MOTS-c
Reviewed
Short answer
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. No FDA-approved MOTS-c drug product.
The Peptide Field explains research. Its pages are not independently medically reviewed, and they do not diagnose, prescribe, or recommend treatment.
Read the study findingsAlso known as MOTS-c peptide · mitochondrial open reading frame 12S rRNA-c
Part of Anti-aging and longevity peptides
Legal status Is MOTS-c legal? See the status table
Study and product details
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.
Type of peptide: Mitochondria-derived peptide. This describes what the substance is or how it works. It does not show that it is safe, effective, or approved.
What has been studied?
- Unclear: There is not enough reliable detail about the product or research to judge.
- Limited: Research is too small or incomplete, or does not directly answer this question.
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.
Products with the same ingredient can differ.
The ingredient name does not tell you everything about a product. Check its other ingredients, its form, how it enters the body, and the use and people covered by the research or approval.
None identified in the United States.
- No FDA-approved indication
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What studies found
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.
Which products do these findings apply to?
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.
MOTS-c side effects and safety: what FDA has said
This page has no trial or drug-label side-effect table for MOTS-c. FDA keeps a page of bulk substances that may be risky when a pharmacy mixes (compounds) them. Here is what that page says about MOTS-c, in plain words.
FDA's page does not name specific side effects for MOTS-c.
- FDA found no data on people who received MOTS-c products, by any route.
- FDA says it lacks important safety information, including whether MOTS-c would harm people.
- FDA says the risk of an immune reaction may be significant for some ways of giving it.
- Making it may leave unwanted peptide by-products in the product.
- It may be hard to confirm exactly what the main ingredient is.
These points come from FDA's review of compounded drugs. They are not a full list of side effects. Having no reports does not mean a product is safe.
Read FDA's exact words
MOTS-c: “Compounded drugs containing MOTs-C may pose significant risk for immunogenicity for certain routes of administration and may have complexities with regard to peptide-related impurities and API characterization. FDA has not identified any human exposure data on drug products containing MOTs-C administered via any route of administration. FDA lacks important information regarding any safety issues raised by MOTs-C, including whether it would cause harm if administered to humans.”
Source: FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks , page dated .
Compare side-effect data across peptides
Report a side effect
You can report a suspected side effect to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or through FDA MedWatch . If a reaction feels serious, get medical care first.
FDA page checked .
Fact checks
3 statements checked. Read what the results mean.
“MOTS-c has promising metabolic effects in animal research.”
Preclinical metabolic findings are a real research signal, but they remain preclinical.
- What this answer is based on
- Cell, animal, or other lab research
- Limits of this answer
- Laboratory and animal research, not patient outcomes.
Sources for this fact check (1)
“MOTS-c produces weight loss in people.”
FDA found no published human drug-product administration studies in its 2026 review.
- What this answer is based on
- No reliable studies showing this health result in people
- Limits of this answer
- Clinical weight outcomes from administered MOTS-c drug products.
Sources for this fact check (1)
“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.
- What this answer is based on
- Official record or product label
- Limits of this answer
- Substance identification versus drug-product approval.
Sources for this fact check (1)
Questions people ask about MOTS-c
FDA's page on risky compounding substances says this about MOTS-c. It does not name specific side effects for MOTS-c. FDA found no data on people who received MOTS-c products, by any route. FDA says it lacks important safety information, including whether MOTS-c would harm people. FDA says the risk of an immune reaction may be significant for some ways of giving it. Making it may leave unwanted peptide by-products in the product. It may be hard to confirm exactly what the main ingredient is. These points come from FDA's review of compounded drugs. They are not a full list of side effects.
Risks and safety limits
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.
Reviewed .Check the rules for athletes ↗Read the official rules ↗Terms used in the studies
- 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
- route
- how the product enters the body
- 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
Read the sources
Show 4 sources
Review history
Initial brief reflects FDA's July 2026 evidence review before final agency action.
Not independently medically reviewed. This page is not a dosing, sourcing, or treatment guide.
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