What is MOTS-c used for?
MOTS-c is used in metabolic-research and exercise-physiology preclinical protocols studying insulin sensitivity, glucose homeostasis, mitochondrial biogenesis, and the AMPK-axis signalling that integrates exercise and caloric-restriction responses. No human clinical trials have completed; published research is preclinical and mechanistic.
What the research literature says
MOTS-c entered the published research literature in 2015 with the Lee characterisation paper establishing its role as a mitochondrial-derived peptide regulating systemic metabolic homeostasis (PMID 25738459). The follow-up Lee work extended the framework into muscle and adipose-tissue metabolism (PMID 27216708). The Kim work characterised metabolic-stress-responsive nuclear translocation behaviour (PMID 29983246).
Research applications cluster around metabolic-disease modelling and exercise-physiology contexts. The Yang work on exercise-synergy with MOTS-c documented regulation of PGC-1α expression and insulin resistance via AMPK signalling (PMID 33722744), positioning the compound as a candidate exercise-mimetic. The Jiang neuropathic-pain work documented AMPK-pathway involvement in spared nerve injury models (PMID 37285113), extending the framework into pain research.
The compound has not been studied in completed human clinical trials. Research-supply MOTS-c is supplied for preclinical and bench-research applications only — animal-model metabolic-disease research, cell-culture AMPK-signalling work, and mechanistic biology in mitochondrial-derived-peptide research programs.
Why this matters in research context
Researchers selecting MOTS-c should anchor protocol design to the AMPK-axis mechanism rather than to extrapolated clinical-context framing. The compound’s research base is comparatively young (first characterisation 2015) and the broader mechanism map continues to be elaborated. Multi-week preclinical protocols typically use subcutaneous administration at the dose ranges referenced across the cited Lee and Yang work.
Related compounds
- MOTS-c 10mg — the compound covered by this answer
- MOTS-c (glossary entry) — structure, mechanism, research history
Related research questions
References
- Lee C et al. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Cell Metab 2015;21(3):443-454. [PMID 25738459]
- Lee C et al. MOTS-c: A novel mitochondrial-derived peptide regulating muscle and fat metabolism. Free Radic Biol Med 2016;100:182-187. [PMID 27216708]
- Yang B et al. MOTS-c interacts synergistically with exercise intervention to regulate PGC-1α expression, attenuate insulin resistance and enhance glucose metabolism in mice via AMPK signaling pathway. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2021;1867(6):166126. [PMID 33722744]
Research-questions pages describe research-context use of peptide-research terminology. They do not constitute medical, veterinary, or clinical advice. MOTS-c is sold strictly as a research-grade reagent for laboratory and bench research applications.