The short version of MC4R fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
This page was last updated on 2025-09-16 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
Development began with intranasal formulations investigated for erectile dysfunction, but blood pressure elevation limited that route and prompted a switch to subcutaneous delivery. Clinical testing then shifted toward hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women, and a subcutaneous product received United States approval in 2019. Later trials examined other populations with mixed results, and questions about effect size, durability and patient selection remain open in the peer-reviewed literature. Research interest continues in parallel with the broader melanocortin field, where several synthetic analogues are studied together.
PT-141 is the research code for bremelanotide, a cyclic heptapeptide derived from alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. The molecule belongs to the melanocortin receptor agonist family and shows highest affinity for the MC4 receptor subtype, with weaker activity at MC1, MC3 and MC5. Its structure retains the core His-Phe-Arg-Trp sequence that defines melanocortin recognition, while cyclization and terminal modifications improve metabolic stability relative to the parent hormone. Early work classified the compound as a centrally acting agent rather than a peripherally acting vasodilator, which shaped subsequent development priorities.
Regulatory status varies by jurisdiction, where approved prescription products, compounded preparations and research-grade material are treated as distinct categories with different documentation requirements. Suppliers of research material commonly issue a certificate of analysis listing purity, identity and sometimes endotoxin content. Independent verification by a third-party laboratory is often recommended because self-reported figures are difficult to check. Literature discussions usually state the source, purity and storage conditions of the material used, since these details affect reproducibility. Analysts note that a reported purity figure does not by itself describe biological activity.
Lyophilised peptide is generally held below minus twenty degrees Celsius, protected from light and moisture, because hydrolysis and oxidation accumulate faster at ambient temperature. Once reconstituted, solutions are typically kept between two and eight degrees Celsius and used within a short window defined by the supplier. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are avoided since they promote aggregation and loss of soluble material. Container material matters as well, because peptides adsorb to certain plastics and glass surfaces at low concentration. Stability figures supplied by a vendor apply only to the specific lot and buffer that were tested.
Identity and purity are usually established with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. A gradient of water and acetonitrile containing trifluoroacetic acid is a common mobile phase, and ultraviolet detection near 214 nanometres responds to the peptide backbone. Mass spectrometry confirms the expected molecular mass and helps reveal truncation or oxidation products. Purity is reported as a peak-area percentage, a figure that depends on the wavelength and gradient used, so values from different laboratories are not always directly comparable. Peptide mapping and amino acid analysis provide additional confirmation when required.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Research code | PT-141 | Used in early literature before the generic name became common |
| Generic name | Bremelanotide | International nonproprietary name |
| Peptide class | Cyclic heptapeptide | Seven residues joined by a lactam bridge |
| Primary receptor | MC4R | Lower affinity reported at MC1R, MC3R and MC5R |
| Route studied clinically | Subcutaneous injection | Intranasal route was abandoned after pressor effects |
Approved use is narrow and jurisdiction-specific. In the United States, the injectable product is authorised for premenopausal women with acquired, generalised hypoactive sexual desire disorder, a diagnosis that requires documented distress. It is not approved for men, for postmenopausal women, or for use alongside hormonal contraceptives under the approved labelling. Outside regulated markets, the same peptide is frequently sold as a research chemical, where identity, purity, and sterility are not independently verified.
Bremelanotide is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide developed as an analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a naturally occurring peptide involved in pigmentation and appetite signalling. Its structure contains seven amino acid residues joined by a lactam bridge that closes the ring between two side chains. The molecular formula is C50H68N14O10 and the nominal molecular mass is near 1025 daltons. Much of the early laboratory literature refers to the same molecule by the development code PT-141.
The compound emerged from a research programme examining melanocortin analogues for effects on skin pigmentation. During early human studies, participants reported spontaneous erections as an unexpected side effect, which redirected development toward sexual function rather than tanning. An intranasal formulation was investigated in clinical trials but did not reach market approval. A subcutaneous injectable version later completed the regulatory process, and the nasal route does not appear in approved labelling.
Clinical research typically uses randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled designs. The most common primary endpoint is the desire domain score of the Female Sexual Function Index, sometimes paired with a distress measure. Secondary outcomes include arousal, satisfaction, and event-based counts of satisfying sexual episodes. Across trials, average improvements are modest and individual responses vary widely. Whether benefits persist beyond a few months, and whether they depend on baseline hormone status, remain open questions rather than settled findings.
Melanocortin receptors form a family of five G-protein-coupled receptors designated MC1 through MC5. Bremelanotide binds most strongly at MC4R and MC1R, with weaker activity reported at MC3R and MC5R. MC4R is expressed in hypothalamic nuclei that coordinate energy balance and aspects of sexual behaviour. The prevailing interpretation is that central MC4R activation, rather than peripheral vascular effects alone, drives the reported changes in desire. This account remains partly inferential, since direct receptor-level measurement in living humans is not practical.
After subcutaneous administration, plasma concentrations rise within roughly thirty minutes and the elimination half-life is short, on the order of two to three hours. Reported physiological responses include transient increases in blood pressure and nausea, which tended to diminish with repeated dosing in trial settings. Because the peptide clears quickly, effects are not expected to persist long after a dose. Absorption from non-injected routes is poorly characterised, and nasal delivery produced variable plasma levels in older work.
Early work on melanocortin analogs in the 1980s and 1990s produced peptides intended to influence pigmentation and appetite. One of these, melanotan II, was observed to affect sexual desire as an incidental finding in self-administration reports. Researchers then pursued analogs with altered receptor selectivity and improved handling characteristics, and PT-141 emerged from that program in the late 1990s. The development path moved from dermatology and metabolism toward a central nervous system application, a shift that shaped both trial designs and the eventual label.
Regulatory review of bremelanotide concluded in 2019 with approval in the United States for a defined indication in premenopausal women. The reviewed formulation is a single-use prefilled autoinjector given subcutaneously, and its label carries cardiovascular monitoring language tied to blood pressure changes recorded during trials. Availability outside the approving jurisdiction varies, and in several countries the compound remains unapproved or is handled as a prescription-only item. Compounded and research-grade material also circulates, and it differs from the reviewed product in purity, characterization, and chain of custody.
Bremelanotide is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide developed under the research code PT-141. The code reflects its position in an internal compound series rather than a chemical classification, and the name bremelanotide was later adopted for regulatory filings. Structurally it belongs to the melanocortin peptide family and shares a core sequence motif with alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. The compound is supplied as an acetate salt in aqueous solution for injection. In reference literature it is indexed under both the code and the generic name, a dual listing that can complicate database searches.
== Löseeigenschaften == Die quantitative Vorhersage von Löseeigenschaften und ihrer Temperaturabhängigkeit ist nicht möglich und muss experimentell ermittelt werden. Es gibt jedoch die plausible, generelle Regel: „Similia similibus solvuntur“ (lat.: „Ähnliches löst sich in Ähnlichem“), die aber nur als Richtschnur gelten kann. Gemäß dieser Regel lösen sich polare Stoffe mehr oder weniger gut in polaren Lösemitteln (z. B. Salze in Wasser). Dagegen lösen sich unpolare Stoffe mehr oder weniger gut in unpolaren Lösemitteln (z. B. Fette und Öle in unpolaren organischen Lösemitteln wie Benzol oder Ether).
=== Aprotische Lösungsmittel === Wenn das Molekül eines Lösungsmittels nicht über eine funktionelle Gruppe verfügt, aus der Wasserstoffatome als Protonen abgespalten werden können (Dissoziation), spricht man von einem aprotischen Lösungsmittel. Sie stehen den protischen Lösungsmitteln gegenüber.
==== Aprotisch-unpolar ==== Alkane sind wegen des geringen Unterschieds in der Elektronegativität zwischen Kohlenstoff und Wasserstoff unpolar. Dies macht alle Stoffe dieser Gruppen ineinander leicht löslich; sie sind sehr lipophil (eigentlich noch lipophiler als die sehr schwach polaren, namensgebenden Fette) und sehr hydrophob (wasserabweisend). Aber nicht nur Wasser kann sich nicht lösen, sondern alle anderen stark polaren Stoffe auch nicht, wie z. B. kurzkettige Alkohole, Chlorwasserstoff oder Salze. In der Flüssigkeit werden die Teilchen lediglich von Van-der-Waals-Kräften zusammengehalten. Deshalb fallen bei dieser Stoffgruppe die Siedetemperaturen im Vergleich zu Molekülgröße und -masse wesentlich niedriger aus als bei permanenten Dipolen. Da eine Abspaltung von Protonen unter Bildung von Carbanionen nur mit extrem starken Basen möglich ist, sind sie aprotisch. Ebenfalls zur Gruppe der aprotisch-unpolaren Lösungsmittel gezählt werden außerdem Verbindungen wie etwa Carbonsäureester oder Ether, die zwar polare Bindungen enthalten, aufgrund ihrer niedrigen Permittivität jedoch nicht in der Lage sind, ionische Verbindungen aufzulösen. Vertreter dieser Gruppe sind:
Alkane (Paraffine) Alkene (Olefine), Alkine Benzol und andere Aromaten mit aliphatischen und aromatischen Substituenten Carbonsäureester Ether, z. B. Diethylether völlig symmetrisch gebaute Moleküle wie etwa Tetramethylsilan oder Tetrachlorkohlenstoff Kohlenstoffdisulfid, bei hohem Druck auch Kohlenstoffdioxid halogenierte Kohlenwasserstoffe, die entweder (wie Tetrachlorkohlenstoff) völlig unpolar oder aber trotz der hohen Elektronegativität des betreffenden Halogens, z. B. Chlors, nur wenig polar (Methylenchlorid) sind Eine spezielle Untergruppe halogenierter Kohlenwasserstoffe bilden dabei die perfluorierten Kohlenwasserstoffe (z. B. Hexafluorbenzol), die nicht nur selber unpolar, sondern auch sehr schlecht von außen polarisierbar sind und sich daher auch mit den übrigen unpolaren Lösungsmitteln eher schlecht vertragen.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
The code designates bremelanotide, a cyclic heptapeptide melanocortin receptor agonist. It served as an internal research identifier before the compound entered formal clinical development. The code and the generic name refer to the same molecule.
MC4R is generally described as the principal target, based on binding affinity and functional assays. Activity at MC1R, MC3R and MC5R is reported as weaker. Receptor selectivity is one reason the compound was pursued for central rather than vascular effects.
Both are synthetic melanocortin analogues built on a similar cyclic peptide scaffold. Bremelanotide is described in the literature as a metabolite-derived analogue of melanotan II rather than the same substance. The two differ in terminal modifications, which affect half-life and receptor profile.
Purity is normally expressed as a percentage of total peak area from a chromatographic run. The value depends on the column, gradient and detection wavelength chosen. Results generated under different conditions are therefore not always interchangeable.