MOTS-c: human exercise and mouse experiments
10 young men exercised; other tests used mice and cells
What did they want to find out?
Does MOTS-c change with exercise, and what happens when mice receive it?
What did researchers observe?
Natural MOTS-c changed with exercise; administering the peptide improved some mouse performance tests.
What does this mean for you?
Natural human measurements and animal administration answer different questions.
What we still do not know
No human participant received MOTS-c. Overall mouse survival was not conclusive.
Show study details
Original sources checked on 4 October 2026. AI-assisted editorial summaries, not a systematic review or an independent medical assessment.
MOTS-c: human exercise and mouse experiments
Nature Communications · 2021
How it was studied
Human measurement and separate preclinical experiments. 10 young men exercised; other tests used mice and cells.
Study finding
Natural MOTS-c changed with exercise; administering the peptide improved some mouse performance tests.
Study limitations
No human participant received MOTS-c. Overall mouse survival was not conclusive.
Who is behind the study?
- Identified authors
- Joseph C. Reynolds, Rochelle W. Lai, Jonathan S. T. Woodhead, James H. Joly, Cameron J. Mitchell, Ryan Lu, Nicholas A. Graham, Bérénice A. Benayoun, David Cameron-Smith, Pinchas Cohen, Troy L. Merry, Changhan Lee
- Funding and involvement
- NIA, AFAR, USC and other fellowships and foundations; full list in the article.
- Disclosed interests and verification limits
- Cohen and Lee disclosed CohBar consultancy and shares; that alone is not corporate funding.
Terms explained
- Endogenous
- Made by the body itself.
- Preclinical
- Research before a treatment effect is demonstrated in people.
Read the source and its limitations. A reference does not automatically validate a commercial product.
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