MSH

Melanotropin, also known as Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone (MSH), is produced by the middle lobe of the pituitary gland in amphibians, whereas in humans, due to the degeneration of the middle lobe of the pituitary gland, only traces of it remain, and MSH-producing cells are mainly found in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland.There are different types of MSH, such as α and β, γ, γ1 and γ3, which are encoded by the same pro-opiomelanocortin preproprotein gene and produced by different shears. MSH is produced by the same opiomelanocortin preproprotein gene (pro-opiomelanocortin preproprotein) through different shearing. α is 13 peptides, β is 18 peptides, γ is 11 peptides, and in animals it is 12 peptides (γ1). The majority of MSH in the human pituitary gland is β, and α is less than 3% of MSH. In normal human pituitary, MSH is 300-400 micrograms/g wet weight, and the plasma content of β-MSH is about 20-110 micrograms/ml, with a half-life of 30 minutes.