MOTS-c

Mots C 20 mg is Prime Time Bio Labs' research format of MOTS-c, a peptide most people first meet under one of two names — MOTS-c, the standard shorthand used in the scientific literature, or its full designation, Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S rRNA type-c. Both refer to the same 16-amino-acid molecule, and both are worth knowing if you're cross-referencing this material against a paper, a COA, or a supplier catalog. Each vial in this listing ships as a sterile lyophilized powder, light-protected, and labeled with its own lot number so the physical unit in front of you can be tied directly back to its Certificate of Analysis. That traceability matters more than it sounds — a lot number is the only thing connecting a purity claim on a webpage to the actual material a lab receives, and it's the first thing worth checking against the downloadable COA before use. Chemically, MOTS-c is a linear, 16-residue peptide with the sequence Met-Arg-Trp-Gln-Glu-Met-Gly-Tyr-Ile-Phe-Tyr-Pro-Arg-Lys-Leu-Arg (single-letter: MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR). Its molecular formula is C₁₀₁H₁₅₂N₂₈O₂₂S₂, giving it an average molecular weight of roughly 2,174.6 g/mol. It carries CAS Registry Number 1627580-64-6 and is catalogued in PubChem under CID 146675088. None of that changes based on who's selling it — those are fixed chemical facts about the molecule itself, independent of any single vendor's product line — but they're worth having on the page because they're exactly what a researcher checks first when verifying that a vial matches its label. What makes MOTS-c chemically distinctive within the broader peptide research space isn't the sequence length — plenty of research peptides run 15–20 residues — it's where the sequence comes from. MOTS-c is one of a small class of peptides called mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDPs), meaning it's encoded not in nuclear DNA like the overwhelming majority of the human proteome, but within the mitochondrial genome itself, inside a short reading frame in the MT-RNR1 gene that also encodes the 12S rRNA. That's an unusual arrangement biologically, and it's the reason MOTS-c gets discussed as a signal that reports on a cell's mitochondrial and metabolic state rather than as a conventional hormone or growth factor. This particular listing is supplied at 20 mg per vial — a mid-range quantity relative to the 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg formats commonly seen across the research-peptide market, sized for labs running multiple dose-response in-vitro assays or replicate experiments without needing to reconstitute a fresh vial for every run. As with any lyophilized research peptide, reconstitution and handling should follow standard laboratory technique for the intended assay; this page does not provide human dosing or administration guidance because the material is not supplied, tested, or labeled for that use.

MOTS-c was first described in the scientific literature in 2015, and what got researchers' attention wasn't a novel biological effect so much as a novel origin. Nearly every peptide studied in a lab is translated from a gene sitting in the nuclear genome. MOTS-c isn't — it's translated from a short open reading frame embedded in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA region of the MT-RNR1 gene, making it one of only a handful of known peptides encoded directly by mitochondrial rather than nuclear DNA. That distinction is the reason MOTS-c is classified as a mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP) rather than a conventional signaling hormone, and it's central to why researchers have investigated it as a messenger that communicates a cell's mitochondrial and metabolic status outward, rather than as a peptide with a single fixed receptor and downstream pathway. The mechanism that's received the most research attention centers on AMPK, the cell's core energy-sensing enzyme. The proposed pathway runs indirectly: research models suggest MOTS-c can inhibit MTHFD2, a mitochondrial enzyme involved in the folate cycle. Disrupting that cycle reduces synthesis of 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, which in turn is associated with accumulation of AICAR — a compound already known in the literature as a natural AMPK activator. By this route, MOTS-c is studied as an indirect AMPK activator rather than a molecule that binds AMPK directly, which is a meaningful distinction from direct AMPK activators like AICAR itself. Downstream, AMPK activation is tied to glucose uptake, mitochondrial biogenesis via PGC-1α, and broader shifts in cellular energy handling — all of which is why MOTS-c research sits at the intersection of mitochondrial biology and metabolic signaling rather than in any single, narrower category. Preclinical work — almost entirely in cell culture and mouse models — has explored MOTS-c across several of these downstream threads. In diet-induced obesity models, administered MOTS-c has been associated with reduced weight gain and improved insulin sensitivity in mice. In exercise-physiology research, mouse studies have reported meaningfully improved running endurance alongside enhanced mitochondrial respiratory function in skeletal muscle, which is where MOTS-c earned its frequent description in the literature as an "exercise mimetic" — a peptide whose research effects resemble some of the adaptations produced by exercise itself, at least in these animal models. Separately, in aged-mouse models, MOTS-c administration has been studied for its association with improved physical performance measures, and reduced markers of cellular senescence have been reported in aged pancreatic islet tissue. It's worth being precise about what's actually been observed in humans, because it's a narrower picture than the animal data might suggest. Endogenous MOTS-c — the peptide your own mitochondria already produce — has been measured rising in human skeletal muscle and circulation during exercise, and separately, endogenous levels have been observed to decline with chronological age. Those are real, published human observational findings. What hasn't been established is any human interventional or clinical evidence that administering exogenous MOTS-c reproduces the metabolic, endurance, or aging-related effects seen in mouse models. As of this writing, there is no published randomized controlled trial establishing efficacy of administered MOTS-c for weight management, insulin sensitivity, exercise performance, or longevity outcomes in humans, and one early-phase human safety trial (registered as NCT05375253) has reported only preliminary tolerability data rather than efficacy results. That gap — strong preclinical signal, limited and non-interventional human data — is the honest state of the science, and it's exactly why this material is supplied and marketed for laboratory research rather than any therapeutic, diagnostic, or performance application. The research value of MOTS-c 20 mg lies in continuing to test these open questions in vitro and in appropriate animal models, not in applying preclinical findings to human use.

Every batch of Mots C 20 mg is manufactured under documented quality controls and independently verified via HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) and mass spectrometry prior to release. HPLC establishes the chromatographic purity of the material — in practical terms, what percentage of the sample is MOTS-c itself versus residual synthesis by-products or other impurities. Mass spectrometry corroborates this by confirming that the molecular mass of the material matches the expected mass of MOTS-c (~2,174.6 Da), which is the standard way a lab confirms it's looking at the correct molecule and not a truncated or modified synthesis error. Together, these two methods are what the current purity rating and identity confirmation are based on. It's worth being clear about what this testing does and doesn't tell you. HPLC and mass spectrometry establish purity and molecular identity — they are not sterility or endotoxin assays, and this page does not represent them as such. If sterility or endotoxin testing is added to the release specification in the future, that should be reflected explicitly in the COA and in this section; until then, the accurate claim is purity and identity verification, not a broader safety or sterility guarantee. Each vial is traceable to its own batch. The Certificate of Analysis for the current lot is available as a downloadable file directly from the product page. Because batches turn over as new lots are manufactured and sold, the specific batch number and analysis date should always be treated as current-lot information rather than a fixed fact to repeat verbatim in evergreen copy — the constant is that a batch-matched COA is provided for every lot, not the specific numbers on any one of them. For researchers who want to verify before they buy, the standard check is straightforward: confirm the lot number printed on the vial matches the lot number on the downloaded COA, and confirm the reported purity and mass data on that COA are consistent with the values quoted on the page.

Mots C 20 mg is manufactured and sold strictly for in-vitro laboratory research use. It is not approved for human or veterinary use, has not been reviewed or evaluated by the FDA, and must not be used, represented, or sold as a food, drug, dietary supplement, or cosmetic. This product is intended exclusively for qualified research professionals working in a laboratory setting. It is not intended for diagnostic or therapeutic use of any kind, and no dosing, administration, or human-use guidance is provided on this page or anywhere else on this site, in keeping with that restriction. Handling, reconstitution, and storage information provided elsewhere on this page is written for laboratory research workflows only. By purchasing this product, the buyer confirms it is being acquired for legitimate laboratory research purposes by a qualified professional or institution, and agrees to Prime Time Bio Labs' full Research Use Only terms as stated site-wide.