The C-terminal tripeptide of the alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH11-13) possesses strong antiinflammatory activity without known cellular target. In order to better understand the structural requirements for function of such motif, we designed, synthesized and tested out Trp- and Tyr-containing analogues of the alpha-MSH11-13. Seven alpha-MSH11-13 analogues were synthesized and characterized for their binding to the melanocortin receptors recombinantly expressed in insect (Sf9) cells, infected with baculovirus carrying corresponding MC receptor DNA. We also tested these analogues on B16-F1 mouse melanoma cells endogenously expressing the MC1 receptor for binding and for ability to increase cAMP levels as well as on COS-7 cells transfected with the human MC receptors. The data indicate that HS401 (Ac-Tyr-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2) and HS402 (Ac-Lys-Pro-Val-Tyr-NH2) selectively bound to the MC1 receptor and stimulated cAMP generation in a concentration dependent way while the other Tyr- and Trp-containing alpha-MSH11-13 analogues neither bound to MC receptors nor stimulated cAMP. We have thus identified new MC receptor binding motif derived from the C-terminal sequence of alpha-MSH. The tetrapeptides have novel properties as the both act via MC-ergic pathways and also carry the anti-inflammatory alpha-MSH11-13 message sequence.