People searching for a MOTS-c dosage are usually looking for a number to inject. There is no such number with evidence behind it. No study has given MOTS-c to people and reported the result.
What does exist is a set of mouse studies with specific doses, and two human trials whose doses are not public. This page sets out each one, with the species and route. What MOTS-c did in those studies is covered in MOTS-c evidence.
What MOTS-c is
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, first described in 2015 [1]. The body makes it naturally. In mice, its main target appeared to be skeletal muscle, where it activated AMPK, an energy-sensing enzyme.
The doses used in mice
The founding 2015 study gave MOTS-c by intraperitoneal injection, into the abdominal cavity, in every animal experiment [1]. Doses varied by experiment.
Mice given 5 mg/kg a day for 7 days cleared glucose faster and showed better insulin sensitivity. Mice on a high-fat diet given 0.5 mg/kg a day for 8 weeks gained less weight than untreated mice on the same diet [1].
A 2021 study from the same field tested physical capacity [2]. Young mice received 5 or 15 mg/kg a day for 2 weeks; on a high-fat diet, mice on the higher dose ran clearly better. Middle-aged and old mice received 15 mg/kg a day for 2 weeks and ran longer.
In the same study, mice starting at about 23.5 months of age received 15 mg/kg three times a week for the rest of life [2]. Grip strength and other physical measures were better than in untreated mice.
| Study | Dose (mouse) | Duration | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee 2015 | 5 mg/kg/day | 7 days | Glucose clearance, insulin sensitivity |
| Lee 2015 | 0.5 mg/kg/day | 8 weeks | Weight gain on high-fat diet |
| Reynolds 2021 | 5 or 15 mg/kg/day | 2 weeks | Treadmill running |
| Reynolds 2021 | 15 mg/kg, 3 times a week | Late life | Grip strength, physical capacity |
The human trials, and what they disclose
The one completed human trial tested CB4211, which a 2022 review describes as a MOTS-c analog [4]. An analog is a modified molecule, so its dose would not carry over to MOTS-c itself.
Its phase 1 trial enrolled 88 people and gave CB4211 by injection under the skin [5]. The registry lists the doses only as “Dose 1” through “Dose 6” and “Dose to be determined.” It was completed in April 2021, with no results posted.
A phase 2a trial of MOTS-c in adults with prediabetes and overweight or obesity began in February 2026 [6]. It gives a fixed dose once daily under the skin for 12 weeks, with 120 people planned. The registry does not state the dose, and its estimated completion date is May 2028.
What the body makes on its own
MOTS-c circulates in human blood without any injection. In 30 adults randomized to endurance exercise, resistance exercise or rest, MOTS-c levels showed only a trend toward rising after endurance exercise [3].
The 2021 mouse study also reported that exercise raised MOTS-c in human muscle and blood [2]. Those are natural levels. They say nothing about what an injected dose would do.
Regulatory and sport status
MOTS-c is on none of the FDA’s 503A category lists as of the May 14, 2026 update [8]. The FDA’s safety-risk page says it has found no human exposure data for MOTS-c by any route [9].
In July 2026 the FDA proposed not adding it to the 503A list [7]. The advisory committee voted to recommend adding it anyway [10]. That vote is not binding. The legal meaning of each list is in are peptides legal.
Athletes should know the 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency list names MOTS-c as a prohibited metabolic modulator at all times [11].
What this means
Any MOTS-c dose you see quoted for people is a guess. It may come from a mouse study, or from nowhere, but not from a human trial with published results. That could change when the phase 2a trial reports.
Epitalon, another peptide sold for aging, has a similar gap between claim and evidence; see epitalon. For longevity options with human data, start at the longevity goal page.