MOTS-c
Evidence that the cell’s power plants send messages outward themselves.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Peptide, 16 amino acids |
| Origin | Encoded in mitochondrial DNA |
| Research field | Energy, insulin sensitivity, endurance |
| Research status | Preclinical |
| Form | Freeze dried powder |
What it is
Mitochondria have their own small piece of DNA, a leftover from when they were free-living bacteria. Since 2003 it has been clear that it also encodes peptides sent outward. MOTS-c was one of the first.
How it works
The mechanism named most often is AMPK, the switch a cell flips when energy runs low. The signal travels from inside out: the mitochondria report things are getting tight, and the rest of the cell adjusts.
What the research shows
Cell culture and animal work around metabolism, insulin sensitivity and exercise. It is a young field; many findings still await independent confirmation.
Research status
Preclinical.
Practical
Dissolves normally in bacteriostatic water; keeps well as a powder.
This site is made by the team behind Apex Bio Research, a Dutch supplier of research peptides with a certificate of analysis per batch.
Visit the shopThis site explains what the scientific literature says about peptides. It is not medical advice and not a set of instructions. The substances discussed here are research compounds: they are not approved for use in humans or animals. If you have a health question, see a doctor.
Read next
Mitochondrial peptides: MOTS-c, humanin and SS-31
Peptides that come not from the cell nucleus but from the power plants themselves. A field barely twenty years old.
NAD+
NAD+ in brief: not a peptide but a coenzyme present in every cell, whose stores fall with age.
SS-31 (Elamipretide)
SS-31 in brief: designed to accumulate in the inner membrane of mitochondria.