MOTS-c
A peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA that acts like an exercise signal for muscle metabolism.
Not approved for human use; sold as a research chemical.
Used for
- Insulin sensitivity
- Exercise capacity and endurance
- Fat loss
How it works
Moves into the nucleus under stress and activates AMPK, the cell’s energy sensor, improving glucose uptake in muscle.
What the research shows
- In mice, MOTS-c prevented diet- and age-related insulin resistance and obesity.
- Blood levels rise with exercise in people; no human treatment trials.
Dosing
Dosing isn’t listed on the public site. In the app, each published option is shown with its source (a drug label, a clinical guideline, a trial or community reports) and can be turned into a protocol you review.
Work out the units to draw for your vial →Side effects
- Injection-site redness and itching are common
- Faster heart rate, flushing
Cautions
- Research-chemical vials have no quality control: purity, dose and sterility vary. Third-party testing helps but is no guarantee.
Storage
Unmixed powder: freezer or fridge, away from light.
Once mixed with bacteriostatic water: fridge; the common rule is to use it within 28 days.
There is no label or published stability data for this one, so treat these as habits, not limits.
Stability once mixed
Its 16 amino acids include two methionines and a tryptophan, all easily oxidized by air and light.
Heat, shaking, freezing a mixed vial, light and many needle punctures all speed breakdown. Toss it if it turns cloudy, grows specks or changes color.
One storage test
Fridge (2 °C): 96% left at day 15, 89% at day 31, 35% at day 113.
Room (about 24 °C): 86% at day 7, 76% at day 15, 17% at day 31.
One vial in the fridge and one at room temperature per peptide, mixed with bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol), kept dark, measured by UV light absorbance (a rough proxy, not a purity test). Vendors and lots not named; not peer reviewed. A single test, not a use-by date. Peptide Critic with Analytical Formulations, Apr 2026
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Reference only, not medical advice. Written for this app from the cited research. Doses marked community-reported are not from trials.