Skip to content

International Delivery — £35 per Order

Home/Learn/MOTS-c
Back to Learn Hub
Peptide Guide

MOTS-c: Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S rRNA-c

Category: Mitochondrial-derived peptide

MOTS-c is a peptide of 16 amino acids whose genetic code sits in mitochondrial DNA rather than in the cell nucleus. The name is short for mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c. It was first described in 2015. Published studies that gave MOTS-c have used cells and animals; studies in people have measured only the body's own MOTS-c, for example in blood. This guide covers its chemistry, its discovery, its anti-doping status and its UK regulatory position.

This guide compiles key literature themes, handling context, and practical comparison points for research-focused evaluation.

By Maylene · Published

Overview

This shop sells a MOTS-C 10mg Pen: a prefilled pen labelled KLIKMOTS-C, with 10 mg of MOTS-C as its labelled content. It is supplied for laboratory research only and is not for human or veterinary use. It is not sold as a medicine, is not a licensed medicine and is not authorised by the MHRA for any medical use. Links from this guide to the product page are commercial, and none of the research cited here tested this pen.

The name is spelt several ways. Scientific papers, the FDA and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) write MOTS-c, with a lower-case c. Product labels often use capitals, as in MOTS-C. Elsewhere it appears as MOTS c, MOTSc, mot c, mot-c or motc. All of these refer to the same 16-residue sequence. In the full name, the final c stands for "type-c".

Most of the proteins in a human cell are coded by genes in the nucleus. Mitochondria, the compartments that produce much of a cell's chemical energy, carry a small genome of their own. MOTS-c belongs to a group called mitochondrial-derived peptides, coded by short stretches of that genome.

MOTS-c is not a licensed medicine in the UK. The MHRA products database, which indexes the active substances of medicines with a UK marketing authorisation, had no MOTS-c entry when checked on 22 October 2026. In the US, MOTS-c is not part of any FDA-approved drug. The Food and Drug Administration's May 2026 evaluation found no published studies in which products containing MOTS-c were used in people, described its potential safety risks in people as unknown, and concluded that its criteria weigh against adding MOTS-c to the list of substances US pharmacies may use in compounding. WADA names it on the Prohibited List, and it is prohibited in sport at all times.

Discovery & Background

MOTS-c was reported in March 2015 by Changhan Lee, Pinchas Cohen and colleagues, in work led from the University of Southern California. It is coded by a 51-base-pair short open reading frame (a stretch of genetic code that can be read as a peptide) in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, MT-RNR1, and is 16 amino acids long. The FDA's 2026 evaluation, summarising that work, describes the sequence as highly conserved across species and reports that MOTS-c is present in the blood of humans and rodents. In 2018 a USC team led by Lee reported, from experiments in cultured cells, that MOTS-c can move into the nucleus under metabolic stress (Kim et al., 2018). In 2019 the Center for Preventive Doping Research at the German Sport University Cologne published a mass spectrometry test for MOTS-c in plasma, developed for doping control. Its results did not confirm the levels that a commercial antibody test (ELISA) gave for plasma from 20 healthy people (Knoop et al., 2019). WADA has named MOTS-c as an example on its Prohibited List since the 2025 edition.

Mechanism of Action

No mechanism of action has been established in people, and the FDA's 2026 evaluation says the molecular targets of MOTS-c remain unknown. This section sets out the molecule's identity and how it is detected. The published laboratory record comes from cells and rodents, mostly mice, and none of that work tested a product sold here.

  • 1
    Sequence: Met-Arg-Trp-Gln-Glu-Met-Gly-Tyr-Ile-Phe-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Lys-Leu-Arg, or MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR in one-letter code (PubChem CID 146675088; FDA, May 2026).
  • 2
    Formula and weight: C101H152N28O22S2, 2174.6 g/mol for the free base (PubChem CID 146675088; FDA, May 2026).
  • 3
    Identifiers and salt forms: CAS Registry Number 1627580-64-6 and FDA UNII A5CV6JFB78 refer to the free base. MOTS-c is also made as an acetate salt, which the FDA regards as a separate ingredient, so a label or certificate should say which form it describes.
  • 4
    Genetic origin: a 51-base-pair short open reading frame inside the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, MT-RNR1 (FDA, May 2026).
  • 5
    Detection: a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method, developed for doping control and validated to WADA's laboratory standard, detects MOTS-c in plasma down to 100 picograms per millilitre, together with four breakdown products and two oxidation products (Knoop et al., 2019).

Storage Guidelines

Temperature

Store as the pen's own label states. In the product photographs, the pen label reads "Store at 2°C–8°C (refrigerated)". Published figures for freeze-dried MOTS-c powder do not apply to a prefilled pen. Check the label on the pen itself; for a question about a specific pen, use the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MOTS-c?

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide coded by a short stretch of mitochondrial DNA inside the 12S rRNA gene. Its name stands for mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c, and researchers at the University of Southern California first described it in 2015. Published studies that gave MOTS-c have used cells and animals, and studies in people have measured only the body's own MOTS-c. It is not a licensed medicine in the UK, and the FDA found no published studies of products containing it used in people.

Are MOTS-c, MOTS c, mot c and motc the same thing?

Yes. They are spellings of one name for the same sequence, MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR. MOTS-c, with a lower-case c, is the form used in scientific papers and on the WADA Prohibited List. Mot c and motc are variants that drop a letter. MOTS-C in capitals is common on product labels, including the pen sold here.

Is MOTS-c banned in sport?

Yes. The 2026 WADA Prohibited List, in force since 1 January 2026, names "mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c)" as an example under S4.4.1, activators of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), within S4 Hormone and metabolic modulators. It is prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. The 2027 List, which comes into effect on 1 January 2027, keeps the same entry. USADA says a Therapeutic Use Exemption for MOTS-c is highly unlikely, and a validated laboratory test for it in plasma has been published.

What is the regulatory status of MOTS-c in the UK and the US?

In the UK it is not a licensed medicine: it has no marketing authorisation, and the MHRA products database had no MOTS-c entry when checked on 22 October 2026. Under regulation 2 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, a medicinal product is any substance presented as having properties of preventing or treating disease in human beings, or any substance that may be used by or given to people with a view to restoring, correcting or modifying a physiological function by a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or to making a medical diagnosis. The MHRA classifies products case by case. It looks at how a product is presented as a whole, including claims made on websites and in linked publications, as well as at what the product does (MHRA Guidance Note 8). In the US, the FDA's May 2026 evaluation says MOTS-c is not a component of any FDA-approved drug and describes its potential safety risks in people as unknown. US findings do not change UK law.

Is there published human data on MOTS-c, such as a half-life?

No. The FDA's May 2026 evaluation found no published studies in which products containing MOTS-c were used in people and no in-vivo pharmacokinetic studies, so a half-life in the body has not been established. The only related work it identified was a laboratory experiment in which human whole blood, incubated with MOTS-c at 37°C for 15 or 60 minutes, quickly broke it into shorter fragments. The anti-doping laboratory that ran it added those fragments to its detection test (Knoop et al., 2019).

What is in the MOTS-C 10mg Pen, and is there a lab report?

It is a prefilled pen with 10 mg of MOTS-C as its labelled content. As of 22 October 2026, the lab reports page on this site lists no published report for this pen, so this guide makes no purity claim for it. Where reports are published for other pens, each covers only the sample that was tested. The FDA's 2026 evaluation noted that most certificates of analysis it found for MOTS-c acetate gave a purity result only, with no impurity limits or results. For batch questions, use the contact page.

Sources & evidence

Maylene research library

These papers describe the stated compounds and study models. They do not test or certify Maylene products. Animal or cell findings do not establish human benefit, and pharmaceutical trials do not validate research-only pens.

Editorial approach and corrections

Research Disclaimer

This guide is for educational and informational purposes only. All information is based on published scientific research and peer-reviewed literature. Peptides sold by Maylene are intended solely for laboratory research use and are not for human consumption. Consult healthcare professionals before making any health decisions.

Shop MOTS-c

Check the current catalogue for this compound and review any matching batch documentation.

Review variant options and quantity pricing before adding to cart.

View MOTS-cBrowse All Peptides

Related Peptide Guides

NAD+

Coenzyme chemistry

Explore More Peptide Guides

Explore adjacent compounds to compare mechanisms, side-effect discussions, and study focus across related peptides.

NAD+

Coenzyme chemistry

Wolverine

Peptide blends

Glow

Peptide blends

Start Your Research Today

Compare current listings, labelled content and product documentation before ordering.

Products from Maylene are supplied strictly for laboratory and scientific research use only.

Shop Peptides