α-Melanotropin, also known as α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), is a 13-amino acid peptide originally characterized as a neuropeptide derived from the pituitary gland. It is synthesized from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) by the action of specific prohormone convertases.
CAT No: 10-101-131
CAS No:581-05-5 (net)
Synonyms/Alias:α-MSH; α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone
α-Melanotropin (human) Acetate is a synthetic peptide corresponding to the endogenous human alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), a key member of the melanocortin peptide family. As a tridecapeptide hormone, α-MSH plays a central role in regulating skin pigmentation, energy homeostasis, and various neuroendocrine functions through its interaction with melanocortin receptors. The acetate salt form enhances its solubility and handling properties for laboratory applications. Given its well-characterized receptor specificity and biological activity, α-Melanotropin is widely utilized as a molecular tool in peptide research, receptor pharmacology, and signal transduction studies.
Receptor binding studies: α-MSH analogs such as α-Melanotropin (human) Acetate are frequently employed in binding assays to characterize the affinity and selectivity of melanocortin receptors, particularly MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R. By serving as a reference ligand, this peptide enables the elucidation of receptor-ligand interactions, competitive binding profiles, and downstream signaling events. Researchers leverage these assays to investigate the structure-activity relationships of novel melanocortin agonists or antagonists, facilitating drug discovery and fundamental receptor biology research.
Pigmentation pathway analysis: The compound is instrumental in studies exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying melanogenesis. By stimulating melanocortin receptors on melanocytes, α-MSH triggers the production of cyclic AMP and subsequent upregulation of melanin synthesis enzymes. Laboratory models utilizing α-Melanotropin provide a controlled means to dissect the signaling cascades involved in pigmentation, offering insights into the regulation of skin and hair color, as well as the cellular responses to environmental factors such as ultraviolet radiation.
Neuroendocrine signaling research: As a neuropeptide with broad physiological effects, α-MSH is used to probe the regulatory roles of melanocortins in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. Experimental systems employing α-Melanotropin (human) Acetate allow scientists to study its influence on energy balance, appetite control, and stress responses via melanocortin receptor activation. Such research advances understanding of the neuroendocrine circuits governing metabolic and behavioral processes, supporting the development of new hypotheses in neurobiology and endocrinology.
Peptide structure-function studies: The defined sequence and known bioactivity of α-Melanotropin make it a valuable standard for examining the structural requirements of melanocortin peptides. Researchers use it as a template in mutagenesis experiments, conformational analyses, and comparative studies with synthetic analogs. These investigations help delineate the key determinants of receptor activation, peptide stability, and biological potency, informing the rational design of novel peptide-based probes or modulators.
Analytical assay development: The compound is also utilized in the development and validation of quantitative analytical methods, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry. By serving as a calibration standard or positive control, α-Melanotropin (human) Acetate supports the accurate measurement of peptide concentration, purity assessment, and detection of related impurities in complex biological or synthetic samples. These analytical applications are essential for quality control in peptide synthesis workflows and for ensuring reproducibility in peptide-based research protocols.
The alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is a neuropeptide belonging to the melanocortin family. It is well known for its anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects and shares several characteristics with antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). There have been some recent reports about the direct antimicrobial activity of α-MSH against various microbes belonging to both fungal and bacterial pathogens. Similar to α-MSH's anti-inflammatory properties, its C-terminal residues also exhibit antimicrobial activity parallel to that of the entire peptide. This review is focused on the current findings regarding the direct antimicrobial potential and immunomodulatory mechanism of α-MSH and its C-terminal fragments, with particular emphasis on the prospects of α-MSH based peptides as a strong anti-infective agent.
Singh, M., & Mukhopadhyay, K. (2014). Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone: an emerging anti-inflammatory antimicrobial peptide. BioMed research international, 2014.
Although melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) peptides are known to stimulate pigmentation in man, previous reports suggest that human melanocytes are relatively unresponsive to these peptides in vitro. This may be related to the conditions under which the melanocytes were cultured. Thus, we have re-investigated the in vitro effects of MSH peptides using human melanocytes cultured in the absence of artificial mitogens. Human melanocytes were incubated with alpha-MSH or its potent analogue Nle4Dphe7 alpha-MSH for 3 days. After 18 hours, melanocyte morphology had evolved from mainly bipolar to dendritic in approximately 66% of cultures.
Hunt, G., Todd, C., Cresswell, J. E., & Thody, A. J. (1994). Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone and its analogue Nle4DPhe7 alpha-MSH affect morphology, tyrosinase activity and melanogenesis in cultured human melanocytes. Journal of Cell Science, 107(1), 205-211.
Melanocortins are known to affect feeding and probably insulin activity through the central nervous system. It was also recently shown that peripheral alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) administration can reduce weight gain in both genetic and diet-induced obese mice. As obesity is often associated with disregulation of glucose and insulin, we investigated the nature of glucose homeostasis in the obese pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) knockout mouse. Here we report that though they are obese, mice deficient in POMC (and, thereby, deficient in alpha-MSH) are euglycemic throughout their lives.
Brennan, M. B., Costa, J. L., Forbes, S., Reed, P., Bui, S., & Hochgeschwender, U. (2003). α-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone Is a Peripheral, Integrative Regulator of Glucose and Fat Metabolism. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 994(1), 282-287.
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