There is no established human dose of MOTS-c. Why dosage charts and protocols online are not evidence-based, and what a dose would require.
By the MOTS-C Peptide editorial team·Last reviewed ·Sources: editorially approved
Short answer
There is no established human dosage of MOTS-c. No pharmacokinetic, dose-finding or clinical study has been published, and FDA’s 2026 review found no data on MOTS-c administered to people by any route [FDA 2026]. Any dosage chart, daily amount, protocol or timing schedule you encounter is therefore not based on clinical evidence.
What a dose actually rests on
For an approved medicine, a recommended amount is the end of a chain of evidence. For MOTS-c, every link is missing.
Human pharmacokinetics. How much reaches the bloodstream and tissues, and how quickly it is cleared. No published human study exists; FDA was explicit that it found no human data by any route [FDA 2026].
Nonclinical toxicology. The exposure at which harm appears in animals, used to set a safe human starting point. FDA found no nonclinical data adequate to inform safety considerations [FDA 2026].
Dose-ranging studies. Different quantities compared in people for effect and tolerability. The agency noted that assessments of dose-response relationships for MOTS-c are missing altogether [FDA 2026].
A characterised product. A defined substance with known purity and impurity limits. FDA judged both the free base and the acetate not well characterised [FDA 2026].
A known target. Without an identified molecular target, there is no mechanistic basis for predicting which organs are exposed or what a graded response would look like [FDA 2026].
Why animal quantities do not transfer
Published experiments state the quantities they used, as any methods section must. Those numbers are properties of an experiment in a particular species, by a particular route, in a particular model. Translating them to people requires the human pharmacokinetic data described above, plus allometric assumptions that themselves need validating. Several specific complications apply here:
The molecule varies. Free base and acetate salt are distinct substances, treated separately by FDA, and analogues such as CB4211 are different molecules again [NCT03998514].
Activity depends on sequence. The naturally occurring K14Q variant showed diminished activity compared with the reference peptide in mice and cells [Zempo et al. 2021], so small changes matter.
Routes differ across studies. Experiments have used intraperitoneal, intravenous, central and in-culture delivery. Exposure differs by route, and none of these is a basis for a human regimen.
Target tissue is uncertain. The discovery work pointed to skeletal muscle as the apparent primary target in mice [Lee et al. 2015], but the receptor remains unidentified.
Where a real dose would come from
The Phase 2a trial in adults with prediabetes is the first registered study designed to generate human pharmacodynamic data on administered MOTS-c, with estimated completion in 2028 [NCT07505745]. Published dose-finding work would follow from programmes of that kind, not from internet protocols.
Reading what circulates online
Dosage charts, per-week tables, calculators and PDF protocols for MOTS-c are widely available. They share a common feature: no citation to a human study, because there is none to cite. FDA’s review noted that internet search results show injectable MOTS-c marketed for regulating mitochondrial energy, promoting metabolic homeostasis, improving glucose regulation, protecting against insulin resistance, promoting weight loss and improving physical performance [FDA 2026] — a marketing landscape well ahead of the evidence.
No validated one exists. A dosage chart requires human pharmacokinetic and dose-finding studies, and none has been published for MOTS-c. Charts circulating online are not derived from clinical data.
How much MOTS-c per day?
No daily amount has been established for people. FDA found no human data on MOTS-c by any route of administration, so no quantity has been shown to be either effective or safe.
What is the half-life of MOTS-c?
Unknown in humans. No published human pharmacokinetic study exists, so absorption, distribution and clearance in people have not been measured.
What amounts did the animal studies use?
Each study reports its own experimental quantities in its methods, which are conditions for that species and model. Without human pharmacokinetic data they cannot be converted into a human amount, and this site does not publish such conversions.
Is there a MOTS-c protocol or cycle?
No protocol, cycle length or timing schedule has been established in any published human study. Questions of timing presuppose a validated regimen, and none exists.
References
Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG et al. (2015). The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Cell Metab. PubMed 25738459 · doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2015.02.009 · Study record[Animal, tier C]
Zempo H, Kim SJ, Fuku N et al. (2021). A pro-diabetogenic mtDNA polymorphism in the mitochondrial-derived peptide, MOTS-c. Aging (Albany NY). PubMed 33468709 · doi:10.18632/aging.202529 · Study record[Human obs., tier B]
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2026-05-11). FDA Briefing Document: MOTS-c-Related Bulk Drug Substances (MOTS-c (free base) and MOTS-c acetate). Source[retrieved 2026-11-11]
ClinicalTrials.gov (2026-04-01). MOTS-c for Improving Insulin Sensitivity in Adults With Prediabetes and Overweight/Obesity (NCT07505745). Source[retrieved 2026-11-11]
ClinicalTrials.gov (2021-05-11). A Phase 1a/1b Study of CB4211 in Healthy Non-obese Subjects and Subjects With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NCT03998514). Source[retrieved 2026-11-11]