This compound is supplied for in-vitro and preclinical research only. It is not a medicinal product. It is not approved for human or veterinary use in any jurisdiction. No therapeutic, medicinal, cosmetic, or performance-enhancement claims are made or implied. By proceeding to inquire, you confirm you are an adult researcher acquiring this compound within your own research framework. Full terms on the Research Use Only page.
MOTS-c
30 mg freeze-dried vial, mitochondrial-derived peptide
Compound specifications, chemistry, and storage.
Technical specifications
Specimen format| Compound name | MOTS-c (Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S rRNA-c) |
| Also known as | Mitochondrial peptide, MOTSc |
| CAS number | 1417902-46-7 |
| PubChem CID | Reference on COA → |
| InChI Key | Reference InChI Key on COA |
| SMILES | Reference SMILES on COA |
| Empirical formula (Hill notation) | C82H132N20O27S2 |
| Molecular weight | 1865.16 g/mol (monoisotopic mass: 1864.91) |
| Salt form | Acetate (default) |
| Counter-ion content | Quantified per batch on COA. Custom salt forms (chloride, ammonium, TFA) available on quote. |
| Sequence (1-letter) | MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR |
| Sequence (3-letter) | Met-Arg-Trp-Gln-Glu-Met-Gly-Tyr-Ile-Phe-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Lys-Leu-Arg |
| Length | 16 amino acids |
| Weight basis | Gross weight per industry standard. Net peptide content quantified on batch COA. |
| Quantity per vial | 30 mg |
| Format | Freeze-dried white powder or thin film, sealed under inert atmosphere. Why does the vial look empty? |
| Appearance | White freeze-dried cake or powder. May also appear as a thin film on the vial wall. |
| Solubility | Water soluble, reconstituted with bacteriostatic water (1 to 2 ml typical) |
| Solution colour | Clear and colourless when correctly reconstituted |
| Purity (HPLC) | Specification ≥98.5%, tested before listing |
| Identity confirmation | LC-MS, batch-specific spectrum on COA |
| Endotoxin (LAL) | Within Ph. Eur. specification, batch report on COA |
| Storage (freeze-dried) | 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, sealed, protected from light. Avoid thermal cycling. |
| Storage (reconstituted) | 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. Use within 4 to 6 weeks. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw. |
| Shelf life | 24 months from synthesis date when storage conditions are maintained |
| Country of synthesis | EU partner facility, Ph. Eur. methodology references |
| Application | In-vitro and preclinical research only. Not for human or veterinary use. |
Mitochondrial & longevity research
Primary research area. Studied for AMPK-pathway activation, glucose homeostasis, and mitochondrial-stress signalling.
Open research area → 02Metabolic & energy regulation
Secondary research area. Studied for downstream metabolic flux and energy-balance pathways.
Open research area →A mitochondrial-derived peptide, and what the published research says about it.
MOTS-c (Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the Twelve S rRNA, c) is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene region, first identified in 2015. Published preclinical research investigates the peptide’s role in AMPK pathway activation, glucose homeostasis, mitochondrial function, and metabolic-stress signalling. The sections below summarise what the published research investigates, what Cresten supplies, and what the certificate of analysis confirms.
Where MOTS-c comes from.
MOTS-c is a sixteen-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene. It was identified in 2015 by the research group of Pinchas Cohen at the University of Southern California, who reported that the mitochondrial genome carries small open reading frames coding for short peptides previously overlooked in the standard nuclear-genome annotations. MOTS-c is the most studied of these mitochondrial-derived peptides in the research literature.
The peptide is unusual in the research-peptide catalogue because its origin is mitochondrial DNA rather than nuclear DNA. Functionally, this distinction does not change how the synthetic version is supplied: standard Fmoc solid-phase peptide synthesis produces the sixteen-residue sequence, which is purified by reversed-phase HPLC, freeze-dried, and sealed in vials under inert atmosphere. The synthetic peptide is identical in sequence to the natural mitochondrial product.
PubMed lists roughly 100 papers mentioning MOTS-c as of 2026, an unusually fast accumulation for a peptide identified less than a decade ago. The research is concentrated in metabolic-physiology studies, exercise-physiology models, mitochondrial-stress signalling, and ageing models. Several human observational studies have measured circulating MOTS-c levels in different metabolic states, but interventional human studies remain limited.
What the research looks at.
MOTS-c mechanism research has concentrated on metabolic and stress-response pathways. The most cited line of work examines the peptide as a regulator of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway, which is a central energy-sensing pathway in cells. Studies have measured AMPK activation in cultured cells and skeletal-muscle tissue from animal models exposed to the peptide, with corresponding measurements of downstream substrates including acetyl-CoA carboxylase phosphorylation.
A second strand looks at exercise-physiology and skeletal-muscle metabolism in animal models. Studies have measured glucose uptake, fatty-acid oxidation rates, and exercise-capacity endpoints in animals administered the peptide compared against vehicle controls. The literature describes effects in the direction of increased metabolic flexibility in the studied models, with the magnitude varying by experimental design.
"The peptide is studied as a mitochondrial-derived signal that communicates from the mitochondrion to the nucleus, with AMPK as the most cited intermediate."
A third line of research examines age-related changes in circulating MOTS-c levels. Observational human studies have reported lower circulating peptide levels in older subjects against younger controls, with associations measured against insulin sensitivity and other metabolic markers. These studies are observational and do not establish causation; they are the basis for the interest in MOTS-c as an ageing-research tool.
Where the published research does not go: there are no FDA or EMA approvals for MOTS-c in any indication, no large randomised human trials, and the molecular detail of how the mitochondrial-encoded peptide reaches the cytoplasm and communicates with the nucleus remains an active research question rather than a settled mechanism. The compound is supplied as a research compound for laboratory research only.
What the certificate confirms.
Every Cresten batch of MOTS-c ships with a certificate from an analytical lab, against the test panel described on the Methodology page. The certificate that ships with your batch confirms:
The certificate format is shown on the batch verification page.
Where the published research on MOTS-c lives.
PubMed indexes 90+ publications mentioning MOTS-c as of 2026. Cresten does not curate a hand-selected reading list. Compound-specific selections influence which papers researchers find first; the unfiltered query, sortable by date, citation count, study type, and species, is queryable directly on PubMed.
Each result on PubMed links to the original journal record and, where available, full-text or open-access copies. Cresten supplies the compound; the literature is for the researcher to evaluate.
Open the full PubMed query →Opens at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov in a new tab. The query string is preserved so you can refine, filter, or export from there.
What this monograph is not
This monograph summarises what the published research looks at regarding MOTS-c mechanism. It is not a therapeutic recommendation. It is not dosing guidance. It is not a clinical protocol. It is not medical advice.
Cresten Labs supplies MOTS-c as a research compound for lab-based research only. The decision to investigate any compound in any research framework is the researcher’s decision, within their own ethical, legal, and methodological boundaries.
Cresten makes no claim about human therapeutic use, no claim about clinical effectiveness, no claim about safety in human use, and no claim that this compound has been reviewed by any regulator for any medical use.
Frequently asked questions about MOTS-c
Common research-protocol and supply questions about MOTS-c, with answers grounded in published peer-reviewed research and Cresten Labs supply practice. All information is for in vitro and preclinical research only.
What is MOTS-c?
MOTS-c is mitochondrial-derived peptide of 16 amino acids, a 16-amino-acid peptide (CAS 1627580-64-6, molecular weight 2174.59 g/mol). Cresten Labs supplies MOTS-c as a freeze-dried vial for in vitro and preclinical research only, with each batch verified at Janoshik Analytical.
What does research suggest MOTS-c does?
Published research investigates MOTS-c for modulating AMPK signaling and mitochondrial homeostasis pathways in published metabolic and exercise-physiology research. The compound is studied primarily in mitochondrial homeostasis, AMPK activation, and metabolic stress research. MOTS-c is supplied for research use only and is not approved by any regulator for medical use.
What is the typical MOTS-c dosage in published research?
Published MOTS-c dosage in research protocols ranges from 5 to 10 mg per administration, administered subcutaneously, with two or three times weekly in metabolic and mitochondrial research. Cresten Labs publishes the typical MOTS-c protocol ranges as research-protocol references only; this is not dosing guidance for human use.
How do I reconstitute MOTS-c for research?
Standard MOTS-c reconstitution adds 1 mL of 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water for the 30 mg vial. NaCl bacteriostatic water strongly recommended; MOTS-c frequently triggers injection-site welts with plain BAC.
What is the MOTS-c half-life and how is MOTS-c storage handled?
Published research reports MOTS-c systemic half-life at short systemic half-life. MOTS-c storage: lyophilized vial stable at room temperature for shipping; reconstituted solution stored at 2 to 8 °C and used within 1 to 2 weeks. The Cresten certificate of analysis lists the synthesis date, batch identifier, and the storage conditions verified for this specific batch.
MOTS-c vs 5-Amino-1MQ: how do they compare in research?
In published research comparing MOTS-c vs 5-Amino-1MQ, MOTS-c acts on mitochondrial signaling while 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT; the two are sometimes combined in metabolic-stress and longevity research. The two compounds are studied separately and in combination depending on the research question. Cresten Labs supplies both as verified research compounds.
What does research literature report about MOTS-c side effects?
Published MOTS-c research reports the following: injection-site welts reported in some research; switching to 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water reduces this reaction. Cresten Labs supplies the compound for research use only; clinical-use side-effect data should be drawn from peer-reviewed clinical trial publications, not from research-vendor pages.
Where to buy MOTS-c in Europe?
Cresten Labs supplies MOTS-c across the EU single market to 16 European countries. Each MOTS-c batch is tested at Janoshik Analytical with the certificate of analysis published on the website before it lists. MOTS-c is sold for in vitro and preclinical research only, not for human or veterinary use.
How is MOTS-c verified at Cresten Labs?
Every MOTS-c batch is tested at Janoshik Analytical in Czech Republic, an third-party peptide-analysis laboratory. Each batch certificate documents HPLC purity, mass-spectrometry identity confirmation, and contamination panels. The certificate publishes with the batch, before it lists.
What is the typical MOTS-c stack in published research?
In published research, the typical MOTS-c stack pairs the compound with 5-Amino-1MQ. MOTS-c acts on mitochondrial signaling while 5-Amino-1MQ inhibits NNMT; the two are sometimes combined in metabolic-stress and longevity research.