SC04

SC04 is a peptide-based melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) agonist developed as an optimized analog of setmelanotide. It was identified during a structure-activity relationship (SAR) study (PMID 41401696) aimed at addressing the poor aqueous solubility and off-target hyperpigmentation associated with setmelanotide. SC04 incorporates a C-terminal lysine modification, known as the "cationic imperative," which enhances aqueous solubility by more than 20-fold compared to setmelanotide while maintaining sub-nanomolar potency (EC50 of 0.15 nM). Although SC04 significantly improved the drug-like properties of the peptide scaffold, it served as a precursor to the further optimized lead compound SC19, which achieved greater selectivity over the MC1R and MC3R receptors to minimize off-target effects.

Other names

[Lys8]setmelanotide