# MOTS-c

mitochondrial ORF of the 12S rRNA-c

https://graded.pl/en/substances/mots-c · Checked: Not yet

Preliminary version. The editors have not finished checking this card, and grades may change.

A peptide made in mitochondria, the power plants of cells. Studied mainly in cells and animals. No such medicine exists.

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## Short answers

### Does MOTS-c work?

A peptide made in mitochondria, the power plants of cells. Studied mainly in cells and animals. No such medicine exists. Longer life: grade D, not clear. Mouse studies only. Papers tagged as studies with random groups measure MOTS-c in blood and do not give it to people.

### Is MOTS-c legal?

PL: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. EU: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). US: No approval. No approved medicine. On 30 October 2026 the US health department (HHS) published a draft policy: it does not plan to act against pharmacies and doctors that make it on a prescription for a named patient, from an FDA-registered maker, until the FDA decides by rule. The draft is not binding, and comments close on 13 November 2026.

### Is MOTS-c banned in sport?

Banned in sport, WADA 2026.

### Is MOTS-c safe?

Not known. Papers tagged as studies with random groups measure MOTS-c in blood and do not give it to people. A 2026 review says very little is known about the safety of peptides like this one in people.

## What studies show

| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longer life | D | Not clear | Mouse studies only. Papers tagged as studies with random groups measure MOTS-c in blood and do not give it to people. |

## Studies we have read

- MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis. (Nature communications 2021; In animals) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33473109/

## Is it legal

- PL: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/other/article-57-product-data_en.xlsx (Checked: Not yet)
- EU: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/other/article-57-product-data_en.xlsx (Checked: Not yet)
- US: No approval. No approved medicine. On 30 October 2026 the US health department (HHS) published a draft policy: it does not plan to act against pharmacies and doctors that make it on a prescription for a named patient, from an FDA-registered maker, until the FDA decides by rule. The draft is not binding, and comments close on 13 November 2026. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/30/2026-22192/enforcement-discretion-policy-regarding-503a-compounding-using-certain-peptide-bulk-drug-substances (Checked: Not yet)

## Doping

Banned in sport, WADA 2026. https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/trb-2026-25.html

## How much research exists

- Scientific papers: 269
- Studies with random groups: 4
- Registered studies in people: 6
- These are search results. A count shows how much exists, not how good the studies are. 1 Nov 2026.

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Open data: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/