DOSAGE // RESEARCH CONTEXT
How the MOTS-c peptide is dosed in the research literature
The published numbers are rodent intraperitoneal doses. There is no validated human pharmacokinetics, half-life, or schedule — this page reports methodology, not guidance.
Before the numbers
A plain caution before any figure. Every MOTS-c peptide dosage number in the literature comes from animal experiments — mostly mice given injections into the abdominal cavity (the intraperitoneal route). These are research designs chosen to study biology, not recommendations for people. No human study has measured a safe dose, a schedule, or how long the molecule lasts in a person's blood. So read the milligram-per-kilogram values below as a record of how scientists ran their experiments, and nothing more.
How MOTS-c Doses Are Expressed in the Research Literature
MOTS-c dosage in published work is expressed per kilogram of body weight, by injection, in animals. The founding metabolic studies used roughly 0.5 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally for chronic dosing (about 8 weeks) and 5 mg/kg/day for short acute studies (7 days) in mice [1]. The aged-mouse physical-capacity work used 15 mg/kg/day, or 15 mg/kg three times weekly, intraperitoneally [2]. A 2023 synthesis of MOTS-c's metabolic actions documents the broader range of study designs and durations [7].
These are animal-model figures. They cannot be converted into a human dose: the milligram-per-kilogram values, the route, and the dosing frequency were all chosen for rodent experiments, and no validated human dose-response exists [4]. This is what "how doses are expressed" means here — a description of study methods, not a protocol.
MOTS-c Half-Life
MOTS-c Half-Life
No validated human pharmacokinetic half-life has been published for MOTS-c [4]. As a small, unmodified peptide, native MOTS-c is expected to be short-lived in circulation, which is consistent with published in-vivo work relying on repeated daily or thrice-weekly dosing rather than a single measured human t1/2 [2][4]. Cell-penetrating analogues have been engineered in research to improve delivery, but these are experimental constructs, not a characterized human formulation [4].
Routes and administration in studies
How MOTS-c Is Administered in Studies
Intraperitoneal (IP) injection is the dominant route in rodent studies; subcutaneous injection and cell-culture exposure also appear, and one neuroscience study used a cell-penetrating analogue for peripheral delivery [1][2]. There is no validated human route. MOTS-c is supplied for research as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder, with reconstitution and storage conditions that are vendor- and study-specific; no standardized human formulation exists [4].
Where is best to inject MOTS-c?
The dominant route in published work is intraperitoneal injection in rodents [2]. There is no validated human injection site or protocol, so this is a description of research methodology rather than human guidance [4].
How often do you inject MOTS-c?
There is no human dosing schedule. Published rodent studies used daily or thrice-weekly intraperitoneal injection — for example 15 mg/kg/day or 15 mg/kg three times weekly [2] — which is animal-model methodology, not human guidance [4].
Can I inject MOTS-c every day?
Some rodent studies used daily intraperitoneal dosing [1][2], but there is no human dosing schedule and no clinical recommendation for frequency or duration of use [4].
How long should you take MOTS-c?
No validated human duration exists. Published regimens range from roughly one week to several weeks in animals [1][2] and are study-specific methodology, not human protocols [4].
Why none of this is human dosing guidance
The bridge from a rodent milligram-per-kilogram dose to a human one does not exist for MOTS-c. There is no published human bioavailability, no validated half-life, and no completed human efficacy or safety trial [4]. Allometric scaling of an unstudied peptide is not a substitute for clinical data, and an unapproved research chemical carries no standardized strength or purity [4]. For the regulatory framing of access, see the FDA 503A compounding framework.