Is MOTS-c an approved medicine?

No. It has not been approved by any regulator. We supply it as a research chemical for laboratory use only.

What has MOTS-c research looked at?

Cell and animal studies of its metabolic signalling, and human sampling that measured circulating levels. The cited studies are above.

A sixteen-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded within mitochondrial DNA.

MOTS-c research: what the studies have looked at

This page summarises the published research on MOTS-c, for reference. It states what each study investigated and in what model, not an effect in people, and it is not medical advice. MOTS-c is not an approved medicine; what we supply is a research chemical for laboratory use only.

What MOTS-c is

MOTS-c is a short peptide of sixteen amino acids encoded within mitochondrial DNA, one of a small group called mitochondrial-derived peptides. Almost all of the published work is preclinical, in cells and in rodents, with some observational human sampling; it has not been approved as a drug anywhere.

What the studies investigated

Lee et al. (2015), Cell Metabolism 21(3):443-454. In vitro and rodent. Characterised MOTS-c and reported effects on AMPK signalling and the folate cycle, and on metabolic measures in mice Source.

Reynolds et al. (2021), Nature Communications 12:470. Rodent and human sampling. Reported that MOTS-c levels respond to exercise and examined its actions in muscle Source.

Ramanjaneya et al. (2019), Frontiers in Endocrinology 10:331. Human, observational. Investigated circulating MOTS-c levels in people with and without type-2 diabetes Source.

Mechanism, as described in the literature

The literature describes MOTS-c as a peptide that signals from the mitochondria to the cell, with reported effects on the AMPK energy-sensing pathway and on how cells handle glucose, mainly in cell and animal models. The human work so far is observational, measuring levels rather than testing an effect. Whether giving MOTS-c changes any health outcome in people is not established.

The material we supply

We supply MOTS-c as a research chemical, released against a written specification with a batch certificate of analysis. It is not a medicine and is not for human or animal use. For the vial sizes, the price per mg and how to order, see the MOTS-c compound page; the COA lookup pulls the certificate for any batch. The references above link to each study’s record; this summary is for research and educational reference only.