Mitochondrial
Metabolic & Body Comp
Longevity
Preclinical
Research chemical

MOTS-c

Also known as Mitochondrial ORF of the Twelve S rRNA type-c

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Reconstitution & dosing guide

10 mg · 20 mg · 40 mg vial sizes — research phases, recon steps, and a live unit calculator.

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Available sizes & price

Catalog only

10mg x 10 vials

MOTS-c (Human) (MS10) · Not in current stock

$30 / vial

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40mg x 10 vials

MOTS-c (Human) (MS40) · Not in current stock

$75 / vial

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20mg x 10 vials

MOTS-c (Human) (MS20) · Not in current stock

$50 / vial

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Prices per vial · Research use only · Not medical advice.

Mitochondria-encoded peptide linked to exercise-mimetic metabolic regulation in research.

How to picture it

Picture each cell as a small factory with two control rooms. The mitochondria are the power plant in the basement. MOTS-c is a short message the power plant itself writes — it is encoded in mitochondrial DNA, not the main nuclear genome. When energy is tight (hard training, low fuel, metabolic stress), that message first changes the factory's fuel accounting: it interferes with the folate / one-carbon pathway enough that AICAR piles up. AICAR is like a "we're running low on power" alarm that flips on AMPK, the cell's master energy switch. With AMPK on, the cell shifts toward efficient fuel use — more glucose uptake, more fat oxidation. Then the unusual part: with AMPK's help, MOTS-c can travel up to the main control room — the nucleus — and sit near antioxidant-response DNA regions, helping turn up stress-adaptation genes. So MOTS-c is not a stimulant and not a caffeine-style fat burner. It is a mitochondria-to-nucleus courier that (1) trips the energy alarm and (2) helps rewrite short-term gene instructions for metabolic stress — which is why researchers call it exercise- and stress-adaptive.

Research focus & benefits

  • AMPK and metabolic stress-adaptation research
  • Insulin sensitivity and exercise-mimetic pathway studies
  • Mitochondrial–nuclear communication science
  • Obesity and metabolic-disease model literature

Benefits describe research interest and pathway rationale — not guaranteed outcomes or medical advice. Research use only.

Overview

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in the mitochondrial genome. Research suggests roles in insulin sensitivity, metabolic stress adaptation, and exercise-related pathways. Longevity and metabolic biohackers track it closely; human clinical evidence is still developing.

Mechanism

Acts in nucleus under metabolic stress to regulate gene expression; associated with AMPK-related metabolic benefits in models; exercise-mimetic framing in literature.

Research uses

  • Insulin resistance models
  • Aging metabolism
  • Exercise physiology research

Research dosing notes

Research protocols vary; often intermittent rather than daily forever.

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Half-life / kinetics

Short to intermediate; protocol-dependent

Common research routes

Subcutaneous injection

Reported considerations

  • Limited human data
  • Injection-site reactions
  • Unknown chronic risks

Contraindications / cautions

  • Pregnancy
  • Serious illness without clinician
  • Replacement for exercise

Common research stacks

  • SS-31
  • Humanin
  • Zone 2 training (actual exercise still matters)

Legal / access note

Research peptide; not an approved metabolic drug.