MOTS-c

Definition

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded within the mitochondrial genome, one of a small family of mitochondrial-derived peptides described over the past decade; it acts as a metabolic signaling molecule rather than a structural protein.

Interest in the compound comes from exercise physiology and metabolism, where it is studied as a messenger linking mitochondrial state to whole-body insulin sensitivity.

Evidence

The foundational work is preclinical: the 2015 discovery paper showed MOTS-c promoting metabolic homeostasis and reducing diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice ^[1]. Human data remain early and largely observational; no efficacy trial supports a clinical use.

The compound is marketed to athletes and biohackers well ahead of that record, which is the pattern this index exists to make visible.

Lawful access

MOTS-c was removed from Category 2 of the interim 503A bulks list in April 2026 without Category 1 listing, and in July 2026 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 7–5, with two abstentions, to recommend adding it to the section 503A list. The vote is advisory; no FDA final rule has issued, and no licensed pharmacy may lawfully compound MOTS-c as of August 2026.

Material sold online today is research-use-only supply, outside pharmacy oversight.

Related molecules

MOTS-c shares the mitochondrial group with NAD+, whose compoundable status makes for the index's clearest side-by-side contrast; the pending page tracks the rulemaking that would change this molecule's position.