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MOTS-c

Mitochondrial peptide — not dispensed

MOTS-c activates AMPK — the same energy sensor that exercise and metformin act on — in mice.

Recommended 7–5 for the 503A bulks list in July 2026, the narrowest margin of the six peptides considered. HHS has not acted. There are no published randomised trials in humans.

Preclinical only

Almost all published data is from animal or laboratory work. No completed human efficacy trial has been published.

2015

Year it was first described, in mice

Cell Metabolism
7–5

Advisory committee vote recommending it — the narrowest of the six

PCAC, 23–24 July 2026
None

Published randomised controlled trials in humans

As of August 2026

What it is

MOTS-c is a 16–amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial rather than nuclear DNA, discovered in 2015. It is sold for metabolism, insulin sensitivity and endurance. Whealth does not dispense it.

How it works

In mice it activates AMPK, the cellular energy sensor that exercise and metformin also act on, and shifts metabolism toward glucose use. Levels in humans fall with age and rise with exercise, which is the observation the entire consumer category is built on — an association, not a demonstrated intervention.

What the evidence actually says

  1. 2015

    The founding paper

    MOTS-c promoted metabolic homeostasis and reduced obesity and insulin resistance — in mice, on a high-fat diet. This is the study every product page is ultimately pointing at.

  2. 2022

    Gestational diabetes model

    Relieved hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance in a further animal model. Still animals.

  3. 2026

    PCAC vote

    Recommended 7–5 with two abstentions on 23–24 July, the narrowest margin of the six. Advisory; HHS has not acted.

What the first months look like

  • TodayNothing from us. Not on the 503A bulks list.
  • If HHS actsIt becomes compoundable. The human trials still would not exist.

Who this is not for

  • Anyone, from us, at present.
Sources
  1. Lee C et al. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Cell Metab 2015;21(3):443–54. PMID 25738459.
  2. Zheng Y et al. MOTS-c: A promising mitochondrial-derived peptide for therapeutic exploitation. Front Endocrinol 2023;14:1120533. PMID 36761202.

Figures are quoted from the published trials and were last checked in August 2026. We update this page when the evidence changes.