Pair page
AICAR with MOTS-c
Mechanism-tag overlap and published literature for AICAR and MOTS-c, pulled verbatim from each Kalios compound profile. Kalios is a literature reference, not a recommendation.
Mechanism overlap
Mechanism tags are verbatim labels on each compound's profile. Generic tags ("peptide", "small-molecule", "research-chemical") are excluded from this overlap view. Tags are descriptive — not an inference about combined effect.
ampk-activator-exercise-mimetic
mitochondrial-derived-exercise-mimetic
Co-administration notes from the literature
Verbatim summary text pulled from each compound's profile data. Researchers studying AICAR and MOTS-c have published these mechanism-level observations. Not a co-administration recommendation.
MOTS-c activates AMPK through a mitochondrial-derived peptide signaling pathway. AICAR activates AMPK through AMP mimicry. Two different entry points to the same downstream kinase. The combination is sometimes used in exercise-mimetic experimentation but has no controlled head-to-head data.
Quick facts
AICAR
MOTS-c
Literature table
Classified references from each compound profile. Click a column header to sort. Click a PMID to open PubMed. Findings are quoted verbatim from each profile's literature_summary; nothing here is added or interpreted.
| Year | Compound | Source | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | AICAR | Mangano DT; Multicenter Study of Perioperative Ischemia Research Group. Effects of acadesine on myocardial infarction, stroke, and death following surgery. A meta-analysis of the 5 international randomized trials. JAMA. 1997;277(4):325-332. PMID: 9002496. (Meta-analysis of acade… PMID 9002496 | meta-analysis |
| 2013 | AICAR | Van Den Neste E, Cazin B, Janssens A, González-Barca E, Terol MJ, Levy V, Pérez de Oteyza J, Zachee P, Saunders A, de Frias M, Campàs C. Acadesine for patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): a multicentre phase I/II study. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol… PMID 23228967 | human trial, Phase 1 |
| 2008 | AICAR | Narkar VA, Downes M, Yu RT, Embler E, Wang YX, Banayo E, Mihaylova MM, Nelson MC, Zou Y, Juguilon H, Kang H, Shaw RJ, Evans RM. AMPK and PPARδ agonists are exercise mimetics. Cell. 2008;134(3):405-415. PMID: 18674809. (The definitive "exercise in a pill" mouse endurance paper.) PMID 18674809 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 1997 | AICAR | Merrill GF, Kurth EJ, Hardie DG, Winder WW. AICA riboside increases AMP-activated protein kinase, fatty acid oxidation, and glucose uptake in rat muscle. Am J Physiol. 1997;273(6 Pt 1):E1107-E1112. PMID: 9435525. (Foundational AMPK-activation mechanistic paper.) PMID 9435525 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 1994 | AICAR | Sullivan JE, Brocklehurst KJ, Marley AE, Carey F, Carling D, Beri RK. Inhibition of lipolysis and lipogenesis in isolated rat adipocytes with AICAR, a cell-permeable activator of AMP-activated protein kinase. FEBS Lett. 1994;353(1):33-36. PMID: 7926017. (Early metabolic-effect c… PMID 7926017 | preclinical, in vivo |
| 2009 | AICAR | World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2009 Prohibited List: International Standard. WADA. 2009. (First inclusion of AICAR on the banned list under S4.) | regulatory / registry |
| 2014 | AICAR | Mulvihill EE, Drucker DJ. Pharmacology, physiology, and mechanisms of action of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors. Endocr Rev. 2014;35(6):992-1019. PMID: 25216328. (Broader metabolic-modulator context for comparing AMPK-activating approaches with other diabetes-pharmacology stra… PMID 25216328 | research article |
| 2011 | AICAR | Hardie DG. AMP-activated protein kinase: an energy sensor that regulates all aspects of cell function. Genes Dev. 2011;25(18):1895-1908. PMID: 21937710. (Authoritative AMPK review by a leading AMPK biochemist.) PMID 21937710 | research article |
| 1999 | AICAR | Kemp BE, Mitchelhill KI, Stapleton D, Michell BJ, Chen ZP, Witters LA. Dealing with energy demand: the AMP-activated protein kinase. Trends Biochem Sci. 1999;24(1):22-25. PMID: 10087918. (AMPK signaling framework reference.) PMID 10087918 | research article |
| 1995 | AICAR | Corton JM, Gillespie JG, Hawley SA, Hardie DG. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside. A specific method for activating AMP-activated protein kinase in intact cells? Eur J Biochem. 1995;229(2):558-565. PMID: 7744080. (Methodology establishing AICAR as the canonical AMPK-a… PMID 7744080 | research article |
| 1984 | AICAR | Sabina RL, Swain JL, Olanow CW, Bradley WG, Fishbein WN, DiMauro S, Holmes EW. Myoadenylate deaminase deficiency. Functional and metabolic abnormalities associated with disruption of the purine nucleotide cycle. J Clin Invest. 1984;73(3):720-730. PMID: 6707200. (Context for AMPD… PMID 6707200 | research article |
| 2022 | MOTS-c | Ramanjaneya M, Jerobin J, Bettahi I, et al. MOTS-c, the Most Recent Mitochondrial Derived Peptide in Human Aging and Age-Related Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(19):11991. PMID: 36233287. PMID 36233287 | human study |
| 2022 | MOTS-c | Yin X, Jing Y, Chen Q, et al. The intraocular expression of MOTS-c in patients with age-related cataracts: Correlation between MOTS-c and lens mitochondrial DNA levels. Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2022;50(5):498-506. | human study |
| 2018 | MOTS-c | Kim KH, Son JM, Benayoun BA, Lee C. The Mitochondrial-Encoded Peptide MOTS-c Translocates to the Nucleus to Regulate Nuclear Gene Expression in Response to Metabolic Stress. Cell Metab. 2018;28(3):516-524.e7. PMID: 29983246. PMID 29983246 | mechanism / discovery |
| 2023 | MOTS-c | Kong BS, Lee C, Cho YM. Mitochondrial-encoded peptide MOTS-c, diabetes, and aging-related diseases. Diabetes Metab J. 2023;47(3):315-327. PMID: 36672073. PMID 36672073 | research article |
| 2021 | MOTS-c | Reynolds JC, Lai RW, Woodhead JST, Joly JH, Mitchell CJ, Cameron-Smith D, Lu R, Cohen P, Graham NA, Benayoun BA, Merry TL, Lee C. MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):470. P… PMID 33473109 | research article |
| 2018 | MOTS-c | Mendelsohn AR, Larrick JW. Mitochondrial-Derived Peptides Exacerbate Senescence. Rejuvenation Res. 2018;21(4):369-373. PMID: 30037300. PMID 30037300 | research article |
| 2015 | MOTS-c | Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, Sallam T, Martin-Montalvo A, Wan J, Kim SJ, Mehta H, Hevener AL, de Cabo R, Cohen P. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Cell Metab. 2015;21(3):443-454. PMID: 25738459. DOI: 1… PMID 25738459 | research article |
| 2013 | MOTS-c | Lee C, Yen K, Cohen P. Humanin: a harbinger of mitochondrial-derived peptides? Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2013;24(5):222-228. PMID: 23402768. PMID 23402768 | research article |
Related pair pages
More research context
Frequently asked
Have AICAR and MOTS-c been studied together?
Researchers have published mechanistic-level co-administration discussion of AICAR and MOTS-c. No human co-administration trials are catalogued in the Kalios profiles. The pair page lists each compound's classified literature; full citations sit on each individual profile.
What mechanisms do AICAR and MOTS-c share?
AICAR and MOTS-c do not share a specific mechanism tag on their Kalios profiles. They appear on the same pair page because at least one profile lists the other in its co-administration data.
What is the FDA status of AICAR and MOTS-c?
AICAR: Not approved. MOTS-c: Not approved. FDA-status text is pulled verbatim from each compound profile. See /fda-pcac-2026.html for the broader FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee context.
Where can I find the full research on AICAR and MOTS-c?
Full citation lists, dosing tables from the literature, reconstitution data, and the FDA / WADA status are on the individual compound profiles: the AICAR profile and the MOTS-c profile. The Kalios Stack Research Tool hub lists every compound covered.
Last updated: April 2026