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Research use only
· 7 min read
The question turns up because MOTS-c gets name-dropped in the same forum threads as compounds people really do file under "steroid", and the two words end up glued together in search bars. The chemistry unglues them in one line: MOTS-c is a peptide, and a steroid is a completely different class of molecule. Same drawer in someone's mental filing cabinet, entirely different biochemistry.
Kovalabs supplies MOTS-c strictly as a laboratory research reagent. It is not a medicine, supplement or cosmetic, and nothing below is dosing, medical or performance guidance.
No. A steroid is a lipid built on a fused four-ring carbon skeleton (the gonane core: three six-membered rings and one five-membered ring, seventeen carbons before you add anything else). Cholesterol, testosterone and cortisol are all variations on that ring system. MOTS-c has no ring skeleton at all. It is a short chain of sixteen amino acids linked by peptide bonds, encoded inside mitochondrial DNA. Different building blocks, different structure, different chemical family. Calling MOTS-c a steroid is a bit like calling a paragraph a brick because you found them stored on the same shelf.
MOTS-c stands for mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c. It belongs to the mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP) class: short peptides encoded by tiny open reading frames tucked inside the mitochondrial genome rather than the nuclear one. MOTS-c reads out of the 12S ribosomal RNA region, which is the detail that makes it interesting to structural biologists and the reason the "is it a steroid" question misses so completely. It is a peptide with a birth certificate from the mitochondrion.
| Name | MOTS-c (mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c) |
|---|---|
| Chemical class | Mitochondrial-derived peptide (16 amino acids) |
| Sequence | MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR |
| Molecular formula | C101H152N28O22S2 |
| Average molecular weight | 2174.6 g/mol |
| CAS number | 1627580-64-6 |
| PubChem CID | 146675088 |
One trap worth flagging: PubChem holds more than one MOTS-c record. The canonical, stereodefined entity is CID 146675088, which ties the sequence, the formula C101H152N28O22S2 and CAS 1627580-64-6 to a single molecule. A stereochemistry-unspecified variant (CID 155885767) and a separate connectivity record also exist, so a database lookup that returns one of those has handed you a different entry, not the same reference compound. Two sulphur atoms in the formula, incidentally, come straight from the two methionine residues in the chain.
The cleanest way to see why MOTS-c cannot be a steroid is to line the two classes up side by side.
| Feature | Peptide (MOTS-c) | Steroid |
|---|---|---|
| Building block | Amino acids joined by peptide bonds | A sterol lipid backbone |
| Core structure | Linear chain (16 residues here) | Four fused carbon rings (gonane) |
| Backbone elements | C, H, N, O, S (nitrogen in every bond) | Mostly C, H, O; no peptide-bond nitrogen |
| Identity marker | Sequence MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR | Ring substitution pattern |
| Origin of MOTS-c | Encoded in mitochondrial 12S rRNA | Not applicable |
Anabolic steroids, the ones the word usually conjures, are the testosterone-derived ring compounds. MOTS-c shares none of that architecture. It is a peptide throughout, which is also why it is handled and analysed like other research peptides rather than like a lipid.
It is tempting to read the metabolic framing around MOTS-c and assume the peptide has been shown to do something specific in people. That leap is exactly what the evidence does not support. What the published record contains is pathway description in cells and animals. The original characterisation (Lee et al., Cell Metab, 2015; PMID 25738459) worked in vitro and in mice and named endpoints in the folate one-carbon cycle, de novo purine biosynthesis and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. A later study (Kim et al., Cell Metab, 2018; PMID 29983246) modelled glucose restriction in cell lines and named AMPK-dependent nuclear translocation as an endpoint, alongside antioxidant-response-element gene expression and NFE2L2/NRF2 interaction as the other named endpoints. Study design only; no effect of the compound is asserted.
The single human-subject entry in this literature (Ramanjaneya et al., Clin Endocrinol, 2019; PMID 31066084) measured circulating endogenous MOTS-c in plasma by ELISA under a hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp. The peptide was measured, not administered, which makes it an observational measurement, not a trial of giving anyone MOTS-c. Study design only; no effect of the compound is asserted. So the honest summary is: real endogenous peptide, a genuine AMPK-associated research story in non-clinical systems, and no interventional human record. It is not a licensed medicine and no outcome is claimed for it.
For contrast, a structurally unrelated peptide such as SS-31 is also studied in a mitochondrial context but works through an entirely different molecular route (it associates with the inner-membrane lipid cardiolipin, not the AMPK pathway). "Mitochondrial" is an organelle, not a mechanism, and grouping peptides by receptor and pathway keeps those distinctions honest.
In general terms, MOTS-c is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and is not a scheduled substance, so it is not treated like the anabolic steroids that do sit under that legislation. It is supplied as a research chemical for laboratory use only. It is not authorised as a medicine, and it cannot lawfully be sold or bought for human or veterinary consumption. That framing, research reagent rather than product for a person, is the whole basis on which it is offered. This is general information, not legal advice, and the buyer is responsible for compliance with the terms set out in the research disclaimer.
A verified structure on PubChem is only useful if the powder in the vial matches it, which is a supplier-QA question, not a chemistry one. Every Kovalabs batch is tested at ILS Laboratories in San Diego, an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited lab, and every variant is tested rather than one strength standing in for the rest, because net peptide content is measured per fill. Each certificate of analysis reports purity by RP-HPLC (area normalisation at 214 nm) with the actual chromatogram shown, identity by HPLC retention-time matching against a reference standard, the net peptide content, and a fentanyl screen. The report is addressed "Tested for Kovalabs" for chain of custody, and a QR code verifies it at the lab's own portal. Handling notes, including bringing a cold vial to room temperature before opening, sit on the reconstitution page. Testing certifies the chemistry and contamination status of a research reagent, nothing about fitness for use in a person.
No. MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA region, with the sequence MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR and formula C101H152N28O22S2. Steroids are a separate lipid class built on a fused four-ring carbon skeleton. They share no structural family.
MOTS-c (mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c) is a mitochondrial-derived peptide: a short peptide encoded by an open reading frame inside the mitochondrial genome. It carries CAS 1627580-64-6 and PubChem CID 146675088, and is supplied for laboratory research use only.
MOTS-c is a peptide, structurally. It is not a steroid and not a small-molecule drug. Whether an endogenous signalling peptide is described as "hormone-like" is a labelling question; the chemistry is a 16-residue amino-acid chain, not a ring system.
In general terms MOTS-c is not a controlled drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and is not a scheduled substance. It is supplied as a research chemical for laboratory use only, is not authorised as a medicine, and cannot be sold or bought for human or veterinary use. This is general information, not legal advice.
Published in-vitro and animal studies characterise MOTS-c as an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway-associated peptide, with endpoints including AMPK activation, the folate one-carbon cycle and AMPK-dependent nuclear translocation. These are pathway descriptions in non-clinical systems; no human effect or benefit is established or asserted.
Each Kovalabs batch is tested at an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory. The certificate of analysis reports purity by RP-HPLC with the chromatogram shown, identity by HPLC retention-time matching against a reference standard, net peptide content, and a fentanyl screen, so the supplied material can be checked against the public CID 146675088 record.
Research use only
MOTS-c is supplied by Kovalabs strictly for laboratory research use. It is not a medicine, supplement or cosmetic, and it is not for human or veterinary use, administration or consumption. Nothing here is medical, clinical, dosing or legal advice, and no therapeutic or performance outcome is stated or implied. It has not been evaluated by the MHRA or any comparable regulator for safety or efficacy in humans or animals. Please read the full research disclaimer before purchase.