MOTS-c Dosage Chart: Vial Size to Syringe Units

A MOTS-c dosage chart maps a vial's labeled mg amount and the bacteriostatic water added to it into the number that actually matters at injection time: syringe units. MOTS-c ships as lyophilized powder, so the mg amount on the label is fixed, but concentration is not — it depends on how much water goes into the vial, and research doses for MOTS-c are typically described in micrograms, not milligrams (1 mg = 1000 mcg). This chart shows that math for the two most common MOTS-c reference setups. It is a reference for research and educational purposes only and is not medical advice.

Two reference concentrations

There is no single required water volume for MOTS-c. The two setups below are common because researchers frequently reference 5 mg and 10 mg vials, each mixed with the same 2 mL of bacteriostatic water:

Vial size	Water added	Concentration
5 mg (5000 mcg)	2 mL	2500 mcg/mL
10 mg (10000 mcg)	2 mL	5000 mcg/mL

Both come from the same formula — concentration equals vial mass divided by water volume — applied to two common MOTS-c vial sizes at the same water volume. Neither concentration is more correct than the other; a 10 mg vial simply packs twice the MOTS-c into the same 2 mL, which doubles the concentration. For the full mixing procedure, see the MOTS-c reconstitution calculator guide.

MOTS-c dosage chart by target dose

Each row below shows a target dose converted to draw volume and units on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units per mL) at both reference concentrations:

Target dose	mL at 2500 mcg/mL	Units at 2500 mcg/mL	mL at 5000 mcg/mL	Units at 5000 mcg/mL
250 mcg	0.1 mL	10 units	0.05 mL	5 units
500 mcg	0.2 mL	20 units	0.1 mL	10 units
750 mcg	0.3 mL	30 units	0.15 mL	15 units
1000 mcg (1 mg)	0.4 mL	40 units	0.2 mL	20 units
1500 mcg	0.6 mL	60 units	0.3 mL	30 units
2000 mcg (2 mg)	0.8 mL	80 units	0.4 mL	40 units

Every row above lands on a whole unit at both concentrations, because 2500 and 5000 both divide evenly into these particular dose sizes. That isn't guaranteed for every dose — a target that doesn't share a clean divisor with the concentration lands on a fractional unit instead, which the section below works through.

Reading the chart against a specific vial

Worked example. Take a 10 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Concentration is 10000 ÷ 2 = 5000 mcg/mL. For a 750 mcg target dose: 750 ÷ 5000 = 0.15 mL. Converted to units on a U-100 syringe, 0.15 mL × 100 = 15 units.

Compare that to the same 750 mcg dose from a 5 mg vial mixed with the same 2 mL of water, at 2500 mcg/mL: 750 ÷ 2500 = 0.3 mL, or 30 units. The dose in mcg is identical in both cases. The unit count differs only because the two vials were reconstituted to different concentrations — which is exactly what this MOTS-c dosage chart is showing at every row.

Vial size sets dose count, water volume sets draw size

Vial size and water volume do different jobs, and conflating them is the most common misread of a chart like this one. Vial size sets the total mcg of MOTS-c available across the whole vial. Water volume sets concentration, which is what determines the units for any single draw.

At a 500 mcg dose, a 5 mg (5000 mcg) vial provides 5000 ÷ 500 = 10 doses. A 10 mg (10000 mcg) vial at the same 500 mcg dose provides 10000 ÷ 500 = 20 doses — twice the doses, because it holds twice the MOTS-c, not because it was mixed differently. Water volume, by contrast, changes only the draw size per dose, not how many doses the vial holds.

When your vial doesn't match either setup

A vial mixed with a different water volume still follows the same formula — it just won't land on either column in the chart above. A 10 mg vial mixed with 2.5 mL of water, for example, gives 10000 ÷ 2.5 = 4000 mcg/mL, or 40 mcg per unit. A 350 mcg dose at that concentration is 350 ÷ 4000 = 0.0875 mL, or 8.75 units — a fractional reading that only works cleanly on a syringe marked in finer increments. On a standard whole-unit barrel, that's a signal to change the water volume rather than round the draw up or down.

This is the case the peptide calculator is built for: enter the vial size and water volume you actually used, rather than searching a chart for a close match. It runs the same concentration-to-units math for any combination, not just the two shown here.

MOTS-c itself is a short peptide encoded within mitochondrial DNA rather than the nuclear genome, studied mainly in cell and animal research on metabolic regulation and how cells respond to stress. Human data remains limited relative to the preclinical work. It is not FDA-approved for any use and is sold as a research compound, not a drug or supplement. None of the figures above describe an approved or recommended human dose — they describe the arithmetic that converts a vial and a water volume into a syringe reading, nothing more.

Common mistakes

• Reading a unit count from this chart against the wrong vial. A number in the 2500 mcg/mL columns only applies if your vial was actually mixed to that concentration. Confirm which water volume you used before drawing.
• Assuming vial size sets the dose. It sets the total mcg available across the vial. Concentration — set by water volume — is what determines units per dose.
• Mixing up mg and mcg. MOTS-c vials are labeled in milligrams, but research doses are usually described in micrograms (1 mg = 1000 mcg). Confirm the unit before doing any conversion.
• Rounding mid-calculation. Carry the full decimal through the mL step and only round the final unit reading, and only if the syringe requires it.

Use the calculator

This chart covers two common MOTS-c concentrations, but your vial and target dose may not match either row exactly. Enter your vial size, water volume, and target dose into the free peptide calculator for an exact unit count, or run its reverse mode to find the water volume that lands a given dose on a whole unit mark. For the reconstitution steps themselves, see the MOTS-c reconstitution calculator guide.