What MOTS-c is
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded inside the mitochondrial genome, studied for exercise-mimetic and metabolic effects. The animal literature is interesting and the human literature is nearly empty: one small trial exists. It is a research compound in the fullest sense, and community dosing (5 to 10 mg weekly) is convention, not evidence.
Reconstitution math
Concentration is everything: the same 10 mg vial gives a different draw for every amount of bacteriostatic water you add. The table uses the common 2 mL setup for each vial size, which puts every unit on a U-100 insulin syringe at 50 mcg for the default vial. Dashes mark draws too small to measure or larger than the syringe.
| Vial | BAC water | Concentration | 5 mg | 10 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | - | - |
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 100 u | - |
Dosing and protocol
Community protocol: about 5 to 10 mg per week, often split into two or three injections.
Typical community use is 5 to 10 mg per week, either as one injection or split. On a 10 mg vial with 2 mL of water, a 5 mg dose is a full 1 mL draw; users who prefer smaller volumes reconstitute with less water.
Pharmacokinetics
No curve is shown, on purpose.
MOTS-c has a single small human trial (in obese men, IV dosing) and no subcutaneous pharmacokinetic data. Its signaling role inside cells is not captured by a plasma curve, so none is shown.
Storage and handling
Lyophilized vials keep best cold, dark, and dry; refrigeration is the community default and freezing lyophilized powder is common for long holds. After reconstitution, refrigerate at 2 to 8 C, do not freeze the solution, and date the vial. Bacteriostatic water's preservative keeps multi-dose use practical for about 28 days by USP convention, though our 120-day stability study found the preservative itself outlasts that window.
Got a certificate of analysis with your vial? Run it through our COA Reader: it reads the report in plain English, checks purity and mass against the label claim, and links the testing lab’s own verification page. Our guide to reading a COA explains what the numbers do and do not tell you.
Sources
- Lee et al., The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis, Cell Metab 2015
- Reynolds et al., MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator, Nat Commun 2021