The Body Pharm Melanotan II 20 Pen is a pre-mixed, multi-dose injection device supplied through JCSG.org to United Arab Emirates laboratories. It delivers 20 sequential actuations of Melanotan II (MT-II) solution without reconstitution, making it the highest-convenience pen format in the JCSG.org UAE melanocortin range. MT-II is a cyclic lactam synthetic analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and a non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist — the reference compound for melanocyte biology research. Supplied for laboratory research use only — not for human or veterinary use.
Key takeaways
- The Body Pharm 20-dose pen offers mechanical consistency for fixed-dose in vitro protocols, with live AED pricing shown in the buy box on the product page.
- Pre-mixed pens suit multi-week fixed-dose research; lyophilised vials remain more flexible for variable-dose or high-volume work.
- Request the batch-specific Certificate of Analysis, per-click microgram output and cold-chain confirmation in writing before committing to any purchase order.
- Melanotan II is not a registered medicine; it is supplied strictly as a research chemical.
What is the Body Pharm Melanotan II 20 Pen?
The Body Pharm Melanotan II 20 Pen is a pre-filled, multi-dose injection device supplied for in vitro research use. It dispenses a fixed volume of MT-II solution across 20 sequential actuations without reconstitution. MT-II is a cyclic lactam synthetic analogue of alpha-MSH and acts as a non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist. This seven-amino-acid cyclic peptide structure confers stability against enzymatic degradation compared with linear peptide formats, which is why MT-II remains the standard comparator in melanocyte research protocols.
The pen format removes the lyophilised-powder reconstitution step associated with vial-based MT-II products. Laboratory procurement teams typically weigh this convenience against the loss of dose-titration flexibility that a vial-and-syringe workflow allows. For mechanistic background and assay context, see the Melanotan 2 research overview.
Full technical specification
The pen ships as a pre-mixed, multi-dose injection device. The specification block below summarises the confirmed parameters. Contact the supplier for a batch-specific datasheet before finalising your protocol.
| Parameter | Value / status |
|---|---|
| Peptide identity | Melanotan II, cyclic lactam alpha-MSH analogue (Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2) |
| Molecular weight | approximately 1024.18 Da |
| Receptor profile | Non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist (MC1R, MC3R, MC4R, MC5R); quantitative Ki/EC50 not stated in catalogue entries |
| Total peptide content per pen | Not published publicly; request batch datasheet |
| Concentration per actuation | Not published publicly; request from supplier before protocol finalisation |
| Carrier solution | Composition not disclosed publicly; bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol) is the standard convention for multi-dose peptide pens |
| Actuation mechanism | Dial-and-click multi-dose pen format |
| Storage (in-use) | Industry convention is 2–8 °C, protected from light; confirm with supplier |
| Analytical QC | Request HPLC purity figure and batch CoA at time of order |
Where a row is not publicly published, request that parameter in writing from the supplier before committing to your protocol.
Melanocortin pathway: why pen format matters
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic heptapeptide agonist at the melanocortin receptors MC1R and MC4R. MC1R activation drives melanogenesis in cutaneous and ex vivo melanocyte models. MC4R activation underpins central-nervous-system and feeding-behaviour research paradigms. Receptor occupancy at MC1R elevates intracellular cAMP via G-alpha-s coupling, which drives microphthalmia-associated transcription factor expression and tyrosinase activity in melanocyte assays. MT-II remains the reference compound for studying melanocyte biology in vitro because of this signalling cascade. Any quantitative affinity figure used in a study protocol should be sourced from the original receptor-pharmacology literature rather than vendor pages.
Why the delivery format is an experimental variable
Reconstituting lyophilised MT-II from a vial introduces three controllable but frequently uncontrolled sources of variance: operator pipetting accuracy when adding bacteriostatic water, mixing-induced peptide aggregation, and dose-to-dose volume drift across a multi-day protocol. A pre-mixed dial-and-click pen removes the reconstitution step entirely and fixes the delivered volume per actuation to a mechanically defined increment. That is the principal reason procurement teams running repeated-dose in vitro or ex vivo melanocyte work increasingly specify the pen format over the vial: mechanical consistency reduces inter-assay variability, particularly when the same operator runs multiple independent replicates across weeks.
The pen also reduces septum-puncture frequency relative to drawing 20 separate doses from a single open vial, which lowers bioburden-ingress risk over the in-use window. That matters most for protocols extending beyond seven days at 2–8 °C, where cumulative contamination probability rises with each needle entry.
Pen vs vial: which format suits your protocol?
Pre-mixed pens suit fixed-dose multi-week protocols. Lyophilised vials suit variable-dose or high-volume research where unit cost and long-term stability dominate the decision.
Reconstitution and dosing precision. A lyophilised vial requires bacteriostatic water, a sterile syringe and a concentration calculation before the first draw. A pre-mixed pen ships ready-to-actuate, with fixed-volume clicks set at manufacture. This removes arithmetic error from the workflow but removes the operator's ability to vary concentration mid-study. The exact microgram per actuation should be confirmed with the supplier before protocol commitment.
Storage, stability and contamination. Lyophilised peptide is generally stored at −20 °C and is the more stable long-term presentation. Reconstituted solution in a pen is held at 2–8 °C with a shorter open shelf life. A sealed pen reduces repeated septum entry, lowering cumulative contamination risk across a 20-actuation run compared with twenty separate needle punctures into a vial stopper.
Cost-per-dose at scale. Vials typically deliver a lower unit cost on high-volume protocols because the same lyophilised mass can be reconstituted at whatever concentration the protocol requires. Pens recover that gap on labour: no reconstitution time, no calculation review, no second-operator sign-off on dilution. For a 20-actuation fixed-dose study running over three to four weeks, the pen format is the lower-friction choice.
Purity, CoA and quality assurance
A research-grade peptide-pen Certificate of Analysis should state the HPLC purity percentage, mass-spectrometry confirmation of the molecular weight (1024.18 g/mol for MT-II free base), an endotoxin assay result in EU/mg, a microbial-limit or bioburden figure, and the batch number, manufacture date and expiry. Any certificate omitting one of those fields is incomplete, not acceptable-with-caveats, because incomplete CoAs create gaps in traceability when institutional auditors review research records.
Request the batch-specific CoA tied to the exact batch number on your pen at order stage. A generic catalogue claim is not a batch-specific certificate. Confirm the CoA is linked to the exact batch number printed on the pen housing, not a representative document from a prior production run.
Reading an HPLC trace for MT-II
A clean MT-II trace shows a dominant single peak with retention time consistent with the reference standard, and the integrated area should account for at least 99% of total UV absorbance at 220 nm. Shoulder peaks, early-eluting hydrophilic impurities, or a secondary peak at roughly +16 Da on the paired MS spectrum indicate oxidised methionine or des-amido degradants. The accompanying MS should return the expected mass within instrument tolerance. These markers matter because oxidised MT-II may have altered receptor affinity, which would skew assay results without any obvious visual warning. JCSG.org does not independently audit vendor CoAs or re-run analytics on third-party pen products, so procurement teams should retain originals, cross-reference batch numbers against delivery paperwork, and commission independent HPLC re-testing where in-house capacity allows.
Regulatory context in the UAE
Melanotan II is not a registered medicine and is supplied by JCSG.org strictly as a research chemical for in vitro and laboratory work, with no permitted route to human or animal administration. Any product page or accompanying paperwork implying cosmetic or therapeutic benefit invites regulatory attention regardless of a research-use label.
Peptide importation and domestic distribution in the UAE fall under the relevant national health-authority oversight, and research-use or free-zone labelling does not exempt an entity from that oversight or from customs review. Institutional procurement staff should clear any purchase through their organisation's research-governance or safety office before raising a purchase order, and retain documentation linking the order to a defined in vitro protocol. This page publishes technical specification and procurement data; it does not constitute medical, safety or efficacy advice.
Ordering, shipping and storage
On receipt, store the pen at 2–8 °C, upright, away from direct light. A pre-mixed pen should not be frozen once in the liquid state; refrigeration is the working compromise. Treat the printed expiry on the device as the unopened limit and apply a conservative in-use window after first actuation unless the supplier confirms otherwise in writing. If the pen arrives warm, leaking, cloudy, or with a broken seal, photograph the parcel and contents, quarantine the unit, and contact the vendor before any use. Do not actuate a device that has breached cold chain.
Confirm cold-chain packaging details and dispatch time with the supplier before raising a purchase order, and request a batch number against each unit for traceability into your reagent records.
Related peptide research tools in the UAE range
JCSG.org's UAE catalogue stocks several Body Pharm multi-dose pens alongside the Melanotan II 20-dose unit, which supports buyers running parallel research programmes. The Body Pharm NAD+ 1000 pen and Body Pharm MOTS-C 32 pen sit in the same multi-dose device family as the MT-II unit reviewed here. Adjacent tissue-repair research tools are documented on the BPC-157 and TB500 pages, and mechanistic background for this SKU sits on the Melanotan 2 research overview.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Body Pharm Melanotan II 20 Pen available for research in the UAE?
Yes. JCSG.org supplies the pen to UAE laboratories for in vitro research use. Confirm classification and free-zone obligations with your institutional compliance officer, and clear the purchase through your research-governance office before raising a purchase order.
How many micrograms does each pen actuation deliver?
The per-click dose should be confirmed with the supplier at order stage before protocol finalisation. Without this figure you cannot calculate a precise dose for your protocol, so request the current specification sheet directly.
Does the pen require refrigeration?
Store the reconstituted pen at 2–8 °C after first actuation as the working assumption, protected from light. Freezing a pre-mixed pen risks ice-crystal formation and peptide aggregation. Confirm pen-specific stability data with the supplier at the time of order.
What is the difference between Melanotan I and Melanotan II?
Melanotan I (afamelanotide) is an MC1R-selective melanocortin agonist. Melanotan II is a non-selective agonist active across MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R. If your protocol targets MC1R-driven melanogenesis specifically, the selective tool is preferable; if you need broader melanocortin-pathway activation, MT-II is the standard. See the Melanotan 2 research overview for mechanistic background.
Can I request a batch-specific CoA for the Body Pharm pen?
Yes, and you should. A batch-specific CoA is non-negotiable for institutional procurement. Request it at quotation stage, including the HPLC purity percentage, molecular-weight confirmation, endotoxin assay and batch number.
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Not a registered medicine.
