MOTS-c Dosing and Reconstitution Explained

Last updated: July 2026

MOTS-c has no FDA-approved product and no clinically established human dose, so “dosing and reconstitution” here means one thing only: the arithmetic that turns a lyophilised vial plus a target amount into exact syringe units. The formula never changes — reconstitute the powder with bacteriostatic water to a known concentration in mg/mL, divide your target amount by that concentration to get millilitres, then multiply by 100 to read units on a U-100 syringe.

Have a vial and a target amount? Turn any MOTS-c amount into exact mL and U-100 units in seconds.

Peptide reconstitution calculator →

TL;DR — key takeaways

Investigational only. MOTS-c is a research peptide. There is no approved MOTS-c medicine and no validated human dose — every number below is arithmetic, not a recommendation.
Two facts run every calculation. A U-100 syringe holds 100 units per 1 mL, and concentration is amount ÷ volume. That is all the maths requires.
Water sets the units, not the drug. The same 5 mg amount is 100 units from a 5 mg/mL vial but 50 units from a 10 mg/mL vial. More bacteriostatic water means more units for the identical amount.
Watch the 1 mL ceiling. If your maths asks for more than 100 units (1 mL) in one draw, you diluted too much — use less water or a stronger vial.

What MOTS-c actually is

MOTS-c (mitochondrial open reading frame of the twelve S rRNA type-c) is a 16‑amino-acid peptide encoded inside the mitochondrial genome. It was first described by Lee and colleagues in 2015 as a regulator of insulin sensitivity that acts largely through the AMPK energy-sensing pathway. Later work showed it is induced by exercise and can move into the cell nucleus to switch on stress-response genes. Human evidence to date is observational — for example, circulating MOTS-c is lower in obese children and in people with type 2 diabetes — not the dose-finding trials that would tell anyone how much to inject or how often. That gap is why this guide sticks to the reconstitution maths and leaves clinical decisions to a prescriber.

The one formula behind every draw

Reconstitution is nothing more than dissolving a known mass of powder in a known volume of liquid, which fixes the concentration:

concentration (mg/mL) = vial amount (mg) ÷ water added (mL)

Once you have that concentration, converting any target amount to units takes two steps — find the volume, then read it in units:

volume (mL) = amount ÷ concentration • units = volume × 100

Because MOTS-c protocols are often written in micrograms (mcg), remember that 1 mg = 1000 mcg. Convert to the same unit before dividing and the arithmetic stays clean.

Reconstitution reference: 10 mg vial

A 10 mg vial is the most commonly sold size. The table shows the concentration you land on for different volumes of bacteriostatic water, and what a 5 mg amount would read on a U-100 syringe at each.

Water added	Concentration	5 mg amount = volume	5 mg amount = units
1 mL	10 mg/mL	0.50 mL	50 units
2 mL	5 mg/mL	1.00 mL	100 units
3 mL	3.33 mg/mL	1.50 mL	150 units (over 1 mL)
4 mL	2.5 mg/mL	2.00 mL	200 units (over 1 mL)

Notice how the same 5 mg amount balloons past the 100-unit line once you add 3 mL or more. Thin dilutions are fine for small amounts but force multi-draw injections for larger ones — a practical reason many people reconstitute a 10 mg vial with 1–2 mL.

Reading the syringe

On a U-100 insulin syringe every 1 mL is 100 units, so each 0.1 mL is 10 units and each small tick is 1 or 2 units depending on the barrel. The diagram below shows a 30-unit draw — the volume you would pull for a 0.75 mg amount from a 2.5 mg/mL vial.

Worked examples

Example 1 — standard 10 mg vial, 2 mL water

10 mg ÷ 2 mL = 5 mg/mL. For a 5 mg amount: 5 ÷ 5 = 1.0 mL × 100 = 100 units (a full 1 mL syringe).

Example 2 — small amount from the same vial

Same 5 mg/mL vial, target 0.5 mg (500 mcg): 500 ÷ 5000 mcg/mL = 0.1 mL × 100 = 10 units.

Example 3 — less water, denser vial

10 mg ÷ 1 mL = 10 mg/mL. A 5 mg amount now needs 5 ÷ 10 = 0.5 mL × 100 = 50 units — half the units of Example 1 for the identical amount.

Example 4 — the over-1 mL trap

10 mg ÷ 4 mL = 2.5 mg/mL. A 5 mg amount = 5 ÷ 2.5 = 2.0 mL = 200 units. That exceeds one syringe — use less water so it fits in a single draw.

Example 5 — 5 mg vial

5 mg ÷ 2 mL = 2.5 mg/mL. For a 0.25 mg (250 mcg) amount: 250 ÷ 2500 = 0.1 mL × 100 = 10 units.

Example 6 — the diagram draw

Same 2.5 mg/mL vial, target 0.75 mg (750 mcg): 750 ÷ 2500 = 0.3 mL × 100 = 30 units — the fill shown above.

Example 7 — how long a vial lasts

A 10 mg vial used at a 0.5 mg (10-unit) amount per dose yields 10 ÷ 0.5 = 20 doses. At 5 mg per dose it yields only 2. The vial size fixes the number of amounts you can draw, whatever the concentration.

Dose-to-units chart

Common target amounts shown as units on a U-100 syringe at two typical reconstitutions of a 10 mg vial. Always confirm against your own vial label and the volume you actually added.

Target amount	At 5 mg/mL (2 mL water)	At 10 mg/mL (1 mL water)
0.25 mg (250 mcg)	5 units	2.5 units
0.50 mg (500 mcg)	10 units	5 units
0.75 mg (750 mcg)	15 units	7.5 units
1 mg	20 units	10 units
2.5 mg	50 units	25 units
5 mg	100 units	50 units
10 mg	— (over 1 mL)	100 units

How this is calculated

Every figure on this page comes from the same two facts: a U-100 syringe holds 100 units per millilitre, and concentration equals amount divided by volume. There is no MOTS-c-specific constant — the arithmetic is identical to reconstituting any lyophilised peptide, which is why the reconstitution calculator handles MOTS-c, BPC-157 or a GLP-1 with the same engine. None of it is medical advice, a dosing recommendation, or a claim that MOTS-c is safe or effective in humans; it is only the maths for converting an amount your own protocol specifies into a number of units.

Safety and honesty notes

MOTS-c is an investigational research peptide. It is not approved by the FDA or any comparable regulator, human dose-finding trials have not established a safe or effective dose, and it is prohibited in competitive sport under anti-doping rules. Reconstitute only with sterile bacteriostatic water, keep the reconstituted vial refrigerated, and treat any amount you see quoted online as unvalidated. Decisions about whether to use it belong with a qualified clinician, not a calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official MOTS-c dose?

No. MOTS-c has no approved product and no established human dose. Preclinical studies used animal dosing that does not translate directly to people, and human research so far is observational. Any specific milligram figure you see is not clinically validated.

How much bacteriostatic water should I add to a 10 mg vial?

Any volume works mathematically; it only sets the concentration. Adding 1 mL gives 10 mg/mL and 2 mL gives 5 mg/mL. Less water means fewer units per amount and a smaller draw; more water means more units. Keep single draws under 100 units (1 mL).

Why do micrograms keep appearing?

MOTS-c amounts are often written in micrograms because they can be small fractions of a milligram. Convert first: 1 mg = 1000 mcg. Divide by the concentration in the matching unit and the units come out right.

What if my draw is more than 100 units?

Your vial is too dilute for that amount in one shot. Reconstitute the next vial with less water, or use a higher-strength vial, so the same amount fits within a single 1 mL syringe.

Sources

This guide is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always follow your prescriber’s specific instructions and consult a qualified clinician before changing any protocol.