Peptable

Comparison

AOD-9604 vs MOTS-c

Function

While AOD-9604 is studied as an anti-obesity peptide that can reduce weight gain and increase fat oxidation in obese animal models with generally neutral effects on IGF-1 and glucose metabolism in early human trials71111115, MOTS-c improves insulin sensitivity, enhances glycolysis, reduces oxidative stress, and shows protective effects in models of metabolic syndrome, aging, and ischemia-reperfusion injury8135146.

Mechanism

While AOD-9604 works as a synthetic fragment of human growth hormone corresponding to residues 176–191 with an added N-terminal tyrosine, retaining lipolytic but not growth-promoting actions; proposed to stimulate lipolysis and inhibit lipogenesis in adipose tissue, partly via β3-adrenergic pathways without significantly activating the full GH receptor–IGF-1 axis6171111, MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide that translocates to the nucleus under metabolic stress and regulates glucose and lipid metabolism largely via activation of AMPK and modulation of mTOR and folate-cycle–linked pathways854140146.

Receptor

AOD-9604

Acts indirectly on adipocytes, with mechanistic work implicating β3-adrenergic receptor–linked signaling in fat metabolism rather than direct GH receptor activation71111

MOTS-c

No dedicated cell-surface receptor has been definitively identified; signaling is primarily described via intracellular AMPK and related metabolic pathways8135146

Organism or Origin

AOD-9604

Synthetic peptide fragment derived from human pituitary growth hormone (GH1 protein) 111107114

MOTS-c

Human mitochondrial peptide encoded in the 12S rRNA gene region54146

Gene

AOD-9604

GH1

MOTS-c

MT-RNR1

Summary

Both peptides fall into a similar broad context as Metabolic peptides, although the details of how they are used and discussed still diverge. Both are often discussed in Metabolic and endocrine contexts, while AOD-9604 is more of a hormone peptide and MOTS-c is better described as a mitochondrial peptide. Their biological logic is quite different: AOD-9604 is a hormone analog, whereas MOTS-c is a gene expression modulator. AOD-9604 has a more synthetic analog origin, while MOTS-c is closer to mitochondrial-encoded background and both are still best understood as being in Preclinical development. They share some route overlap through subcutaneous injection, while the remaining routes diverge.

Related articles

No related articles are linked to these peptides yet.

Sources

61AOD-9604 – hGH 176–191 Analog Research Peptide ..., https://www.polybiotech.co/products/aod-9604-5mg
71Body-Fat Metabolism: AOD-9604 & GH Fragment 176–191 - Tide Labs, https://tidelabs.co.uk/blogs/articles/aod-9604-gh-frag-176-191-research-on-body-fat-metabolism
107Growth hormone 1 - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone_1
111Effects of Human GH and Its Lipolytic Fragment (AOD9604) on Lipid ..., https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/142/12/5182/2988749
114GH1 growth hormone 1 GH GH-N GHN IGHD1B hGH-N, https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/US/en/genes/gh1
115Peptide Spotlight: AOD 9604 - The Wellness Lounge, https://www.akwellnesslounge.com/blog/peptide-spotlight-aod-9604
8Mitochondrial-encoded peptide MOTS-c prevents pancreatic islet ..., https://www.nature.com/articles/s12276-025-01521-1
54MOTS-c - Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOTS-c
135MOTS-c Promotes Glycolysis via AMPK-HIF-1α-PFKFB3 ... - PubMed, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40035775/
146MOTS-c: A promising mitochondrial-derived peptide for therapeutic ..., https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9905433/