Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of DSIP and MOTS-c — mechanism, dosing, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) is a nonapeptide (Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu) isolated in 1977 by Schoenenberger and Monnier from cerebral venous blood of rabbits during electrically induced sleep. It has been studied as a putative sleep and stress modulator, but the evidence base is weak, largely pre-2000, and DSIP is not FDA-approved.
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide (MDP) encoded within the mitochondrial 12S rRNA, discovered by Lee and Cohen at USC in 2015 (sequence: MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR). It is an investigational, research-only peptide studied as a metabolic regulator; it has not been approved by the FDA for any indication.
DSIP
MOTS-c
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Dose Range
Route
Frequency
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
DSIP
MOTS-c
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
DSIP
69
COAs
99.4%
Avg purity
14
Labs
MOTS-c
193
COAs
99.5%
Avg purity
16
Labs
DSIP is among peptides under FDA review for the Category 1 (503A) list; if added, it would require a prescription to be compounded by registered 503A/503B pharmacies — not yet authorized. MOTS-c remains research-only. In April 2026 the FDA removed 12 peptides from Category 2, which does not place them on the Category 1 list or authorize compounding. The FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is advisory and meets July 23–24, 2026 to review nominations and make recommendations to the FDA.
Schoenenberger & Monnier first isolated and characterized DSIP in 1977 (PNAS 74(3):1282-6, PMID 265572). Graf & Kastin's 1984 review (Neurosci Biobehav Rev, PMID 6145137) summarized the first decade of work, noting reported effects on sleep, pain, and stress but also substantial inconsistency across labs and species. Schneider-Helmert (Eur Neurol 1986, PMID 3792404) reported sleep normalization in 18 middle-aged and elderly chronic insomniacs given DSIP over one week — small, open, and never replicated at scale. Schneider-Helmert et al. (Dtsch Med Wochenschr 1987, PMID 3582201) explored phase-shifted insomnia. Kovalzon & Strekalova (J Neurochem 2006, PMID 16539679) summarized the field as a 'still unresolved riddle,' noting that no DSIP receptor or gene has been identified. No Phase 3 trials, no FDA approval, no modern controlled replication.
Key references
Lee et al. (Cell Metabolism, 2015; PMID 25738459) identified MOTS-c and showed that exogenous administration in mice prevented diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance via AMPK activation in skeletal muscle. Kim et al. (Cell Metabolism, 2018; PMID 29983246) demonstrated that MOTS-c translocates to the nucleus under metabolic stress and regulates antioxidant response element (ARE) genes. Reynolds et al. (Nature Communications, 2021; PMID 33473109) reported that exercise induces MOTS-c in human skeletal muscle and that MOTS-c treatment improved physical capacity in young, middle-aged, and aged mice. Human clinical data are limited to CohBar's Phase 1a/1b study of the analog CB4211 in healthy volunteers and obese NAFLD subjects, which reported acceptable tolerability and exploratory signals on ALT/AST and glucose; CohBar wound down the program in 2023. No completed Phase 2 or Phase 3 trials exist for MOTS-c or its analogs, and grey-market dosing (typically ~10 mg SubQ 2-3x/week) is not clinically validated.
DSIP (Cognitive) and MOTS-c (Metabolic) are in different categories and target different biological pathways. This is a common pattern in multi-compound research protocols. Researchers should monitor the biomarkers from both profiles and watch for interactions listed in each compound’s contraindications. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before combining any research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Dosing Notes
Half-life
Side Effects
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs