Melanotan-1 (MT-1)
Also called Melanotan I, MT-1, MT1, Afamelanotide
Research reference
- Research amount range
- 250–1000 mcg per administration — not a starting amount
- Reference frequency
- Every day — catalogue input, not a personal schedule
- Evidence route
- Implant in the cited evidence; formulation matters.
- Reported timing context
- Injected MT-1 research used weekday administrations, but the licensed afamelanotide implant has different release kinetics and no injected schedule transfers from it.
- What people report
- Measured darkening developed during a two-week research period, peaked about one week after the last dose in one study, and remained measurable three weeks later.
- Model accumulation timescale
- ~5 hours — about five half-lives with regular repeated exposure; not time to a result
- Storage
- Storage and in-use limits depend on the exact formulation and packaging. A compound name alone cannot establish temperature, diluent, or shelf life. Details
- Reported course context
- No validated injected schedule
A research and community reference, not medical advice. Figures are descriptive, vary between sources, and are not a recommendation for use.
When results may show
- When change was measured
- Injected MT-1 studies measured darker forehead, arm, neck, and facial skin during a 10-dose, two-week research period. One pharmacokinetic study found the strongest measured change about one week after the final dose, with some change still present three weeks later.
- When to assess
- Day-to-day color is a poor stopping signal because pigment can keep deepening after the last dose. The published research assessed the result at the end of two weeks and again one week later; response varied by body site and person.
- Conditions and limitations
- Extra sun is not required for afamelanotide to increase eumelanin: the U.S. implant label states that this occurs independently of sunlight or artificial UV. Early MT-1 studies found that measured UV or sunlight amplified visible tanning, but they did not establish a safe home-exposure target. Burning is skin injury, not a useful endpoint.
- When to stop
- No trial defines a self-directed injectable maintenance or quit rule. Because color may peak after dosing ends, more dosing solely because the result is not yet obvious can overshoot. Stop and obtain clinician review for a new or changing dark lesion or any severe or persistent reaction.
Research timing is descriptive, not a promise or personal instruction. A severe or persistent reaction needs prompt clinical review. This is not medical advice.
Combination evidence and cautions
What is known and unknown about Melanotan-1 (MT-1) alongside other compounds or medicines.
Key properties
- Formula
- C78H111N21O19
- Mol. weight
- 1,646.8 Da
- CAS
- 75921-69-6
- PubChem CID
- 16197727
External references
About an hour for the free peptide. The licensed form is a slow-release implant with completely different kinetics, so implant figures do not transfer to this curve.
The licensed form is a 16 mg controlled-release implant, whose figures do not carry over to an injection; no injected schedule is established, so no schedule table is shown.
Modelled level — every day
1× is the peak after a single dose.
- Steady-state peak
- 1.00× single dose
- Time to steady state
- 5hours
- Administrations
- 7/ week
Read off the modelled curve, not an even-interval formula
About five half-lives
Where these numbers come from
- MT-1 skin pigmentation and pharmacokineticsTen injected doses over two weeks; pigmentation peaked about one week after dosing and remained measurable three weeks later.
- Current U.S. afamelanotide implant labelThe licensed implant increases eumelanin independently of sunlight or artificial UV; its release kinetics do not transfer to injected free peptide.