Also called Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c, Mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c
A tiny peptide your mitochondria make, studied in mice for blood sugar, weight and endurance.
MOTS-c is a short peptide, 16 amino acids long, that your body makes on its own. Its instructions sit in the DNA inside your mitochondria, the tiny power plants in your cells, and levels tend to drop with age. The shots are a lab-made copy.
In cell and mouse studies, MOTS-c flips the same energy switch that exercise does, which helps muscle pull in sugar and burn fuel better. Under stress, it can also change which genes are turned on. Nobody knows yet if injecting it does the same in people.
Mostly animal studies
The strong results are in mice: treated mice resisted weight gain and insulin problems from a bad diet, and older mice ran better. In people, we only know natural levels rise during exercise, and a drug company's small early trials used a modified version (CB4211), not the molecule people inject. Treat anything beyond the mouse data as unproven.
Why: These numbers come from clinic and community use, not human trials. People time it around workouts because that's when the body releases its own MOTS-c, and spacing doses a few days apart is habit, not based on how long it lasts in the body.
Start at the low end, and change one thing at a time. If you take medication or have a health condition, check with a doctor first.
Set up for a 5 mg vial. Change any number to match yours. New to this? Read how to mix a vial and mg vs mL vs units first.
Pick your dose and how long you'll run it. We'll count what you need.
Get help right away for swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, chest pain, or a spreading, hot, red injection site.
Powder: fridge or freezer, out of the light. Once mixed: fridge, and use within about 4 weeks.
FDA: Not approved. In April 2026 it was taken off FDA's 'do not compound' (Category 2) list, and an FDA advisory committee voted 7–5 in July 2026 in favor of allowing compounding. Formal rulemaking is still pending, so it is not yet on the approved compounding list.
Sport (WADA): Prohibited at all times (S4.4 metabolic modulators; named as an AMPK activator).
No. Semaglutide has large human trials showing weight loss, while MOTS-c only has mouse studies. Any effect in people is unproven and likely much smaller.
Yes. Muscle releases MOTS-c when you exercise, and blood levels tend to fall with age. Regular exercise is the proven way to raise it.
Not if they're drug tested. WADA lists MOTS-c by name as a banned substance that changes metabolism.
Last checked 2026-10