yourself to the sun. However, in addition to promoting a sunless tan, research subjects noticed that the drug produced powerful, spontaneous erections, raised the libido, acted as an anti-inflammatory, and suppressed the appetite. Imagine a drug that makes you look good, helps you get ripped, makes you horny, and gives you a boner. That's the magnitude of what we're talking about here.

Researchers set out to develop a tanning drug that would promote a safe natural tan. Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers, with 700,000 cases diagnosed each year in the US. Each year, 47,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers. Approximately 9,000 people die of skin cancer each year, with 7,700 of those cases caused by melanoma. The probability of developing skin cancer in your lifetime is one in five. Nearly 50 percent of all Americans age 65 or over will develop skin cancer at least once during their lifetime. Sun exposure in moderation is healthy -- the danger comes from how fast you get the sun and the faster you get it, the worse it is for you.

Melanin is the body's natural defense pigment against the sun or UV light that can damage skin cells, damage the DNA and may cause skin diseases and cancer. Research shows that high levels of melanin correlate with low incidences of skin cancer. Skin cancer rates among white Americans for example, are one hundred times higher than those among the African American population, who have naturally high levels of melanin. Melanin acts like an internal sunscreen to protect cells and DNA from UV damage.

Melanin is produced by fair-skinned people in response to UV exposure, but it takes hours or days days for melanocytes, the specialized skin cells producing melanin pigments, to respond to UV exposure and alpha-MSH, leaving the skin vulnerable to UV damage in the meantime. Melanotan can be administered anytime, enabling us to activate melanin production before exposure to UV. By using Melanotan before exposure to sunlight the toxicity of sunburn and the incidence of skin cancer may be reduced.

Researchers at the Arizona Cancer Center at University of Arizona have shown that synthetic alpha-MSH can cause darkening of human skin. With FDA approval, they injected male volunteers with a synthetic version of alpha-MSH, to see if their skin darkened. It worked, raising the possibility of using melanotan to induce a suntan without the exposure to UV. But that's not all...

Surprisingly, Melanotan also caused many of the subjects to develop erections. This has raised the possibility of using MSH to cure erectile dysfunction, as a competitor of Viagra without the side effect of raising blood pressure.

Unlike Viagra, which improves sexual performance in impotent men by increasing blood supply, this drug - which can be used by both men and women - targets receptors in the brain that triggers human arousal.

"With Viagra the man has to initiate sexual activity or Viagra won't work. With this it sort of comes on its own," said Dr. Hunter Wessells, a urologist at the University of Arizona.

In the study, 10 men, ages 22 to 59, were each given two injections of varying doses of Melanotan and two of placebo. Each injection was followed by a 6-hour monitoring period, during which eight men had erections after receiving the drug. The onset of an erection after administration of the drug was about 2 hours, on average.

Data was gathered through the men's self-reports and a "RigiScan device" attached to each man to record rigidity and swelling of the penis. The results showed that Melanotan caused multiple sustained erections that were sufficient for intercourse. No episodes of ejaculation or painful erection were reported, according to the authors. The researchers believe that Melanotan works by acting on pro-erectile pathways in the central nervous system.

"These men were not looking at erotic video tapes. They weren't engaging in sexual activity," Wessells said. "They were just sitting around. And on the placebo, none of them got any erectile activity - zero."

On June 16, 2003, EpiTan Limited in Melbourne, Australia announced that it had obtained approval from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research to begin its first human implant trial for its leading drug candidate Melanotan. This trial is scheduled to take six months to complete.

In this trial up to twenty four healthy volunteers will receive only one injection of Melanotan contained in a long acting implant. This formulation is a big improvement over the daily injections currently being used in the company's Phase IIb clinical trial to be completed in September 2003. Similar implants, for the treatment of prostate cancer, have already been approved for use worldwide.

The implant will now be used in the remaining clinical program and Melanotan is likely to be commercialized first in this formulation. EpiTan plans to meet with the US Food & Drug Administration later this year in order to obtain an IND approval for the Melanotan implant. The company also announced that it had engaged Southern Research Institute, in the US to manufacture the implants, which are expected to be available in November 2003.

If all of this is not good enough, don't forget the fat burning potential of the substance. That is something that Palatin, a New Jersey biotech firm, is also exploring with Melanotan. And Merck, the global drug company, is also looking at developing it as an appetite reducer. Indeed, there may be possible applications not yet entirely understood. As if skin color, increased libido and reduced bodyfat are not enough, there are indications that it will work to reduce inflammation, combat diabetes and eradicate acne as well.

George Spellwin, Sunday, October 15, 2006

elitefitness.com/articledata/efn/063003.html

Omega labs are just about to bring some out!!!

There's a couple of interesting articles that have come out recently about the melanotan peptides that anyone reading this thread would probably be interested in seeing.

The first is from Fitness RX For Men Magazine and the second is from Wired Science:

Fitness RX for Men: http://www.zinio.com/pages/FitnessRxfor ... 6690/pg-96

Wired Science: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/01/tan/

They're quite informative articles (especially the Fitness RX article written by Dr. Gwartney).

Cheers,
-Scott
Melanotan.org - afamelanotide

i use this gud stuff burns alittle on injection mind.