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Benefits and uses

MOTS-c benefits and uses

MOTS-c benefits reported so far come from mouse, rat and cell studies: less weight gain on a high-fat diet, better insulin sensitivity and better treadmill performance in mice.1 No completed human trial has tested MOTS-c for any use, so none of these effects has been shown in people.21

This page summarizes published sources for information only. It is not medical advice and does not tell anyone to use a product. Questions about your own health belong with a licensed clinician. For questions about an order or a product, contact us.

How to read these findings

Each finding below is labeled with its evidence level. Cell and animal studies show what a compound does in a model. Human observational studies measure the body's own MOTS-c; they do not test what happens when someone is given it. FDA's 2026 review found no clinical studies of MOTS-c in people by any route, and USADA notes that no human trial has been completed.12 Blood measurements also vary by lab method, so levels from different human studies are hard to compare.3

Body weight and fat

  • Animal. Male mice on a 60% fat diet that got MOTS-c daily for 8 weeks weighed about 20% less than control mice.14 They also burned more energy and stored less fat in the liver.1
  • Animal. On a normal diet, MOTS-c did not change body weight.4 On the high-fat diet, both groups ate the same number of calories, so eating less did not explain the gap.4
  • Animal. Female mice with their ovaries removed gained less weight over 12 weeks of treatment than mice with ovaries removed that got saline.1
  • Human observational. A 2024 meta-analysis of 7 studies with 602 participants found higher blood MOTS-c in people with obesity.56 The authors noted high variation between the studies.5
  • Human observational. Among 97 Chinese children and teens, blood MOTS-c was lower in obese boys than in non-obese boys, but similar in obese and non-obese girls.7
  • Human observational. In adults without diabetes, people with more liver fat on MRI tended to have higher blood MOTS-c, after adjusting for total body fat.8 The MRI part of the study was done in women.8

These human results do not line up: the meta-analysis linked obesity with higher levels, while the children's study linked it with lower levels in boys.57 No human study has tested MOTS-c for weight loss.2 For the wider picture, see Peptides and weight loss.

Insulin sensitivity and blood sugar

  • Animal. During an insulin clamp test after 7 days of treatment, mice on a high-fat diet needed a glucose infusion rate about 30% higher than control mice to hold blood sugar steady.41 That points to better insulin sensitivity.4
  • Animal. In 12-month-old mice whose leg muscle had become insulin resistant, MOTS-c restored muscle insulin sensitivity toward that of 3-month-old mice.1
  • Animal. In mice made obese by a high-fat diet, 3 days of treatment lowered blood glucose by about 50% compared with water injections.1
  • Human observational. The same 2024 meta-analysis found lower blood MOTS-c in people with type 2 diabetes.5
  • Human genetic association. A MOTS-c variant found only in Northeast Asian populations changes one amino acid (K14Q).910 In a pooled analysis of 27,527 adults of Japanese descent, men who carried it had more type 2 diabetes, but women did not.10
  • Human trial, no results yet. A placebo-controlled phase 2a trial in adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity is testing whether 12 weeks of MOTS-c improves insulin sensitivity.11

More context: Peptides and blood sugar.

Exercise capacity, muscle and aging

  • Animal. Short-term treatment improved physical performance, including treadmill running, in young (2 months), middle-aged (12 months) and old (22 months) mice.121
  • Animal. Old male mice treated three times a week from 23.5 months of age gained physical capacity.1 Their lifespan only trended longer (median 6.4%, maximum 7.0%), and the overall result was not statistically significant (P = 0.23).12
  • Animal. MOTS-c prevented muscle wasting and raised muscle glucose uptake in mice.13 Both effects weakened when the enzyme CK2 was suppressed.13
  • Human observational. Healthy men aged 45 to 55 and 70 to 81 had 11% and 21% lower blood MOTS-c than men aged 18 to 30.14 Their muscle held about 1.5 times more.14
  • Human observational. Exercise raised the body's own MOTS-c sharply in a study of 10 young men.12 In a randomized study of 30 people, blood levels only trended up after endurance exercise, and muscle levels did not change.15
  • Hypothesis. Authors of a 2015 paper suggested the K14Q variant might help explain the long lifespans of Japanese people.9 This is a hypothesis, not a tested effect.9

No study has tested MOTS-c injections for muscle in people.1 More context: Peptides and muscle growth.

Bone, blood vessels and heart

  • Cell study. In rat bone marrow stem cells grown in a dish, MOTS-c promoted the development of bone-forming cells.1
  • Animal. In rats given nicotine plus vitamin D3 to calcify their blood vessels, MOTS-c reduced the changes in vessel tension, blood pressure, aortic calcium deposits and heart remodeling.1
  • Human observational. In 400 Chinese adults having coronary angiography for chest pain, serum MOTS-c was higher in those with unstable angina or a heart attack than in controls.16 This is a marker finding, not a treatment result.

MOTS-c was nominated to FDA for osteoporosis, among other uses, and FDA-approved osteoporosis drugs already exist.1

CB4211 is a modified analog of MOTS-c developed by CohBar, not MOTS-c itself.17 In the 4-week phase 1b part of its trial, 20 obese adults with fatty liver disease received CB4211 or a placebo.17 The company reported lower liver enzymes (ALT and AST), lower glucose and a trend toward lower body weight.17 These results come from a company press release, and none are posted on ClinicalTrials.gov.18

Claims the evidence does not support

  • Skin and hair. None of the uses proposed to FDA involved skin or hair.1
  • Energy and metabolism marketing. FDA found injectable MOTS-c marketed online for mitochondrial energy, liver fat metabolism, metabolic balance and glucose control.1 The research behind those uses was done in cells and rodents, not people.14
  • Longer life. The only treatment data on lifespan come from old mice, and the paper reports the result as not statistically significant, although FDA's 2026 summary describes it as an increase.121

More on MOTS-c

  • MOTS-c dosage

    Published dosing information for MOTS-c from published studies, with its source, and why it is not advice for you.

  • MOTS-c side effects

    Side effects of MOTS-c as reported in published studies, with links to the full profile. Reviewed by a qualified reviewer.

MOTS-c in the store

MOTS-c for sale: strengths, stock and shipping are on the product page.

For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Read the research use policy.

Frequently asked questions

Does MOTS-c help your skin?

No published evidence shows that it does.1 None of the uses in the nomination FDA reviewed involved skin or hair,1 and FDA found no clinical studies of MOTS-c in people for any use.1 Claims about skin, hair or appearance have no published MOTS-c data behind them in the sources reviewed here. For the wider research picture, see Peptides and skin and hair.

Will I lose weight on MOTS-c peptide?

No human study has shown that MOTS-c causes weight loss, and no human trial of it has been completed.2 In male mice on a high-fat diet, 8 weeks of daily injections left them about 20% lighter than control mice,1 but mice on a normal diet showed no change.4 FDA-approved drugs for weight reduction in obesity do exist.1

Can MOTS-c cause weight gain?

No study has tested what taking MOTS-c does to body weight in people.1 In mice on a normal diet, MOTS-c did not change body weight.4 In mice on a high-fat diet, it reduced weight gain without changing how much they ate.4 Female mice with their ovaries removed also gained less weight during 12 weeks of treatment.1

Does exercise raise MOTS-c naturally?

In one study of 10 healthy young sedentary men, a cycling session raised MOTS-c about 11.9-fold in muscle.12 Blood levels rose 1.6-fold during exercise and 1.5-fold after, then returned to baseline after 4 hours of rest.12 A randomized study of 30 people found only a trend in blood after endurance exercise and no change in muscle.15

Written by D2C Peptides Editorial Team.

Pending qualified review.

Updated .

Sources

  1. FDA Briefing Document: Evaluation of MOTS-c-Related Bulk Drug Substances (MOTS-c (free base) and MOTS-c acetate), PCAC meeting July 23-24, 2026, memo dated 5/11/2026 (human safety section). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2026.
  2. What is the MOTS-c peptide? (undated page; cites the 2026 FDA briefing). U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), 2026.
  3. Development of a mass spectrometry based detection method for the mitochondrion-derived peptide MOTS-c in plasma samples for doping control purposes (Knoop et al.; PubMed abstract via NCBI E-utilities). Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 2019.
  4. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance (Lee et al.). Cell Metabolism, 2015.
  5. The correlation between mitochondrial derived peptide (MDP) and metabolic states: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Zhou et al.). Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, 2024.
  6. The correlation between mitochondrial derived peptide (MDP) and metabolic states: a systematic review and meta-analysis (PubMed abstract via NCBI E-utilities). Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome, 2024.
  7. Circulating MOTS-c levels are decreased in obese male children and adolescents and associated with insulin resistance (Du et al.; PubMed abstract via NCBI E-utilities). Pediatric Diabetes, 2018.
  8. Plasma mitochondrial derived peptides MOTS-c and SHLP2 positively associate with android and liver fat in people without diabetes (Sequeira et al.; PubMed abstract via NCBI E-utilities). Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) General Subjects, 2021.
  9. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c: a player in exceptional longevity? (Fuku et al.). Aging Cell, 2015.
  10. A pro-diabetogenic mtDNA polymorphism in the mitochondrial-derived peptide, MOTS-c (Zempo et al.). Aging (Albany NY), 2021.
  11. MOTS-c for Improving Insulin Sensitivity in Adults With Prediabetes and Overweight/Obesity (NCT07505745), Phase 2a, sponsor Hudson Biotech. ClinicalTrials.gov (NLM), 2026.
  12. MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis (Reynolds et al.). Nature Communications, 2021.
  13. MOTS-c modulates skeletal muscle function by directly binding and activating CK2 (Kumagai et al.). iScience, 2024.
  14. Increased expression of the mitochondrial derived peptide, MOTS-c, in skeletal muscle of healthy aging men is associated with myofiber composition (D'Souza et al.). Aging (Albany NY), 2020.
  15. Acute endurance exercise stimulates circulating levels of mitochondrial-derived peptides in humans (von Walden et al.). Journal of Applied Physiology, 2021.
  16. Circulating Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S Ribosomal RNA Type-c Is Higher in Acute Coronary Syndrome and Is a Prognostic Biomarker for Major Cardiac Events in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Case-Control Study (Cao et al.). Journal of the American Heart Association, 2025.
  17. CohBar Announces Positive Topline Results from the Phase 1a/1b Study of CB4211 Under Development for NASH and Obesity (press release, August 10, 2021, republished by BioSpace). CohBar, Inc. (via BioSpace), 2021.
  18. A Phase 1a/1b Study of Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of CB4211 (NCT03998514), sponsor CohBar, Inc. ClinicalTrials.gov (NLM), 2019.