MOTS-c is a small peptide (16 amino acids) encoded in mitochondrial DNA — the DNA inside a cell’s energy-producing structures — rather than the main nuclear DNA. That makes it part of a newly identified class called “mitochondrial-derived peptides.”
In rodent studies, researchers found MOTS-c produced exercise-like metabolic effects: better insulin sensitivity and muscle adaptation under exercise or calorie stress.
No published human trial has tested MOTS-c for exercise performance, injury recovery, or any musculoskeletal use — the evidence sits entirely in animal and lab-dish work. That gap matters more than usual here: researchers have found that promising metabolic and exercise-mimicking results in rodents frequently fail to reproduce once tested in people.[1] “Exercise mimetic” describes an animal-study finding about MOTS-c, not a proven human effect.