MCH (human, mouse, rat) (trifluoroacetate salt)

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is an endogenous hypothalamic neuropeptide hormone that is an agonist at MCH receptors. It binds to MCH1 and MCH2 receptors (IC50s = 0.17 and 2.9 nM, respectively, for the human receptors) and stimulates calcium accumulation with EC50 values of 28 and 50 nM, respectively, in an aequorin bioluminescence functional assay. MCH also binds to the rat MCH1 receptor (Ki = 0.16 nM in CHO cells), stimulates calcium accumulation (EC50 = 1.79 nM), and inhibits intracellular cAMP accumulation induced by forskolin . It binds to mouse MCH receptors on melanoma B16 cells (Ki = 33 nM) and dose-dependently activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. MCH (5 nmol/kg, i.c.v.) increases cumulative food intake in rats.