WhichPeps

MOTS-c

Mitochondrial-derived 16-amino-acid peptide

Also known as: MOTS C· spacing variant
Metabolismexercise physiology
Generic peptide vial illustrationMOTS-c
Evidence levelHuman evidence
Human evidenceTrial underway
Regulatory statusNot FDA-approved

What you need to know in 20 seconds

What is it?Mitochondrial-derived 16-amino-acid peptide
Research focusMetabolism, exercise physiology, ageing biology
Human evidenceHuman studies show endogenous MOTS-c biology during exercise, and a genuine randomized Phase 2a trial of administered subcutaneous MOTS-c is recruiting in adults with prediabetes and overweight/obesity; no efficacy results are posted yet.
Regulatory statusNot FDA-approved; FDA highlights absence of human drug-product exposure data.
Main limitationsHuman metabolic efficacy, therapeutic dose, chronic safety or performance benefit.
SafetyHuman drug safety, immunogenicity and long-term exposure are unknown.
i
Human studies show endogenous MOTS-c biology during exercise, and a genuine randomized Phase 2a trial of administered subcutaneous MOTS-c is recruiting in adults with prediabetes and overweight/obesity; no efficacy results are posted yet.

What the evidence actually supports

  • ✓Treat human biomarker studies and exogenous peptide administration as two separate evidence questions.
  • ✓Update wording from 'no human programme' to 'trial underway, outcomes unknown'.
  • ✓Explicitly prevent endogenous biology from being presented as injected-drug efficacy.

What is not established / key limitations

  • ×No verified controlled human therapeutic dosing/efficacy evidence identified.
  • ×No human efficacy result is available yet.
  • ×Endogenous exercise response does not demonstrate benefit from exogenous injections.

Selected study & evidence records

MOTS-c response to acute exercise in humans

2021 · Randomized exercise physiology study · n=30

Human physiology study measured endogenous MOTS-c; it was not a therapeutic administration trial.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

MOTS-MET: MOTS-c for insulin sensitivity in adults with prediabetes and overweight/obesity

2026 · Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial · n=120 planned

Recruiting; no results posted as of this review.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of physical decline

2021 · Human endogenous biomarker substudy plus extensive preclinical experiments · n=10

Exercise increased endogenous MOTS-c in muscle and circulation in the human component.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

Safety and unknowns

Human drug safety, immunogenicity and long-term exposure are unknown.

There is no established human therapeutic safety profile for exogenous MOTS-c; immunogenicity, peptide impurities and product-quality risks remain relevant.

Technical details

Mechanism / biologyMitochondrial-derived peptide implicated in cellular stress responses, metabolism and AMPK-related signalling.
Route / formulation boundaryEndogenous exercise-induced MOTS-c measurements are not evidence that injected MOTS-c is effective or safe.
Identity / data-quality noteUse the canonical compound identity and studied formulation when interpreting evidence.
Dosing evidence statusDosing research conclusion recorded. No controlled exogenous human administration regimen identified; human studies largely measure endogenous MOTS-c rather than administering it as a drug.
Identifiers & alternate namesMOTS C · MOTSC

Evidence rule: WhichPeps keeps human, animal, laboratory, regulatory and product/formulation evidence distinct. Common names help people find the page; they do not change the underlying scientific identity.