{"id":"mots-c","name":"MOTS-c","aliases":["mitochondrial ORF of the twelve S rRNA type-c","mitochondrial-derived peptide"],"url":"https://lyoresearch.com/compounds/mots-c","class":{"id":"longevity-compounds","name":"Mitochondrial, antioxidant and longevity compounds","url":"https://lyoresearch.com/classes/longevity-compounds"},"summary":"MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA rather than the nucleus, discovered in 2015. In mice it improves insulin sensitivity and protects against diet-induced obesity, and human blood levels fall with age and correlate with fitness. No controlled human trial has tested giving it to anyone. It is not approved anywhere.","overall_grade":"D","overall_grade_meaning":"no human evidence","human_trials":"0 controlled","regulatory_status":"Not approved","molecule":{"formula":"C101H152N28O22S2","molecular_weight":"2174.6","cas":"1627580-64-6","pubchem_cid":146675088,"note":null},"pharmacokinetics":{"basis":"none","route":"Injected as sold; no human administration study","half_life":"No human pharmacokinetic data","licensed_regimen":null,"product":null,"source":null},"outcomes":[{"outcome":"Insulin sensitivity / metabolic health","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"0 controlled","evidence":"Mouse models of diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Human data is observational — levels correlate with fitness and fall with age — which cannot show what supplementation would do.","references":[]},{"outcome":"Exercise capacity","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"0 controlled","evidence":"Rodent exercise models; human correlation studies only.","references":[]},{"outcome":"Longevity","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"None","evidence":"Association studies of a mitochondrial variant in a Japanese cohort; not an intervention.","references":[]},{"outcome":"Safety in humans","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":true,"human_studies":"None","evidence":"No human dosing study of any kind.","references":[]}],"regions":[{"region":"European Union","status":"Unauthorised medicinal product","note":"No marketing authorisation in any member state. Supplying it for human use is an offence under national medicines law; 'research use only' labels do not change that."},{"region":"United States","status":"Not approved; compounding under review","note":"Removed from FDA's Category 2 list on 22 April 2026; the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee recommended it for the 503A bulks list in July 2026 (7–5, 2 abstentions). Not on the list yet and not an approved drug. Sold otherwise as an unapproved 'research chemical'."},{"region":"United Kingdom","status":"Unlicensed medicine","note":"Not licensed by the MHRA. Selling or supplying it is an offence under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012; importing a small quantity purely for personal use is not itself an offence, but consignments are seized."},{"region":"Australia","status":"Schedule 4, unapproved","note":"Prescription-only substance not on the ARTG. Possession without a prescription is an offence; imports without a prescription are seized."},{"region":"Canada","status":"Not authorised","note":"No Drug Identification Number; selling it is illegal. Residents cannot import prescription drugs by mail."},{"region":"Sport (WADA)","status":"Prohibited at all times","note":"S4.4.1 metabolic modulators: MOTS-c named. Sport Integrity Australia lists it among common prohibited peptides."}],"faq":[{"q":"Does MOTS-c improve metabolism in humans?","a":"Unknown. The metabolic effects are from mouse studies. Human research so far measures naturally occurring MOTS-c levels; it has never been given to people in a controlled trial."},{"q":"Why do people say it is linked to longevity?","a":"A mitochondrial variant affecting MOTS-c has been associated with longevity in a Japanese cohort. That is an association in people who inherited it, not a result of taking anything."}],"references":[{"cite":"Lee C, et al. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance.","where":"Cell Metab, 2015;21:443–454","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Lee+MOTS-c+mitochondrial+derived+peptide+2015+Cell+Metabolism","note":"The discovery paper; mouse models."}],"last_reviewed":"2026-09-02","literature_searched_to":"2026-09-02","changelog":[{"date":"2026-09-02","note":"Initial publication. All outcomes graded D on absence of human intervention trials."}],"license":"CC BY 4.0 — cite as “LYO Research” with a link.","methodology":"https://lyoresearch.com/methodology"}