MT-2 dosage UK — Melanotan II protocols, reconstitution & handling

Dorr et al. (1996) and follow-up melanogenesis work characterised Melanotan II in human subjects using subcutaneous administration at approximately 0.025 mg/kg. In practice, the wider research literature uses a two-phase protocol: a loading phase that titrates upward to an endpoint, then a maintenance phase that preserves it.

Loading phase. 0.25 mg subcutaneous on day one to test tolerance, escalating to 0.5 mg daily. Research literature commonly reports a cumulative loading total in the 10–30 mg range before a pigmentation endpoint is reached — highly dependent on baseline Fitzpatrick skin type.

Maintenance phase. 0.5–1 mg subcutaneous one to two times per week once the endpoint is reached. Because α-MSH analogue effects on melanogenesis are long-lived, maintenance frequency is far below loading frequency.

For mechanism and MT-1 contrast see the MT-2 vs Melanotan I comparison and the MT-2 compound profile.

MT-2 acts on MC1R (melanogenesis) plus MC3R/MC4R/MC5R. The non-MC1R receptor activity is what drives the well-documented acute effects reported in the research literature: nausea, flushing, appetite suppression, and yawning. These are dose-dependent and largely tachyphylactic — they attenuate as the subject acclimates.

Common research titration pattern:

• Day 1: 0.25 mg subcutaneous, evening — establishes tolerance.
• Days 2–3: 0.25 mg daily.
• Day 4 onward: escalate to 0.5 mg daily if tolerance is acceptable.
• Endpoint reached: switch to 0.5–1 mg 1–2× weekly maintenance.

Evening administration is the research default because peak acute effects then coincide with sleep. Doses are usually given after food to reduce nausea.

MT-2 arrives as a lyophilised (freeze-dried) white-to-off-white powder. Standard research reconstitution steps:

1. Confirm the vial label — mg mass, batch number, and matching HPLC CoA.
2. Wipe both vial stoppers (peptide vial + bacteriostatic water vial) with a fresh alcohol swab.
3. Draw the target BAC water volume — see the table above for the concentration you want.
4. Inject the BAC water down the inside wall of the peptide vial, not directly onto the powder cake.
5. Swirl gently until fully dissolved. Do not shake — froth introduces oxidation and inaccurate draws.
6. Refrigerate immediately at 2–8 °C, shielded from direct light. Label the vial with reconstitution date.

Full method in the ultimate guide to peptide reconstitution and the bacteriostatic water guide. For dose conversions between vial sizes use the dose conversion calculator.

• Lyophilised, sealed: stable at 2–8 °C for the vendor-stated shelf life (usually 24+ months). Long-term at −20 °C is acceptable but not required.
• Reconstituted in BAC water: ~30 days refrigerated at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
• Light-sensitive: MT-2 is a melanocortin — direct UV/visible light accelerates degradation. Keep vials shaded in an opaque container inside the fridge.
• No freeze-thaw once reconstituted — ice-crystal formation damages peptide integrity.
• Discard early on cloudiness, precipitation or off colour.

Full method in the storage & stability guide.

Melanotan II holds no MHRA marketing authorisation as a medicine in the UK. The MHRA has issued repeated public warnings against consumer use of unlicensed melanotan products, and Trading Standards has taken enforcement action against retail sale for cosmetic use. It is referenced here strictly as a laboratory-supply peptide for in vitro, cell-culture and animal research.

Afamelanotide (Scenesse), a related α-MSH analogue, holds a separate licence for the rare condition erythropoietic protoporphyria — that is a different molecule dispensed only through specialist NHS porphyria centres, not a licensed pathway for MT-2.

Dose accuracy is downstream of vial accuracy. A reference-grade MT-2 vial ships with a batch-specific certificate of analysis showing HPLC purity ≥98% and mass-spec identity confirmation. See the HPLC & CoA guide for how to read one.

UK researchers in this library reference peptidesuk4u.co.uk, which publishes lot-level HPLC CoAs alongside every MT-2 listing. For the full compound context see the MT-2 compound profile.