# MOTS-c peptide Dosage in Research: Doses, Routes, and Half-Life > MOTS-c peptide dosage in the research literature: rodent regimens of 0.5-15 mg/kg/day IP, routes studied, and the absence of any validated human dose or half-life. Cited. The rodent dose figures (0.5-15 mg/kg/day IP), the routes used, the durations studied, and the honest blank where a validated human dose, frequency, and half-life would go. ## Before the details A direct note on MOTS-c peptide dosage: every dose figure on this page is from animal studies, and none of it is human dosing guidance. "mg/kg" means milligrams of peptide per kilogram of the animal's body weight — a lab measure that does not convert to a human dose. "IP" means intraperitoneal: an injection into the abdominal cavity, a route used in rodents that is not a human administration method. In mice, researchers used roughly 0.5 to 15 mg/kg per day [1][2]. There is no established, validated human dose, frequency, or schedule for MOTS-c. ## MOTS-c Dosage in the Research Literature Published rodent regimens cluster in a wide band. The founding 2015 metabolic study used ~0.5 mg/kg/day IP for chronic dosing (about 8 weeks) and 5 mg/kg/day IP for an acute 7-day protocol in C57BL/6 mice [1]. The 2021 exercise-capacity study used 15 mg/kg/day IP, or 15 mg/kg IP three times weekly, in mice across age groups [2]. Bone studies have used 5 mg/kg/day IP for 12 weeks [1]. So the research dose range is roughly 0.5-15 mg/kg/day IP, depending on the model and endpoint [1][2]. These are doses administered to mice by intraperitoneal injection. They cannot be extrapolated to humans: interspecies dose conversion is not linear, and no human dose-finding work has been done [1][2]. This is the [MOTS-c dosage in research](/dosage#dosage), stated as exactly what it is. ### How Often Was MOTS-c Dosed in Studies? Published rodent work used daily or thrice-weekly intraperitoneal injection (for example 15 mg/kg/day or 15 mg/kg 3x/week in aged mice) [2]. There is no validated human dosing frequency. ### Daily vs Intermittent Dosing in Studies Both daily and thrice-weekly intraperitoneal regimens appear in rodent studies; there is no consensus optimal frequency and no validated human schedule [1][2]. ### Can I Inject MOTS-c Every Day? This is a research-only question: rodent studies used both daily (15 mg/kg/day) and thrice-weekly regimens, but those are animal protocols [2]. No validated human schedule exists, and MOTS-c is not an approved drug for human use. ## MOTS-c Half-Life and Pharmacokinetics No validated human pharmacokinetic half-life has been published for MOTS-c [1]. As a small unmodified peptide, native MOTS-c is expected to be short-lived in circulation, which is consistent with the fact that published in-vivo work relies on repeated daily or thrice-weekly dosing rather than a single administration [1][2]. Cell-penetrating analogues have been engineered specifically to improve delivery — for example the analogue used in the neuroprotection memory study [5]. Without measured human absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion data, statements about how long MOTS-c "lasts" in a person are not supported by the literature [1]. This is the [MOTS-c half-life and pharmacokinetics](/dosage#half-life) record: an open question, not a published number. ### Onset Timeline in Research Studies Animal studies report metabolic effects over chronic dosing windows of roughly one to eight weeks [1]. No validated human onset timeline has been published. ### How Long Did Effects Take in Animal Studies? In rodent metabolic studies, measurable changes accrued over multi-week dosing (about one to eight weeks) [1]. No validated human time-to-effect exists. ## Routes of Administration Studied The dominant route in rodent MOTS-c research is intraperitoneal (IP) injection — injection into the abdominal cavity [1][2]. Subcutaneous injection appears in some research contexts, and in-vitro work uses cell culture [1]. The neuroprotection study used a cell-penetrating analogue given peripherally to enable brain delivery [5]. MOTS-c is supplied for research as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder; reconstitution and storage conditions are vendor- and study-specific, and no standardised human formulation exists [1]. These are laboratory routes documented in published studies, not administration guidance for people. ### Treatment Durations Used in Research Published animal studies ran from about one week (acute) to roughly twelve weeks (chronic, e.g. bone studies) [1]. No human cycle length has been established. ### Routes Used in Research Rodent studies overwhelmingly used intraperitoneal injection, with subcutaneous injection in some research contexts [1][2]. These are laboratory routes, not human administration guidance. ### MOTS-c injection: what the studies used MOTS-c injection in published research means intraperitoneal (and sometimes subcutaneous) injection in rodents [1][2]. There is no human injection protocol, dose, or schedule in the peer-reviewed literature, and MOTS-c is not an FDA-approved injectable drug — see [MOTS-c legal status](/legal-status). --- A flat-laid specimen catalogue of the MOTS-c research record — each study, dose figure, and access fact logged to source and tagged by evidence strength, the human-data gaps left in plain view; no clinic behind the tray and nothing here dispensed or sold.