Anti-aging & longevityMuscle & performance
MOTS-c
Mitochondrial ORF of the 12S rRNA type-c
MOTS-c is genuinely unusual: it is encoded within mitochondrial DNA rather than in the cell nucleus, which places it in a small class of peptides that mitochondria appear to use to signal to the rest of the cell. That discovery is scientifically interesting independent of anything anyone sells.
The research is preclinical. Mouse studies report improved insulin sensitivity — resistance to diet-induced obesity — and improved exercise capacity, and there is observational work associating a particular MOTS-c variant with longevity in a Japanese population. No controlled human trial has tested it.
It is one of the more mechanistically interesting compounds on this site and one of the less evidenced in humans, which is a combination worth naming directly rather than letting the first half imply the second.
How it works
MOTS-c appears to act partly by activating AMPK, the enzyme that senses low cellular energy and switches the cell toward burning fuel instead of storing it. That is the same pathway exercise and metformin act through, which is where most of the metabolic claims originate.
It has also been reported to move into the nucleus under metabolic stress and influence gene expression there, which would make it a direct signal from mitochondria to the nuclear genome. This is an active research area rather than settled biology.
Regulatory status — United States
Not approved for human use in the United States. Sold only as a research chemical.
Last reviewed 12 Aug 2026. Regulatory positions in this category change frequently; we date this line so you can see how current it is.
What it is studied for
Each entry states the evidence behind it. We do not rank indications by effectiveness — for most compounds here, that would be a claim nobody can support.
Insulin sensitivity and metabolic health
Published reviewThe most studied effect in animals.
EvidenceMouse models report improved insulin sensitivity and resistance to diet-induced obesity. No human trials.
Exercise capacity
Published reviewReported in animal models.
EvidenceImproved running capacity in aged mice. Not tested in humans.
Longevity
Published reviewThe reason it appears in longevity discussion at all.
EvidenceAn observational association between a MOTS-c variant and longevity in a Japanese population. Association in a population is not an effect of injecting the peptide.
Identity and clearance
Molecule
- Class
- Mitochondrial-derived peptide
- Molecular weight
- 2174.6 Da
- Length
- 16 amino acids
Sequence
Met-Arg-Trp-Gln-Glu-Met-Gly-Tyr-Ile-Phe-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Lys-Leu-Arg
Encoded in mitochondrial DNA, not nuclear DNA. That is the property that made it notable.
Pharmacokinetics
Published reviewEstimated from animal work. No human pharmacokinetic study has been published.
Dose protocols reported in sources
Displayed for reference only. Every row says where it came from, and a trial protocol and a community convention are not the same kind of information. None of this is fed into the calculator, and none of it is a recommendation.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route | Units, 5 mg vial | Source | Start this protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commonly described dose | 5 mg – 10 mg | Two or three times weekly | Subcutaneous | from 100 u | Community practice | Start this |
Start this copies a row into a protocol of your own, which you can then edit. Where a source gave a dose range or an ambiguous frequency, those fields arrive empty — we will not pick a number on your behalf.
CheckRows marked community practice describe what people commonly do, drawn from public discussion. They are not derived from any trial and are not evidence that a dose is safe or effective.
Cycling
Community practice4 to 10 weeks on, 4 weeks off.
A community convention with no supporting study.
Calculator
Work out what to draw
Pre-filled with a 10 mg vial as a worked example. These are not recommended values — change them to match the vial in front of you.
Draw to 100 units on a 1 mL U-100 syringe. That is 1 mL, containing 5 mg of MOTS-c.
CheckThis fills the syringe almost to the top, which leaves no room for error when drawing.
Bioalmanac performs arithmetic on values you enter. It does not recommend doses, schedules or compounds, and nothing here is medical advice. Confirm every calculation against your vial and syringe before drawing, and speak with a licensed healthcare provider.
Open this calculation in the full calculator
Units, concentration, bacteriostatic water — the glossary defines the vocabulary, and a unit is not a fixed volume.
Safety
Reported effects
- Injection site reactionsCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
- Fatigue or flu-like feeling after early dosesCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
- Low blood sugar symptomsCommunity practice
Occasionally reported
Plausible given the proposed effect on insulin sensitivity, particularly alongside a fast or a low-carbohydrate diet.
- Long-term effectsCommunity practice
Unknown
No human safety data.
When to stop
- Symptoms of low blood sugar — shakiness, sweating, confusion, unusual hunger — particularly if they recur.
- Any allergic response: rash, hives, facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent care.
- Signs of infection at an injection site.
- Any new or unexplained symptom you would ordinarily see a doctor about.
Interactions and situations that need care
- Diabetes, or any glucose-lowering medicationUse caution
The main reported effect in animals is improved insulin sensitivity. Adding that to insulin or another glucose-lowering drug pushes in the same direction as the treatment and raises hypoglycaemia risk, with no data to quantify by how much.
- Pregnancy and breastfeedingAvoid
No reproductive or developmental safety data.
- Competing in a tested sportAvoid
Prohibited at all times under WADA's S2 category as a peptide with claimed metabolic and performance effects.
SportProhibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency under S2: Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors and Related Substances, at all times. Peptides marketed for metabolic or performance effect fall under S2 whether or not they are named individually.
What to expect
HonestlyThere is no human efficacy data for this compound, so there is no evidence-based timeline to give. Any site publishing a week-by-week schedule of expected effects has invented it.
- All efficacy evidence is in mice. No human trial has been published, so there is no evidence-based timeline.
- The longevity association comes from observing a natural genetic variant in a population, which is a different claim from injecting the peptide having an effect.
- If you use it, glucose is the measurable thing. The proposed mechanism predicts a change there, and it costs almost nothing to check.
Storage and handling
- Freeze-dried powder
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
- After mixing
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C. Do not freeze once mixed.
- Long-term, frozen
- Unopened powder is stable at −20 °C or colder.
In use
Stacks with MOTS-c in them
Documented combinations, with full schedules.
Checking your vial
Research chemicals carry no manufacturing standard, so what the vial looks like is often the only quality signal available before you use it. More on assessing quality and COAs.
White cake, clear solution
Standard for a correctly lyophilised peptide.
Collapsed cake or cloudy solution
Indicates heat damage or degradation.
Questions
- What makes MOTS-c unusual?
- It is encoded in mitochondrial DNA rather than in the cell nucleus. Mitochondria were once free-living organisms and retain a small genome; MOTS-c is one of a handful of peptides that genome appears to produce as a signal to the rest of the cell.
- Is there human evidence?
- No controlled trial. There is observational work associating a MOTS-c genetic variant with longevity in a Japanese population. That is a statement about naturally occurring variation rather than about injecting the peptide.
References
The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c: a player in exceptional longevity and metabolic regulation
Review literature, 2019 · Review of preclinical and observational work
Mice and human population data
Summarises AMPK activation as the proposed mechanism, improved insulin sensitivity and exercise capacity in mouse models, and an observational association between a MOTS-c variant and longevity.
Commonly reported community protocols
Bioalmanac editorial summary of public community sources, 2026 · Not a study
Summarises dose ranges described in public discussion. Carries no evidential weight about safety or effect.
Related compounds
GHK-Cu
A naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide with a long history in topical skincare research. Injected use is not what the research studied.
Ipamorelin
A selective growth hormone secretagogue that prompts a short pulse of GH release. Widely used, and supported almost entirely by early pharmacology rather than outcome trials.
CJC-1295
A GHRH analogue that raises growth hormone by amplifying the body's own release signal. Sold in two forms whose durations differ by two orders of magnitude.
Tesamorelin
A GHRH analogue approved by the FDA for reducing excess visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The only compound in this category with completed phase 3 trials.
Next
What to do with MOTS-c
- Keep a record of itTurn a dose and a schedule into a protocol, then log what you actually take. MOTS-c is filled in for you.
- See what it costsPer-milligram prices read from vendor sites and confirmed by a person, so vial sizes compare.
- Check a combinationWhat our profiles record about MOTS-c alongside each other compound — including the pairs where nothing is recorded.
Keep this page honest
If something here is wrong, out of date, or missing a source, tell us and we will fix it and say that we did.
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice. No clinician reviews these pages.
Page last updated 12 Aug 2026