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 MOTS-c and Thymulin — mechanism, dosing, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
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.
Thymulin is a zinc-dependent nonapeptide (pGlu-Ala-Lys-Ser-Gln-Gly-Gly-Ser-Asn) secreted by thymic epithelial cells, originally isolated by Bach and colleagues in the 1970s as 'facteur thymique sérique' (FTS). It is NOT the same compound as Thymalin (a Russian bovine thymus extract) or Thymosin alpha-1 (a separate 28-amino-acid thymic peptide). Thymulin is not FDA-approved; use is research/investigational only.
MOTS-c
Thymulin
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Dose Range
Route
Frequency
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
MOTS-c
Thymulin
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
MOTS-c
193
COAs
99.5%
Avg purity
16
Labs
Thymulin
5
COAs
99.5%
Avg purity
4
Labs
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.
Key references
Bach and Dardenne originally characterized FTS/thymulin and its absolute zinc dependency (Bach & Dardenne, Med Oncol Tumor Pharmacother 1989, PMID 2657247). Prasad et al. (J Clin Invest 1988, PMID 3262625) showed that serum thymulin activity falls in human zinc deficiency and recovers with zinc supplementation. Mocchegiani et al. (Int J Immunopharmacol 1995, PMID 8582782) demonstrated partial reversal of thymic involution with zinc in aged mice. Dardenne & Pleau reviewed zinc-thymulin interactions (Met Based Drugs 1994, PMID 18476235). Safieh-Garabedian et al. (Br J Pharmacol 2002, PMID 12110619) reported analgesic/anti-inflammatory activity of a thymulin-related peptide in rats. There are NO large, modern RCTs of exogenous thymulin in humans; clinical use is experimental.
MOTS-c (Metabolic) and Thymulin (Immune) 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