PT-141 (Bremelanotide) is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide studied in preclinical neuroendocrine research for its role in melanocortin receptor binding and hypothalamic signaling pathway analysis.
PT-141 (Bremelanotide) is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), structurally derived from Melanotan II through selective removal of its C-terminal amino acid residues. CAS: 189691-06-3. Unlike linear peptide fragments, PT-141 retains a cyclic backbone believed to confer greater resistance to enzymatic degradation, which has made it a frequently referenced tool compound in preclinical melanocortin receptor research.
Melanocortin receptors (MC1R through MC5R) are a family of G protein-coupled receptors distributed across a range of tissue types, from skin melanocytes to hypothalamic neurons and adrenal cortex cells. Each subtype is associated with distinct physiological research domains: MC1R with pigmentation biology, MC2R with adrenocortical signaling, and MC3R/MC4R with central nervous system pathways in the hypothalamus. PT-141 is studied as a non-selective agonist across several of these subtypes, making it a useful pharmacological probe for comparative receptor research.
Research interest in PT-141 centers substantially on its binding affinity at MC3R and MC4R, two subtypes expressed at high density within hypothalamic nuclei. Studies examining receptor-ligand interaction have used PT-141 to characterize activation kinetics, receptor internalization, and downstream G protein coupling at these sites. Because MC3R and MC4R are implicated in a range of central signaling pathways, PT-141 continues to serve as a reference agonist in structure-activity relationship studies of the melanocortin receptor family.
For in-vitro research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.