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Longevity · Compound

MOTS-c

Mitochondrial-derived peptide studied in mouse and cell research for insulin resistance, diet-induced obesity and age-related physical decline.

Philippines Peptides editorial deskUpdated Trial data checked 23 September 20268 min read5 sources

The strongest evidence found for MOTS-c comes from animal and cell studies, and every finding below carries its evidence level.

What is MOTS-c

MOTS-c (mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c) is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, one of a small group of known mitochondrial-derived peptides. It was first described in 2015 by Lee and colleagues at the University of Southern California (Cell Metab 2015). Browse the full peptide library for related compounds.

MOTS-c is sometimes called an exercise mimetic because, in mouse and cell studies, it activates AMPK, a cellular energy sensor that exercise also activates (Lee 2015). In people, exercise raises the body's own MOTS-c levels, and in a mouse study MOTS-c treatment started late in life increased physical capacity (Reynolds 2021). No published human study has given MOTS-c.

In cell studies, MOTS-c moved from the mitochondria to the nucleus under metabolic stress and regulated nuclear gene expression (Kim 2018), which is why researchers describe it as a signal from mitochondria to the nucleus.

How it works

AMPK activation: in mouse and cell studies, MOTS-c acts mainly on skeletal muscle, where it inhibits the folate cycle and linked purine synthesis, which activates the energy sensor AMPK (Lee 2015).

Fat tissue thermogenesis: in a mouse study, MOTS-c increased thermogenic activation of fat tissue and cold adaptation (Lu 2019).

Nuclear translocation: in cell studies, MOTS-c translocated to the nucleus in response to metabolic stress and regulated nuclear gene expression (Kim 2018).

Benefits studied

  • Insulin sensitivity

    Animal and cell

    In mice, MOTS-c prevented insulin resistance linked to age and a high-fat diet, and prevented diet-induced obesity. No human trial has tested this. Source: Cell Metab 2015

  • Physical capacity in old age

    Animal and cell

    In an animal study, mice started on MOTS-c late in life showed greater physical capacity. This is animal evidence only. Source: Nat Commun 2021

  • Autoimmune diabetes

    Animal and cell

    In non-obese diabetic mice, MOTS-c reduced high blood sugar and immune-cell infiltration of the pancreatic islets. This is animal evidence only. Source: Cell Rep 2021

Side effects reported

No human trial in the datasets reports adverse-event rates for MOTS-c, which has been studied in animals and cells only. Without controlled data, its safety in people is unknown rather than established.

MOTS-c in the Philippines

MOTS-c is a peptide the body makes itself, encoded in mitochondrial DNA, and what is sold in the Philippines under the name is a synthetic research compound. This site has not published an FDA Philippines registration result for MOTS-c: the 23 September 2026 portal search behind the regulation hub did not include the name, and the store's own search the same day timed out. No FDA Philippines advisory in this site's regulation dataset, checked 23 September 2026, names MOTS-c.

Primara Labs, our partner and supplier, lists MOTS-c as "Lyophilized powder, 10 mg / vial", and the sourcing card on this page links it. The legal research behind this site found no Philippine FDA, DOH, BOC or DDB document that addresses products labelled research use only. In the United States, the FDA lists MOTS-c on its page of bulk drug substances for compounding that may present significant safety risks (current as of 22 April 2026); that page concerns compounding, not approval.

For research context, MOTS-c is a compound where the human record is almost entirely about measurement rather than administration. Human papers measure the body's own circulating levels; the insulin resistance, obesity and physical decline findings are in mice. A phase 1 trial of the analogue CB4211 completed in 2021 without posted results, per the evidence dataset. Until results from people exist, any claim about what it does in adults runs ahead of the data. NAD+ is the related compound with human trial data on this site, and the guide to SS-31 in the Philippines covers a mitochondria-targeted peptide whose phase 3 trial missed its endpoints.

Regulatory status

FDA Philippines
Not publishedCould not be established: the FDA Philippines verification portal search timed out on 23 September 2026, retried the same day in a browser with the same result.
US FDA
No record foundDrugs@FDA returned no approved or tentatively approved application for this substance. Drugs@FDA does not list investigational products. Separately, the FDA lists it on its page of bulk drug substances for compounding that may present significant safety risks (current as of 22 April 2026); that page concerns compounding, not approval.
European Medicines Agency
No record foundNo row for this substance in the EMA medicines report generated 22 September 2026. That report does not cover national authorisations in EU member states.
Next milestone
No sponsor identified in any record read.

Checked 23 September 2026. Primary source

How Philippine registration and prescription rules work, and what an unregistered product is under the law, is covered in the regulation hub, and every compound's status side by side is on the status page. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who should not use MOTS-c

Everything above is research framing. For the material itself, our partner and supplier lists MOTS-c 10mg at Primara Labs for ₱2,100 (₱1,890 with 10% off), from stock inside the Philippines.

FAQ

Is there a clinical trial of MOTS-c in people?

No published human study has given MOTS-c; human papers measure the body's own levels. A phase 1 trial of the analogue CB4211 completed in 2021 without posted results, and a phase 2a trial of MOTS-c is recruiting. No human trial of MOTS-c has published results in the dataset this site draws on.

Has FDA Philippines issued an advisory on MOTS-c?

No FDA Philippines advisory in this site's regulation dataset, checked 23 September 2026, names MOTS-c. This site has not published an FDA Philippines registration result for MOTS-c: the 23 September 2026 portal search behind the regulation hub did not include the name, and the store's own search the same day timed out.

Can MOTS-c be brought into the Philippines from abroad?

This site has no Philippine registration result on record for MOTS-c. DOH-FDA-BOC Joint Circular No. 1, dated 22 June 2015, lets travellers bring listed FDA-regulated products into the Philippines without prior FDA clearance if the products are for personal use and within set limits. For prescription drugs, Joint Circular No. 1 sets the allowed quantity as the amount stated on a prescription that carries the physician's PRC licence number or a foreign equivalent. Joint Circular No. 1 does not say whether its prescription-drug allowance covers drugs without a Philippine CPR. No FDA circular that answers this was found. The Bureau of Customs lists pharmaceutical products as regulated imports that require a valid Certificate of Product Registration and/or an FDA License to Operate as importer. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can MOTS-c replace exercise?

No study shows that. MOTS-c is called an exercise mimetic because, in mouse and cell studies, it activates AMPK, a pathway exercise also activates. In people, exercise raises the body's own MOTS-c levels; no published human study has given MOTS-c.

How does MOTS-c differ from NAD+?

NAD+ is a coenzyme in cellular energy metabolism and DNA repair, and small randomised human trials of NAD+ itself exist. MOTS-c is a peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, and its evidence is animal and cell work only.

What evidence exists for MOTS-c?

The evidence dataset this site draws on (checked 2026-09-23) rates MOTS-c at the level "Animal and cell", with 0 completed human randomised controlled trials identified. No published human study has given MOTS-c; human papers measure the body's own levels. A phase 1 trial of the analogue CB4211 completed in 2021 without posted results, and a phase 2a trial of MOTS-c is recruiting. It has been studied for: Insulin resistance, diet-induced obesity, age-related physical decline and autoimmune diabetes in mice; circulating levels as a biomarker in people.

What is the regulatory status of MOTS-c?

FDA Philippines: Could not be established: the FDA Philippines verification portal search timed out on 23 September 2026, retried the same day in a browser with the same result. US FDA: No record found. Status for every compound the dataset covers is on the regulatory status page.

Where to get MOTS-c in the Philippines

If the reading is done and the next step is a plan rather than another article, you can build a protocol around your goal at Longevity Manila, which hands off to our partner and supplier, Primara Labs.

The supply index covers what to ask a seller before paying, and why quoted prices vary so widely.

View Supply Index

Primary sources

Citations supporting the clinical claims on this page. Each entry links to the primary record.

All 5 sources: MOTS-c discovery, Lee 2015, MOTS-c as exercise-induced regulator, Reynolds 2021, MOTS-c and adipose thermogenesis, Lu 2019 and more

  1. MOTS-c discovery, Lee 2015Mechanism

    Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, et al. "The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance." Cell Metab 2015;21(3):443–454.

    DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2015.02.009

  2. MOTS-c as exercise-induced regulator, Reynolds 2021Mechanism

    Reynolds JC, Lai RW, Woodhead JST, et al. "MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis." Nat Commun 2021;12:470.

    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20790-0

  3. MOTS-c and adipose thermogenesis, Lu 2019Mechanism

    Lu H, Tang S, Xue C, et al. "Mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c increases adipose thermogenic activation to promote cold adaptation." Front Endocrinol 2019;10:858.

    DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00858

  4. MOTS-c nuclear translocation, Kim 2018Mechanism

    Kim KH, Son JM, Benayoun BA, Lee C. "The mitochondrial-encoded peptide MOTS-c translocates to the nucleus to regulate nuclear gene expression in response to metabolic stress." Cell Metab 2018;28(3):516–524.

    DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2018.06.008

  5. FDA Philippines drug registry: MOTS-c not listedReference

    FDA Philippines Registered Drug Products Database. Verified 2026-05-07: MOTS-c has no Philippine drug registration; available only as research-grade peptide.

    Source

Risk · Disclosure · Editorial Status

This page is editorial information for adults researching peptide therapy. It is not medical advice, not a prescription, and not an endorsement of any specific product, supplier, or protocol. Side effects can be serious and individual response varies. Talk to a licensed physician (ideally one with peptide-specific clinical experience) before starting any compound, adjusting a dose, or discontinuing therapy.

In the Philippines, GLP-1 medications are prescription-only under FDA Philippines regulation. Research-grade peptides occupy a regulatory gray area: import for personal research use is generally tolerated, but the Bureau of Customs reserves the right to inspect and detain shipments. Do not import for resale.

Editorial Status
Non-clinical
Affiliation
Not a clinic · Not a pharmacy
Last Updated
November 3, 2026

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