MOTS-c
Animal studies onlyAlmost all the research is in animals. We do not know if the same thing happens in people.
Also called Mitochondrial ORF of the 12S rRNA type-c / MOTSc
Made by mitochondria, the parts of cells that produce energy. Studied for metabolism and exercise capacity.
Can a doctor prescribe this?
Not yet. An FDA advisory panel said it should be allowed, but the rule is not final, so pharmacies still cannot make it.
The FDA has not approved this as a medicine.
An FDA advisory panel voted 7-5 in favor in July 2026, but the rule isn't final. That usually takes a year or more.
Official status: Recommended, pending FDA rulemaking. Checked 2026-07-23.
Lab suppliers we list: 16
Doses used in research
Taken word for word from the studies and trials listed on this page. This is not a recommendation and not a dose for anyone to take.
In human trials
See source wording
into a vein
“Anesthesia induction will include preoxygenation with 100% oxygen for 3-5 minutes, followed by intravenous propofol (1.5-2.5 mg/kg), fentanyl (1-2 µg/kg), and rocuronium bromide (0.6 mg/kg).”
In animal studies
300 mg/kg
mice · another route
MOTS-c Protects Against Acetaminophen-induced Liver Injury through the MAPK Signaling Pathway.Protein and peptide letters · 2026
“Methods An AILI model was established in male C57BL/6 mice via intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of APAP (300 mg/kg).”
See source wording
rats · another route
Therapeutic Effects of MOTS-c in the Valproic Acid-Induced Autism Model in Rats: Role of Tetrahydrobiopterin and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor.Molecular neurobiology · 2026
“Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal 500 mg/kg valproic acid or saline on embryonic day 12.”
15 mg/kg
rats · daily · for 3 weeks
Mitochondria-derived peptide MOTS-c restores mitochondrial respiration in type 2 diabetic heart.Frontiers in physiology · 2025
“Treated diabetic group received MOTS-c (15 mg/kg) daily injection for 3 weeks.”
15 mg/kg
mice · daily
MOTS-c partially protects against skeletal muscle deterioration in C26 cachexia.Frontiers in medicine · 2026
“In vivo , male mice were inoculated with Colon-26 (C26) carcinoma cells and treated daily with MOTS-c (15 mg/kg/2x Day, i.p.) or vehicle.”
5 mg/kg
mice · another route · daily · for 2 weeks
LAT1-mediated delivery of engineered R13A-MOTS-c attenuates radiation-induced lung injury via Nrf2 activation and mitochondrial protection.Redox biology · 2026
“In vivo studies demonstrated that daily intraperitoneal administration of R13A-MOTS-c (5 mg/kg for 2 weeks) effectively mitigated radiation-induced pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction in C57BL/6 mice exposed to 20 Gy thoracic irradiation.”
See source wording
rats ·
Exogenous MOTS-c mitigates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury: experimental and in silico evidence from rat heart models.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026
“Isolated Langendorff-perfused rat hearts underwent 30-min global ischemia and 60-min reperfusion with or without MOTS-c (0.25-0.7 mg/kg) delivered via Krebs-Henseleit buffer during the first 10 min of reperfusion.”
- Humanin and MOTS-c Attenuate Atrial Fibrillation by Suppressing Fibrosis and Mitochondrial Dysfunction.
Animal study, rats or mice
Biomedicines · 2026
- Mitochondrial peptide MOTS-c suppresses systemic and cardiac inflammasome activation in a diabetic rat model.
Animal study, rats or mice
Experimental physiology · 2026
- MOTS-c primes adrenal cortex metabolism without directly driving steroidogenesis.
Animal study, rats or mice
Folia histochemica et cytobiologica · 2026
- MOTS-c preserves mitochondrial subpopulation bioenergetics and genome integrity to attenuate cardiac ischemia reperfusion injury.
Animal study, rats or mice
Molecular biology reports · 2026
- Mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c targets SLC7A11 to preserve spermatogenesis by suppressing ferroptosis.
Animal study, rats or mice
Free radical biology & medicine · 2026
- MOTS-c attenuates cardiac dysfunction following high altitude exposure by promoting mitophagy.
Animal study, rats or mice
Free radical biology & medicine · 2026
- MOTS-c Protects Against Acetaminophen-induced Liver Injury through the MAPK Signaling Pathway.
Animal study, rats or mice
Protein and peptide letters · 2026
- Therapeutic Effects of MOTS-c in the Valproic Acid-Induced Autism Model in Rats: Role of Tetrahydrobiopterin and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor.
Animal study, rats or mice
Molecular neurobiology · 2026
- MOTS-c improves intrinsic muscle mitochondrial bioenergetic health and efficiency in a PGC-1α/AMPK-dependent manner.
Animal study, rats or mice
Free radical biology & medicine · 2026
- Mitochondrial-encoded peptide MOTS-c prevents pancreatic islet cell senescence to delay diabetes.
Animal study, rats or mice
Experimental & molecular medicine · 2025
- Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c Targets SLC7A11 to Preserve Spermatogenesis by Suppressing Ferroptosis
Animal study, rats or mice
Journal not recorded · 2025
- Characterization of the Avian Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c and Its Potential Role as a Metabolic Regulator.
Animal study, rats or mice
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2025
- Mitochondria-derived peptide MOTS-c restores mitochondrial respiration in type 2 diabetic heart.
Animal study, rats or mice
Frontiers in physiology · 2025
- MOTS-c mimics exercise to combat diabetic liver fibrosis by targeting Keap1-Nrf2-Smad2/3.
Animal study, rats or mice
Scientific reports · 2025
- MOTS-c attenuates airway barrier dysfunction in allergic asthma by inhibiting epithelial apoptosis via Nrf2 pathway.
Animal study, rats or mice
International immunopharmacology · 2025
- MOTS-c relieves hepatocellular carcinoma resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis under hypoxic conditions by activating MEF2A.
Animal study, rats or mice
Experimental cell research · 2025
- MOTS-c attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction induces pyroptosis and cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis via an Nrf2-Dependent Mechanism.
Animal study, rats or mice
Free radical biology & medicine · 2025
- MOTS-c partially protects against skeletal muscle deterioration in C26 cachexia.
Lab dish study
Frontiers in medicine · 2026
- Mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c activates metabolic signaling but blunts reparative function in human mesenchymal stromal cells.
Lab dish study
Inflammation and regeneration · 2026
- MOTS-c attenuates hyperoxia-induced neonatal cardiac injury by inhibiting oxeiptosis via maintaining the KEAP1-PGAM5 interaction.
Lab dish study
Life sciences · 2026
- LAT1-mediated delivery of engineered R13A-MOTS-c attenuates radiation-induced lung injury via Nrf2 activation and mitochondrial protection.
Lab dish study
Redox biology · 2026
- Mitochondria-derived peptide MOTS-c alleviates hyperoxia-induced bronchopulmonary dysplasia in neonatal mice by activating Nrf2 pathway.
Lab dish study
European journal of pharmacology · 2026
- MOTS-c modulates pancreatic islet function in rats and pigs in vitro.
Lab dish study
Histochemistry and cell biology · 2025
- The impact of mitokine MOTS-c administration on the soleus muscle of rats subjected to a 7-day hindlimb suspension.
Lab dish study
Journal of muscle research and cell motility · 2025
- Are serum MOTS-c levels and MOTS-c m.1382A>C polymorphism related to polycystic ovary syndrome?
Measured levels in people, no peptide given
Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2026
- MOTS-c Coordinates Inter-Organellar Proteostasis for Adaptation to Chronic Metabolic Stress
Journal not recorded · 2026
- Humanin and MOTS-c Attenuate Atrial Fibrillation by Suppressing Fibrosis and Mitochondrial Dysfunction
Journal not recorded · 2026
- MOTS-c: How a secreted mitochondrial microprotein may become a potential treatment for inflammatory lung diseases.
Journal of translational medicine · 2026
- MOTS-c is associated with oxidative stress and arterial stiffness in peritoneal dialysis patients: a pilot study.
Measured levels in people, no peptide given
International urology and nephrology · 2026
- Reduced Circulating MOTS-c Levels in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Reflect Integrated Autoimmune and Metabolic Dysregulation: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Journal of clinical medicine · 2026
- MOTS-c, a mitochondrial-derived peptide, ameliorates lysosomal membrane permeability and improves survival of soft tissue transplantation.
Autophagy · 2026
- Reduced serum and skeletal muscle MOTS c levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction.
Scientific reports · 2026
- The Association Between Serum MOTS-c Levels and Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Measured levels in people, no peptide given
Biomedicines · 2026
- Mitochondrial-derived peptides MOTS-c and humanin attenuate dexamethasone-induced atrophy in human skeletal muscle cells.
Physiological reports · 2026
- Systemic MOTS-c levels are increased in adults with obesity in association with metabolic dysregulation and remain unchanged after weight loss.
Journal of clinical & translational endocrinology · 2026
- Aerobic exercise and MOTS-c attenuate diabetic myocardial fibrosis via inhibition of the THBS1/TGF-β signaling pathway.
Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026
- Redefining Mitochondrial Therapy for ME/CFS: The Case for MOTS-c
Journal not recorded · 2025
- A Mighty Mitochondrial Microprotein: The Protective Role of MOTS-c in Acute Lung Injury.
American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology · 2025
- Redefining Mitochondrial Therapy for ME/CFS: The Case for MOTS-c
Journal not recorded · 2025
- MOTS-c: Magical Molecule for Diabetic Cardiomyopathy?
Cardiovascular drugs and therapy · 2025
- Mitochondria-derived peptide MOTS-c and its role in OSA pathogenesis: a potential therapeutic target?
Sleep and biological rhythms · 2025
- MOTS-c Promotes Glycolysis via AMPK-HIF-1α-PFKFB3 Pathway to Ameliorate Cardiopulmonary Bypass-induced Lung Injury.
American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology · 2025
- MOTS-C levels ın ındividuals with and without obesity and ıts association with ınflammation, insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction.
Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2025
- MOTS-c as a Potential Diagnostic-prognostic Biomarker for Myocardial Infarction.
Cardiovascular & hematological agents in medicinal chemistry · 2025
- Serum Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c) Dynamics as a Complementary Marker of Treatment Response in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: A Prospective Analysis.
Cureus · 2025
- Exogenous MOTS-c mitigates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury: experimental and in silico evidence from rat heart models.
Review of earlier work
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026
- Insights into the Biomarker Potential of Humanin and Mots-c Expression and Telomere Length in Alzheimer's Disease.
Review of earlier work
International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
- MOTS-c in type 2 diabetes mellitus: From risk factors to cardiac complications and potential treatment.
Review of earlier work
Life sciences · 2025