Selectivity · by receptor
MC3R: ligand selectivity
Melanocortin 3 receptor · energy balance
9 catalogued melanocortin ligands bind MC3R with a curated affinity. The tightest is Afamelanotide (≈1.3 nM). The most MC3R-selective is γ-MSH (MC3R is its only curated target) — because the five receptors share one binding core, a ligand that truly prefers MC3R is the exception, not the rule.
Most MC3R-selective
Ligands whose tightest target of the five receptors is MC3R — ranked by selectivity window (how cleanly they prefer it).
- γ-MSHMC3R-onlyOne receptor only
Everything that binds MC3R
Ranked by binding strength. Filled bars are agonists; blue bars are blockers. Select a ligand for its full fingerprint across all five receptors.
Binding is not the whole story: these bars show how tightly each ligand holds MC3R, not what the receptor then does once bound. For the receptor's own biology — where it sits, what it controls, and what breaks when it fails — see the MC3R page. To put any one ligand next to the others, use the selectivity visualizer; for every value with its citation, the binding matrix.
Affinity values from the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to PHARMACOLOGY; selectivity is derived from them. Educational resource, not medical advice — see the editorial standards.