Melanotan II

What is melanotan II?

Melanotan II is an unlicensed and largely untested form of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, which causes pigmentation (tanning) of human skin. Melanotan II is a variant of melanotan I (afamelanotide), a drug used in the treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria.

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Melanotan II is not approved for the treatment of any medical conditions currently. It has been reported to cause a wide range of potentially serious side effects. Warnings against its use have been issued from the US, UK and several other countries.

How does melanotan II work?

Melanotan II non-selectively mimics the action of melanocortin peptides. These are natural hormones involved with pigmentation, energy homeostasis, sexual functioning, the immune system, inflammation, and the cardiovascular system. Much like melanotan I (afamelanotide), melanotan II stimulates the production of eumelanin, causing the skin to go darker (tanning).

Melanotan II is usually administered as an injection of liquid underneath the skin, commonly every second day. Trials have shown that the tanning effect can occur within 5 doses.

Side effects of melanotan II

Short term side effects after administration include:

• Facial flushing
• Reduced appetite, nausea and vomiting
• In males, spontaneous erections 1-5 hours after administration (priapism), associated with yawning and stretching complex

Long term, there is concern that melanotan II may increase the risk of:

• Melanoma

  &#; a potentially serious form of skin

  cancer

• Deepening of the colour of moles, new moles and

  atypical

  melanocytic

  naevi

• Melanonychia

  &#; brown to black discolouration of one or more

  nails

• Rhabdomyolysis

  &#; potentially fatal destruction of muscle cells

• Encephalopathy

  syndrome

There is also concern about possible side effects due to contamination or lack of sterility if melanotan II is prepared incorrectly or needles are shared.

Sexual

dysfunction

During clinic trials for its use as a tanning agent, melanotan II was found to be a potent stimulator of male erections. A new drug based on melanotan II, bremelanotide, was developed to take advantage of this property. It has been noted across several studies to increase rigidity and duration of male erection, as well as male sexual desire. It has also been shown to increase female sexual desire in patients with sexual arousal disorder.

Drug interactions with melanotan II

No specific drug interactions have not been identified with melanotan II.

Safety measures

Melanotan II has not been fully tested, and due to its potential side effects it is not recommended that anybody use this drug.

No evidence exists for the use of melatonin II in pregnancy or breast feeding but it is recommended that it should be avoided.

New Zealand approved datasheets are the official source of information for prescription medicines, including approved uses and risk information. Melanotan II is not registered for use in New Zealand.

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A TikTok influencer grins into the camera. Shirtless, his bronzed skin contrasts on a light background.

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"Let's talk about Melanotan-II and the wonders it did for me," he says in the video over upbeat music.

"Essentially, what this stuff is going to do is allow you to get way tanner, way quicker."

This is one of many similar videos promoting the drug Melanotan-II found on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms. And despite the drug being banned in Australia, it is easy to find websites where you can buy Melanotan-II as a nasal spray or injectable vial, and have it delivered to your home.

Dubbed the "Barbie drug," Melanotan-II promises users a rapid tan without long hours in the sun. This, along with other effects including weight loss, has contributed to strong interest in Melanotan-II online.

However, Melanotan-II is far from a harmless drug. Medical experts from UNSW Sydney warn that Melanotan-II can cause serious side effects, and potentially even cause melanoma.

How does Melanotan-II work?

Melanotan-II is a synthetic version of α-Melanocyte-stimulating-hormone (α-MSH), which is produced in the pituitary gland of the brain and is naturally present in our bodies. The α-MSH acts on specialized skin cells responsible for producing pigment.

The drug hacks the body's regulation of pigment cells, tricking the body into tanning itself.

"In our skin, we have pigment cells and we have hormones that regulate the activity of those pigment cells. So what Melanotan-II does is mimic the action of those hormones and upregulate the activity of our pigment cells," said Associate Professor Deshan Sebaratnam, who is a dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital and Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Medicine & Health.

"It means that our pigment cells produce more melanin and that's what gives you your tan."

If injected or used as a nasal spray, Melanotan-II can cause dramatic skin darkening in just days. The drug can also suppress appetite and lead to weight loss, another effect that some users find desirable.

Potential to cause melanoma

Serious safety concerns have surrounded Melanotan-II since it was first developed at the University of Arizona in the s. Chief among those is the drug's potential to induce melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

"You're stimulating pigment cells with Melanotan-II. If you do that enough, you can cause abnormal proliferation of the cells," said Dr. John Frew, who is a dermatologist at Liverpool Hospital and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at UNSW Medicine & Health. "And this can jumpstart the progression to the possible development of melanoma."

Previous case reports have shown some Melanotan-II users develop skin-based complications, including melanoma, however the evidence is still limited.

"Case reports have described melanomas emerging from existing moles either during or shortly after the use of Melanotan-II," said Professor Bernard Stewart from UNSW Medicine & Health, who is an internationally recognized expert in environmental carcinogenesis (cancer causation). "However, evidence for causal associations is lacking&#; Definitive proof is yet to be established."

Another lesser-known danger of Melanotan-II is its neurological effects. As well as affecting pigment cells in the skin, the drug can bind to receptors in the brain and influence processes like appetite and sexual function.

"There are a few strange neurological effects reported with Melanotan-II. Typically, the nausea, vomiting and facial flushing are more prominent&#; There are also reports of priapism [prolonged erections] and yawning," Dr. Frew said.

Beware of social media advertising

Melanotan-II is not approved for use in Australia by the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA).

According to a TGA spokesperson, "its development as a potential medicine was halted some years ago due to safety reasons."

And yet, some Australians continue to use Melanotan-II for tanning, despite continued warnings from the TGA. This could be driven by the numerous endorsements and testimonials from users on social media platforms including TikTok and Instagram.

Advertising and supplying Melanotan-II to the public are illegal and the TGA says it is working with social media and digital platforms to address allegedly unlawful advertising by users.

A TikTok spokesperson said at the time of the latest TGA warning that videos promoting or selling nasal tanning sprays and melanotan breached the platform's rules and had been removed.

"We have also banned hashtags including #tanningnasalspray #melanotan and #melanotan2."

Meta, which owns Instagram, also prohibits content on its platforms which promotes illegal products, though videos featuring Melanotan-II continue to appear, with measures taken to avoid the restrictions such as using generic hashtags like #tanning.

Dr. Frew said that questions remain about how to protect social media users from the advertising of illegal and harmful products, and the responsibilities of social platforms.

"The reach of the TGA is obviously quite limited in terms of what happens on TikTok and Instagram. That's a big problem with no clear solution."

Citation: What is Melanotan-II, the drug that consumers are urged to avoid? (, January 30) retrieved 9 June from https://medicalxpress.com/news/-01-melanotan-ii-drug-consumers-urged.html

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