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The University of Arizona has developed a drug which when brought to market may change our entire perspective on medication and fulfill the prophecy that better living is indeed possible through chemistry. What they developed is a synthetic version of a natural cell-activating hormone called alpa-MSE also known as Melanotan. This drug was developed to promote a suntan -- without the need to expose yourself to the sun. However, in addition to promoting a sunless tan, research subjects noticed that the drug produced powerful, spontaneous erections, raised the libido, acted as an anti-inflammatory, and suppressed the appetite. Imagine a drug that makes you look good, helps you get ripped, makes you horny, and gives you a boner. That's the magnitude of what we're talking about here.
Researchers set out to develop a tanning drug that would promote a safe natural tan. Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers, with 700,000 cases diagnosed each year in the US. Each year, 47,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious of skin cancers. Approximately 9,000 people die of skin cancer each year, with 7,700 of those cases caused by melanoma. The probability of developing skin cancer in your lifetime is one in five. Nearly 50 percent of all Americans age 65 or over will develop skin cancer at least once during their lifetime. Sun exposure in moderation is healthy -- the danger comes from how fast you get the sun and the faster you get it, the worse it is for you.
Melanin is the body's natural defense pigment against the sun or UV light that can damage skin cells, damage the DNA and may cause skin diseases and cancer. Research shows that high levels of melanin correlate with low incidences of skin cancer. Skin cancer rates among white Americans for example, are one hundred times higher than those among the African American population, who have naturally high levels of melanin. Melanin acts like an internal sunscreen to protect cells and DNA from UV damage.
Melanin is produced by fair-skinned people in response to UV exposure, but it takes hours or days days for melanocytes, the specialized skin cells producing melanin pigments, to respond to UV exposure and alpha-MSH, leaving the skin vulnerable to UV damage in the meantime. Melanotan can be administered anytime, enabling us to activate melanin production before exposure to UV. By using Melanotan before exposure to sunlight the toxicity of sunburn and the incidence of skin cancer may be reduced.
Researchers at the Arizona Cancer Center at University of Arizona have shown that synthetic alpha-MSH can cause darkening of human skin. With FDA approval, they injected male volunteers with a synthetic version of alpha-MSH, to see if their skin darkened. It worked, raising the possibility of using melanotan to induce a suntan without the exposure to UV. But that's not all...
Surprisingly, Melanotan also caused many of the subjects to develop erections. This has raised the possibility of using MSH to cure erectile dysfunction, as a competitor of Viagra without the side effect of raising blood pressure.
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Unlike Viagra, which improves sexual performance in impotent men by increasing blood supply, this drug - which can be used by both men and women - targets receptors in the brain that triggers human arousal.
"With Viagra the man has to initiate sexual activity or Viagra won't work. With this it sort of comes on its own," said Dr. Hunter Wessells, a urologist at the University of Arizona.
In the study, 10 men, ages 22 to 59, were each given two injections of varying doses of Melanotan and two of placebo. Each injection was followed by a 6-hour monitoring period, during which eight men had erections after receiving the drug. The onset of an erection after administration of the drug was about 2 hours, on average.
Data was gathered through the men's self-reports and a "RigiScan device" attached to each man to record rigidity and swelling of the penis. The results showed that Melanotan caused multiple sustained erections that were sufficient for intercourse. No episodes of ejaculation or painful erection were reported, according to the authors. The researchers believe that Melanotan works by acting on pro-erectile pathways in the central nervous system.
"These men were not looking at erotic video tapes. They weren't engaging in sexual activity," Wessells said. "They were just sitting around. And on the placebo, none of them got any erectile activity - zero."
On June 16, 2003, EpiTan Limited in Melbourne, Australia announced that it had obtained approval from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research to begin its first human implant trial for its leading drug candidate Melanotan. This trial is scheduled to take six months to complete.
In this trial up to twenty four healthy volunteers will receive only one injection of Melanotan contained in a long acting implant. This formulation is a big improvement over the daily injections currently being used in the company's Phase IIb clinical trial to be completed in September 2003. Similar implants, for the treatment of prostate cancer, have already been approved for use worldwide.
The implant will now be used in the remaining clinical program and Melanotan is likely to be commercialized first in this formulation. EpiTan plans to meet with the US Food & Drug Administration later this year in order to obtain an IND approval for the Melanotan implant. The company also announced that it had engaged Southern Research Institute, in the US to manufacture the implants, which are expected to be available in November 2003.
If all of this is not good enough, don't forget the fat burning potential of the substance. That is something that Palatin, a New Jersey biotech firm, is also exploring with Melanotan. And Merck, the global drug company, is also looking at developing it as an appetite reducer. Indeed, there may be possible applications not yet entirely understood. As if skin color, increased libido and reduced bodyfat are not enough, there are indications that it will work to reduce inflammation, combat diabetes and eradicate acne as well.
To discuss Melanotan, or to report on its effects if you give it a try, check out the Melanotan Thread on the Elite Fitness Boards!
Welcome to better living through chemistry!
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