MOTS-c_
Also known as MOTS c
A shot people use for energy, metabolism, and healthy aging.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is MOTS-c?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-derived peptide, a short chain your own mitochondria (your cells' power plants) produce, that activates the energy sensor AMPK. In plain terms: it signals cells to burn more fuel and use energy efficiently, which is why it is explored for metabolism and aging.
What it's used for
An experimental shot people use for more energy, a faster metabolism, and healthier aging. It works on the tiny energy factories inside your cells.
How does MOTS-c work?
What it does in the body, and where.MOTS-c is unusual: it is coded not by the DNA in your cell nucleus but by the small separate genome inside your mitochondria. Your own cells make it, and levels fall with age.
- 01It switches on AMPK, your low-fuel sensorAMPK is the alarm your cells raise when energy runs short, and it is the same switch that exercise and fasting pull.
- 02Cells burn fat and take in sugar more readilyThe downstream effect of that alarm: stored fuel gets released and used rather than held.
- 03Most of the evidence is from miceThe insulin-sensitivity figures come from animal work. The human data is observational, showing that levels rise with exercise, not that injecting it reproduces the effect.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Metabolic
Early research- Animal studyIn mice, the body became about 30% better at responding to insulin, the hormone that clears sugar from the blood.
- Animal studyIn mice on a high-fat diet, a muscle-wasting signal called myostatin fell 40% over eight weeks.
- Human observationIn people, natural blood levels of this peptide are lower in those with more insulin resistance.
Exercise and aging
Early research- Animal studyIn mice, every animal on the higher dose reached the top treadmill sprint stage, against 17% on the lower dose and none of the untreated controls.
- Human observationIn people, natural levels of this peptide in muscle rose almost 12-fold after exercise, which is how it was discovered.
- No dataNo human trial has tested injecting it.
The often-quoted 30% insulin sensitivity improvement comes from a mouse study, not from people. There is no human trial of injected MOTS-c at all.
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.5 up to 10 mg per week (start low, increase slowly), 1-3x per week. No established scheduleNo range
No published study has established how long to take this or whether a break is needed. Schedules quoted online come from vendors and forums, and different sources disagree.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
Your draw
100 / 100 unitsHow do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized MOTS-c keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- No controlled human trials exist, so no contraindications are established
- Pregnancy
- Banned in drug-tested sport
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- Anything unusual, given the absence of human data
Common effects
- Unknown in humans. Studied only in cells and animals
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is MOTS-c approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. Not FDA-approved.
Sold for research use only. Not cleared for human consumption or medical use.
- DoseFrom research and community reports. No regulator has reviewed this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed22 July 2026
What else is like MOTS-c?
Others in Longevity and energy, side by side.If you're weighing MOTS-c, it's worth reading Epitalon, NAD+, and SS-31 (Elamipretide) in the same class.
A shot people use for energy, metabolism, and healthy aging.
- Dose
- 5 up to 10 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 1-3x per week
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- Dose
- 5 up to 10 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 10-20 day courses
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- Dose
- 50 up to 100 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 2-3x/week
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- Dose
- 40 mg per day
- How often
- Daily
10What these words mean
Show glossary +
What these words mean
- Titrate
- Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
- Subcutaneous
- An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
- Intramuscular (IM)
- An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
- Reconstitution
- Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
- Bacteriostatic water
- Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
- Concentration
- How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
- Units (on the syringe)
- The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.
- mcg and mg
- Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
- GLP-1
- A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
- Growth hormone secretagogue
- A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
- Half-life
- How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
- Peptide vs small molecule
- A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
- Research only
- No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
- Investigational
- Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
- Banned in drug-tested sport
- Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.
Sources
- MOTS-c and insulin sensitivity, PubMed Central
- MOTS-c, exercise and aging, Nature Communications, 2021
Last reviewed 22 July 2026