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Melanotan I (MT-I) record · updated 20h ago

Skin & aestheticsHealing & recoveryGrade A · human clinicalResearch use only
All 12 studiesJump to the evidenceCompare
What is Melanotan I (MT-I) used for?

Melanotan I (afamelanotide) is a synthetic alpha-MSH analog and melanocortin receptor agonist studied primarily for photoprotection in light-sensitive skin disorders.

How it works: Melanocortin-receptor agonist

Primarily researched for · Skin & aestheticsRoute · Subcutaneous injection (research use)

Development stage

where Melanotan I (MT-I) sits between preclinical work and regulatory approval
  1. 1Cleared
    Preclinical
    Animal / in-vitro work
  2. 2Cleared
    Phase 1
    Safety in humans
  3. 3Cleared
    Phase 2
    Efficacy signal
  4. 4Cleared
    Phase 3
    Confirmatory trials
  5. 5Current
    Approved
    Cleared by a regulator

Stage is inferred from the highest trial phase in the indexed corpus and 48 registered trials. It describes the research record, not a recommendation.

Identity
NameMelanotan I (MT-I)
Chain length—
Molecular weight1,646.8 Da
FormulaC78H111N21O19
Structure typeNot established
ClassHealing
Research levelFDA Approved
Discovered byCurated master list · 2026

Mass and formula from PubChem CID 16197727. No verified residue count for this compound.

Pharmacology
MechanismMelanocortin-receptor agonist
RouteSubcutaneous injection (research use)
Half-life—
Time to peak—
Duration—
Extraction confidence0.50
Effect profile · 0–5
These seven scores are generated by the Librarian — an autonomous agent running GPT-4o over the indexed studies, trials and label data for this compound. No human assigns them and no community vote moves them. Last recomputed Aug 24, 2026. How this works →
Research stats
Total studies12
Human / animal / cellular5 / 5 / 1
Highest trial phasePhase 1
Years covered2008–2026
Latest study2d ago
Publication history
20082026
Research funding
12 NIH projects · $6.8M awarded · through FY2015
Public grants naming this compound. Funding is interest, not evidence.
Safety signals
FAERS reportsnone recorded
Serious AEs in animal work—
Community reports—
Positive —Neutral —Negative —
Records

Study register

12 rowsOpen in the library →
StudyTypeYearSummary depth
Avian paramyxovirus type 1-associated severe pneumonia in humans: Molecular characterization and zoonotic transmission risk.
Finding40 APMV-1 sequence reads (50.6% microbial abundance) covering 10.78% of the genome.
Human2026Full text read0.80
Effects of a triple-strain <i>Bacillus</i>-based probiotic on cecal and ovarian colonization of <i>Salmonella Enteritidis</i> in commercial pullets.
FindingCecal SE counts reduced by 1.22 log₁₀ CFU/g in probiotic-fed birds at 10 dpi, n=192, P=0.0154.
Animal2008Full text read0.80
Cost-effectiveness of multitarget stool DNA testing for colorectal cancer screening in Chinese primary healthcare settings: a modelling study.
FindingICER of mt-sDNA screening was CNY 43,627 per QALY gained.
review2026Full text read0.80
Measuring trauma and violence exposure: comparing telephone and web survey modes across two population samples.
FindingaOR=0.71, 95% CI 0.61-0.82 for severe adulthood physical violence in web survey.
Human2026Full text read0.80
Thermal petiole wounding triggers trap closure in <i>Dionaea muscipula</i>.
FindingNot reported in abstract.
Animal2026Full text read0.70
Non-starch polysaccharide-degrading enzymes improve intestinal health by reducing digesta viscosity and gut permeability in young broilers fed high-fiber diets.
FindingNC increased ileal and jejunal digesta viscosity, <i>P</i> < 0.05.
Animal2026Full text read0.80
Household food insecurity among refugees: examining variations across different climatic contexts in Ugandan refugee settlements.
Finding84.7% of households were food insecure, n=600.
Human2026Full text read0.90
Lessons learned from the deployment of oral cholera vaccine by maintaining the controlled temperature chain (CTC) in an urban setting, Bangladesh.
FindingVaccines could be stored at ambient temperatures for up to 14 d under CTC.
Human2026Full text read0.70
Assessing the proinflammatory potential of sterile fecal microbiome filtrate from ulcerative colitis patients using an intestine-on-chip platform and automated image analysis.
FindingNot reported in abstract.
In vitro2026Full text read0.80
Results from a first-in-human study of dersimelagon, an investigational oral selective MC1R agonist.
FindingMean t_1/2 ranged from 10.56 to 18.97 hours on day 14.
Human2023Full text read0.80
A human obesity-associated MC4R mutation with defective Gq/11α signaling leads to hyperphagia in mice.
FindingNot reported in abstract.
Animal2023Partial text0.60
α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone alleviates pathological cardiac remodeling via melanocortin 5 receptor.
FindingNot reported in abstract.
Animal2024Full text read0.70

What people are saying

anecdotal · not evidence

Unverified first-hand accounts from public forums. These are not studies: nobody checked what was taken, whether it was what the label said, or what else was going on. They count for nothing in the evidence grade above and are shown because a reader searching Melanotan I (MT-I) will meet them anyway, and meeting them next to a graded evidence base is better than meeting them alone.

Community collection has not run yet, so this is an empty shelf rather than a quiet one — nothing has been read, and no conclusion about how much Melanotan I (MT-I) is discussed should be drawn from it.