What is MOTS-c?
In short: MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, sold in 10 mg vials for research use only. Studied in cell and animal models of metabolism; human evidence for administering it is largely preclinical. It is not FDA-approved. A July 2026 FDA advisory vote (7–5–2) recommended it for the 503A Bulks List; FDA staff recommended against it, the recommendation is advisory only, and it changed nothing in law.
MOTS-c is a small peptide encoded not in the cell nucleus but in mitochondrial DNA — which is why it sits at the center of the "mitochondrial" longevity-research narrative. It is one of the fastest-rising compounds in the research-peptide market, and one of the most misrepresented.
The basics
- Type: a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP), encoded in the 12S rRNA region of mitochondrial DNA; first characterized in 2015.
- Research focus: laboratory studies examine MOTS-c in relation to metabolic regulation pathways (including AMPK signaling) and exercise-response biology in cell and animal models.
- Formats sold: lyophilized (freeze-dried) vials, most commonly 10 mg, with larger 40 mg vials also listed.
- Market stage: early and price-disordered — tracked prices for the same 10 mg item span a wide range across 22 vendors (see below), which usually signals an immature market with room for both markups and mistakes.
What the evidence actually shows
Honestly stated: the human evidence for injected MOTS-c is largely preclinical. Most published human work measures endogenous MOTS-c levels and how they relate to exercise and metabolism — it does not establish that administering MOTS-c produces any particular effect in people. The mechanistic findings that generate the headlines come from cell cultures and animal models.
That gap — real scientific interest, unproven human effect — is exactly why this compound attracts exaggerated marketing. If a seller describes MOTS-c outcomes as established, that is a claim the current literature does not support.
Regulatory status (October 2026)
On 23–24 July 2026, the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC) voted 7–5–2 to recommend adding MOTS-c to the 503A Bulks List — the list of substances licensed pharmacies may use in compounding. Two things are equally true:
- The vote is advisory only. The FDA has not added MOTS-c to the list, no rulemaking has been completed, and as of October 2026 MOTS-c cannot lawfully be compounded by 503A pharmacies.
- FDA staff recommended against the compound at the same meeting. The committee disagreed with the staff position, which is why the outcome drew attention — but disagreement is not approval.
MOTS-c is sold today in the research-chemical channel under "research use only" labeling. What that label does and does not mean is covered in our FAQ.
What MOTS-c costs
Price tracking by PeptideComp across 22 vendors (PeptideComp market update, 9 October 2026; page re-checked 24 October 2026) put the 10 mg vial at a median of $49.50, with listings from $20.34 to $49.50 — the cheapest tracked vendor sat well below the median. Published US wholesale benchmarks for the same item sit far below retail, which is typical of this market and is the main reason comparison shopping matters.
See the full table, with vendor counts and check dates, on the price-comparison page.
What to check before buying any research peptide
- Batch-specific COA: a certificate of analysis tied to the lot in the vial, from third-party testing — not a generic PDF reused across products.
- Purity method: identity and purity should be verified by HPLC and mass spectrometry; the COA should say so.
- Price sanity: compare against the tracked market range above. Far-below-median pricing in this market correlates with the quality problems regulators keep finding.
MOTS-c in our planned store — planned against the tracked market median above; batch documentation publishes at launch.
See the store preview Partner store: Bench Grade
Intended for laboratory research use only.
Related reading
- What is Epithalon? — the other longevity-narrative compound in the July 2026 vote, with the weakest human evidence of the group.
- Research peptide price comparison — tracked prices for all four hero compounds plus market context.
- FAQ: the July 2026 FDA votes, "research use only," and COAs explained