Evidence brief
MOTS-c
Written and source-checked by Anthony Treviso, founder of The Peptide Field.
Direct answer
No FDA-approved MOTS-c drug product.
A peptide first studied in cells and animals. It has no established outcomes from giving a MOTS-c drug product to people or adequate clinical safety record.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Insufficient
Reliable studies in people are missing, too limited, or do not support the claim. This does not prove that the substance has no effect on the body. - What evidence exists?
- Preclinical or formulation evidence
The research used cells, animals, or product-form tests. It does not establish benefit or safety in people. - Sports rules
- Prohibited
The checked rules list this substance or group as prohibited under the stated conditions. Check the current rules for your sport.
Reviewed July 23, 2026. Sources and update notes are below.
No sales or dosing advice. This guide explains research. It was not independently medically reviewed, and it does not diagnose, prescribe, or recommend treatment.
Also known as MOTS-c peptide · mitochondrial open reading frame 12S rRNA-c
Words used here
- peptide
- a short chain of amino acids
- outcome
- what the study measured
- preclinical
- research in cells, tissues, or animals before or outside testing in people
- formulation
- the ingredients and physical form of the finished product
- mechanism
- how a substance may cause a body change
- biomarker
- a body or lab measurement, not automatically a health benefit
- amino acid
- a small building block that makes peptides and proteins
- indication
- the approved or studied use and patient group
More detailProduct and study details
01 · Evidence profile
Four questions about the evidence
FDA's 2026 review found no published studies administering MOTS-c drug products to humans.
Preclinical metabolic and mitochondrial signals are hypothesis-generating.
Human exposure, immunogenicity, long-term effects, and route-specific safety are unresolved.
Substance naming does not establish purity, sterility, or product equivalence.
02 · Identity
What it is
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide linked to mitochondria, the parts of cells that help make energy. Its discovery and animal research are scientifically interesting, but discovery is not a clinical outcome.
Scientific group: Mitochondria-derived peptide. This group name describes the type of molecule or body signal. It does not prove a benefit, safety, or approval.
03 · Exact product
The molecule is not the finished product.
Formulation: The finished product's ingredients and physical form. Route: How the product enters the body. Indication: The approved or studied use and group of people for a product.
None identified in the United States.
- No FDA-approved indication
04 · Research results
What the research shows
FDA's current review describes metabolic and bone-related laboratory and animal research. It found no published study in which a MOTS-c drug product was administered to humans.
There is no established human evidence that a MOTS-c drug product causes weight loss, improves exercise, controls glucose, treats osteoporosis, repairs DNA, or slows aging.
Exact product
A substance name and animal findings do not prove that a marketed product is known, safe, or effective. A recognized substance identity and compelling animal biology do not establish the identity, quality, safety, or efficacy of a marketed injectable product.
05 · Claim check
Claims I checked
3 claims checked for this brief.
“MOTS-c has promising metabolic effects in animal research.”
Preclinical metabolic findings are a real research signal, but they remain preclinical.
- Evidence used
- Preclinical evidence. This answer uses research in cells, animals, or other settings outside patient care. It does not show a benefit in people.
- Limits of this answer
- Laboratory and animal research, not patient outcomes. This answer covers only the named molecule and finished product. It also covers the product form and how people used it. The study limits include who took part, what was used for comparison, what changed, and how long the study lasted.
“MOTS-c produces weight loss in people.”
FDA found no published human drug-product administration studies in its 2026 review.
- Evidence used
- No reliable human outcome evidence. No reliable study in people shows the health outcome in this statement.
- Limits of this answer
- Clinical weight outcomes from administered MOTS-c drug products. This answer covers only the named molecule and finished product. It also covers the product form and how people used it. The study limits include who took part, what was used for comparison, what changed, and how long the study lasted.
“A UNII number means MOTS-c is FDA-approved.”
FDA's substance registry explicitly states that UNII availability does not imply regulatory review or approval.
- Evidence used
- Regulatory or product record. This answer uses an official regulator record or a specific product label.
- Limits of this answer
- Substance identification versus drug-product approval. This answer covers only the named molecule and finished product. It also covers the product form and how people used it. The study limits include who took part, what was used for comparison, what changed, and how long the study lasted.
06 · Questions
Questions people ask about MOTS-c
No FDA-approved MOTS-c drug product. No approved product is identified in the United States.
Prohibited. MOTS-c is prohibited as an AMPK activator under the hormone and metabolic modulators section of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List. This status is not personal clearance to compete.
FDA's current review describes metabolic and bone-related laboratory and animal research. It found no published study in which a MOTS-c drug product was administered to humans.
There is no established human evidence that a MOTS-c drug product causes weight loss, improves exercise, controls glucose, treats osteoporosis, repairs DNA, or slows aging.
07 · Safety
Safety limits for this record
No dosing, injection, sourcing, or performance-use guidance is provided. The absence of human exposure data is a reason for caution, not a blank space to fill with anecdotes.
MOTS-c is prohibited as an AMPK activator under the hormone and metabolic modulators section of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List.
The checked rules list this substance or group as prohibited under the stated conditions. Check the current rules for your sport.
Reviewed .Check current rules for tested sport ↗Open the governing record ↗08 · Sources
Read the sources
09 · Review history
Review history
Initial brief reflects FDA's July 2026 evidence review before final agency action.
Written and source-checked by Anthony Treviso, founder of The Peptide Field.
Not independently medically reviewed. This page is not a dosing, sourcing, or treatment guide.