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Healthy ageing & energy

MOTS-c

A peptide made by mitochondria, discussed for energy and metabolism.

StatusNot approved (EU/UK/US)
How well studied in peopleAnimal & lab only
Experts quoted8 experts

iNot medical advice. We don’t recommend any dose. Every dose below is a quote from the person named, describing their views or their own use. MOTS-c is not an approved medicine in the EU, UK or US. Products sold online are research chemicals.

What experts say about dosing

10 statements from 8 people. Each one is word for word: we add punctuation only and mark cuts with […]. The chips repeat the exact words used.

Nicholas TrigiliHuman performance specialist and coach; fitness YouTuber

Pulse dosing alongside retatrutide

Dose
“5 to 10 milligrams … starting at 5 millig”
How often
“two to three times per week … three times a week”
How taken
“subq”

“The way I like to run MOTS-c is running it like this. I take 5 to 10 milligrams subq subcutaneously two to three times per week. Most people do well starting at 5 millig three times a week and adjusting it from there”

Watch at 7:49Top 6 RETATRUTIDE Stacks to Get Shredded in 2026 (Nicholas Trigili) · upload date not confirmed

Context: This is a higher weekly total than the “5 to 10 mg per week” he gives in his July 2026 videos (above). Caption spelling of the compound name corrected: “Matzi” → MOTS-c. He says in his videos that he is not a doctor.

Own use: current routine

Dose
“5 to 10 mg per week”
How often
“usually two doses”
How long
“12 to 16-week periods”

“And then, we have MOTS-c. I cycle for 12 to 16-week periods. […] I run MOTS-c at 5 to 10 mg per week. I split it into usually two doses.”

Watch at 10:52I’m 39. Here's everything I'm taking to Beat Aging (Full Stack Breakdown) (Nicholas Trigili) · 20 Jul 2026

Context: From a video listing everything he takes. The cut removes his description of MOTS-c and SS-31.

How he would start today

Dose
“1 mg … move up to 2 mg”
How often
“five times a week”
How long
“4 weeks … another 4 weeks”
When
“first thing in the morning fasted or about 30 to 45 minutes before my training sessions”

“I've been running MOTS-c on and off for 8 years. And this is what I would do if I were starting to run MOTS-c today. I would start with 1 mg five times a week. Typically, I like to do it first thing in the morning fasted or about 30 to 45 minutes before my training sessions. […] I would run that for 4 weeks before making any adjustments. If you're tolerating it well and you want to push a little bit further, you can move up to 2 mg five times a week. I would keep it there though for another 4 weeks.”

Watch at 5:43MOTS-C isn’t a fat loss peptide (Here’s what it actually does) (Nicholas Trigili) · 30 Sep 2026

Context: The cut removes his advice to avoid injecting close to bedtime. Later in the video he says he would start SS-31 first (see the SS-31 page). He says in his videos that he is not a doctor.

Dr William SeedsOrthopaedic surgeon; founder of the International Peptide Society

For a healthy person: once a week

Dose
“10 milligrams”
How often
“once a week”
How taken
“subcutaneous injection”

“They want to control, and moderate that metabolism, so everything is functioning at its highest, and they want to improve their exercise capacity of the cell. Then that’s basically something where you would use 10 milligrams, and you’d use it once a week if we have, and that’s a subcutaneous injection, and what you need to know about MOTS-c. It is very fragile. It needs to be kept in a dark space in a refrigerator. And once you reconstitute it, you’ve got four hours to use it or less or it’s no good anymore.”

Read the source (at ≈27:00)Peptides Unveiled: The Best Peptide Stacks For Anti-Aging, Growth Hormone, Deep Sleep… (Ben Greenfield podcast transcript) · 17 Aug 2019

Context: Answering Ben Greenfield, who asks whether it is “just like a milligram for 10 weeks in a row once a week”. Seeds starts: “It depends on the state. Let’s say somebody’s healthy and they just want to stay there.” The transcript marks this passage at about 27 minutes into the episode.

Dr Edwin LeeEndocrinologist; founder of the Institute for Hormonal Balance (Orlando)

Once or twice a week; he uses it on and off

Dose
“10 milligrams once a week or 5 milligrams twice a week”
How often
“once to two times a week”
How taken
“sub Q”

“I, I, I do it intermittently […] you can do the protocols 10 milligrams once a week or 5 milligrams sub Q twice a week, um, you could go a little further if you have an event, like you're, you're, you're trying to like, yeah, run faster, like you have a marathon coming up or something like that, but in general just, uh, once to two times a week”

Watch at 40:42The Peptide That Heals Tendons, Joints & Injuries Faster Than Anything Else (The Dr. Hyman Show, with Dr Edwin Lee) · 26 Jun 2024 · Read the episode page

Context: Answering Mark Hyman, who asks whether it is something you use every day long term and then “could you use it every day?”. He says he has tried it himself and prefers it as an IV push because injections of it burn. The captions render MOTS-c as “MSI”. Labelled “Dr. Edwin Lee” in the drhyman.com transcript.

Ben GreenfieldFitness and longevity author; host of Ben Greenfield Life

Anti-aging stack (dosing guidelines)

Dose
“10mg”
How often
“1x/week”
How long
“for 10 weeks”
How taken
“Subcutaneous injection”
When
“right before endurance exercise, ideally in the morning”
Break
“1x/year”

“Dosing Guidelines: 10mg 1x/week for 10 weeks, 1x/year. Administration Route: Subcutaneous injection. Timing Tips: For added mitochondrial benefit, administer MOTS-c right before endurance exercise, ideally in the morning.”

Read the sourceBen’s Peptide Stack for Recovery, Explosive Gains, & Ageless Vitality (bengreenfieldlife.com) · 17 Sep 2024

Context: Published as “Dosing Guidelines” in the anti-aging stack of an article on his own site; not described as his own use. Bullet points joined into one line.

Vigorous SteveBodybuilding coach and YouTuber (VigorousSteve)

Own use and advice: start low

Dose
“micro administrations”
How often
“daily”
How taken
“subcutaneous”

“So for those people and for most people I would suggest just to start low, start with subcutaneous administrations and build your ways up. If you go with 10 milligrams intramuscularly, it's probably not going to end well for you. […] So, um, I circumvent that by doing daily micro administrations of modsi subcutaneously.”

Watch at 25:45Safest & Best Mots-C Dosing Protocols (Mitochondrial Performance Enhancing Drug) (VigorousSteve) · 10 Apr 2025

Context: “modsi” is how the captions render MOTS-c. The cut removes his description of anaphylaxis at high doses (quoted below). He does not give an amount for his “micro administrations”.

Jay CampbellAuthor and podcaster on hormones and peptides; co-founder of a peptide company

Five days on, two off

Dose
“1 mg”
How often
“5 days on, 2 days off”
How long
“8 weeks on, 8 weeks off”
How taken
“SubQ injection”
When
“AM, fasted”

“Dose: 1 mg. Timing: AM. Frequency: 5 days on, 2 days off. Duration: 8 weeks on, 8 weeks off. Administration: SubQ injection. […] Jay’s Note: MOTS-C is unlike anything else in this stack — it originates from within the mitochondria. The research on AMPK activation and metabolic regulation here is some of the most compelling I’ve seen. Run it fasted in the AM.”

Read the sourceJay Campbell’s Mitochondria Protocol (jaycampbell.com) · 30 Apr 2026

Context: Quoted from a protocol card on his website (the field labels Dose, Timing, Frequency, Duration and Administration are his). The protocol pages say every protocol has been “personally tested, refined, and used by Jay Campbell”, and most cards link to a product from BioLongevity Labs, a company he co-founded.

Dr Alex TatemBoard-certified urologist and men’s health specialist; YouTube educator

What he says people use (not his recommendation)

Dose
“somewhere between 5 and 15 mg”
How often
“three times a week”
How long
“for 8 to 12 weeks”
How taken
“injected subcutaneously”
Break
“followed by 4 to 8 weeks off”

“That said, here's what people are doing. The most recent circulating protocols for MOTS-c is somewhere between 5 and 15 mg injected subcutaneously three times a week for 8 to 12 weeks, followed by 4 to 8 weeks off. […] Now, I have seen more aggressive protocols where people are running 1 to 3 mg daily, but biohacker forums are full of variations.”

Watch at 12:25MOTS-c: The Peptide That Makes Your Cells Think You’re Exercising (Dr Alex Tatem) · 20 May 2026

Context: Just before this he says he is “just reporting on what’s happening”. Later in the video: “this is just what people are doing, not what I'm telling you to do”.

Dr Jones DCDoctor of chiropractic (DC); YouTube channel on peptides and GLP-1 medications

His clinic’s protocol

Dose
“10 mg”
How often
“once a week (up to three times a week for the first two weeks)”
How long
“8 to 12 weeks maximum, then a month or two off”
How taken
“injection”
When
“Morning”

“The protocol that our medical team uses is 10 mg in a single injection once a week. Morning administration. This is what I see working. If you want to load in faster, you can hit a saturation point. Some patients will run it up to three times per week just for two weeks. Same 10 mg dose, but three times a week. After that, back to once a week. 8 weeks to 12 is a maximum cycle before you take a break, say a month or two off.”

Watch at 11:18Doctor Explains The Truth About MOTS-c & If It’s Safe (Dr Jones DC) · 18 Jun 2026

Context: What he says his clinic’s medical team uses. He repeats the same weekly amount in a later video on MOTS-c dosing (Iik5YjAEn1c, 8:06), with the option of 5 mg twice a week.

What experts say about safety

2 statements from 1 person about risks and how strong the evidence is.

Vigorous SteveBodybuilding coach and YouTuber (VigorousSteve)

Injection-site reactions by dose

“Between 0.5 to 1 millig subcutaneously, you'll notice a slight post injection irritation, but no pain, perhaps some redness for about 24 hours following the injection. […] Between 2.5 milligrams to 5 milligrams subcutaneously, you'll definitely get a severe rash making it look like you have a credit card sized patch of cellulitis”

Watch at 23:17Safest & Best Mots-C Dosing Protocols (Mitochondrial Performance Enhancing Drug) (VigorousSteve) · 10 Apr 2025

Context: From his own experience. The cut removes his comments on intramuscular injection and the energy “wave”.

Anaphylaxis (own experience)

“beyond 5 milligrams subcutaneous or intramuscularly, you can expect an adverse reaction whether it was subq or intramuscularly. And at 10 milligrams intramuscularly, you might cause anaphylactic shock. […] Yeah, it happened to me twice. It's not fun.”

Watch at 26:00Safest & Best Mots-C Dosing Protocols (Mitochondrial Performance Enhancing Drug) (VigorousSteve) · 10 Apr 2025

Context: The cut removes his description of symptoms and of keeping an EpiPen on standby.

Go deeper

What the research used

Context, not a dosing guide. The MOTS-c studies we could verify are in mice and cells. No published clinical trial of injected MOTS-c in people was found, so none of this establishes a human dose.

Animal and cell studies

StudyStudied inWhat the study usedWhat it found
Lee et al., 2015, Cell MetabPubMed 25738459Mice on a high-fat diet; ageing miceMOTS-c by injectionPrevented diet-induced obesity and age-related insulin resistance
Kim et al., 2018, Cell MetabPubMed 29983246Cultured cells under metabolic stress—MOTS-c moved into the nucleus and regulated stress-response genes
What we don’t know yet
  • No published human trial of injected MOTS-c.
  • Vigorous Steve reports severe injection-site reactions and two episodes of anaphylaxis at higher doses; see the safety quotes.
  • Grey-market products are unregulated, so identity, purity and dose accuracy vary.
Common questions

Is MOTS-c a fat-loss peptide?

Nicholas Trigili argues it is not; the mouse studies show effects on insulin sensitivity and diet-induced weight gain. There are no human trials.

What side effects do people report?

Redness and itching at the injection site, and in Vigorous Steve’s case anaphylaxis at high doses.

Why do experts pair it with SS-31?

Nicholas Trigili says he starts SS-31 first to “repair the machine”; this is his reasoning, not trial evidence.

Why does the protocol section only contain quotes?

We do not write our own dose ranges. The protocol cards show, word for word, what named people have publicly said, with their caveats and a link to the source.

About this page

Word-for-word statements about how MOTS-c, a mitochondria-derived peptide, is used, including injection-site and allergic reactions, each with a link to the source. The published research is listed separately as context.

Also known as
Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c
Type
16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA
Last updated
11 Oct 2026

Last reviewed 11 Oct 2026 · Compiled by the Peptide Dosing editorial team · How we check quotes