Mitochondrial-derived peptides — short products encoded within mitochondrial DNA — were dismissed as noise until functional studies showed metabolic signaling activity. MOTS-c is the best-studied member, with animal data on insulin sensitivity and exercise capacity and an early-stage human program via a synthetic analog.
The research-chemical market has, as usual, outrun the science: MOTS-c is widely sold despite minimal human data and known stability challenges that our lab-handling article covers in detail.
