{"id":1782,"date":"2026-08-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vistaralabs.ca\/mots-c-reconstitution-bacteriostatic-water\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T17:33:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T00:33:49","slug":"mots-c-reconstitution-bacteriostatic-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vistaralabs.ca\/fr\/mots-c-reconstitution-bacteriostatic-water\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Bacteriostatic Water for a MOTS-c 10 mg or 40 mg Vial?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 10 mg vial of MOTS-c reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water gives a concentration of 5 mg\/mL; with 1 mL it gives 10 mg\/mL. The 40 mg vial gives 20 mg\/mL with 2 mL of water, 10 mg\/mL with 4 mL and 5 mg\/mL with 8 mL. The calculation depends only on the quantity of peptide in the vial and the volume of water added.<\/p>\n

There is no single correct volume. Adding more water does not change how much peptide is in the vial. It spreads the same quantity through a larger volume, which changes how many syringe units correspond to a given mass. The tables on this page use 2 mL for the 10 mg vial because it produces round numbers on a U-100 syringe; 1 mL, 3 mL or 5 mL work identically as long as the resulting concentration is written on the vial.<\/p>\n

Concentration by water volume<\/h2>\n

Concentration is peptide mass divided by water volume. A 10 mg vial holds 10 mg whether it receives 1 mL or 5 mL; only the mg\/mL figure moves. The right-hand column converts each concentration into the number of U-100 units that contain 1 mg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Vial<\/th>\nBacteriostatic water added<\/th>\nConcentration<\/th>\nUnits containing 1 mg<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
10 mg MOTS-c<\/td>\n1 mL<\/td>\n10 mg\/mL<\/td>\n10 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10 mg<\/td>\n2 mL<\/td>\n5 mg\/mL<\/td>\n20 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10 mg<\/td>\n3 mL<\/td>\n3.33 mg\/mL<\/td>\n30 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10 mg<\/td>\n5 mL<\/td>\n2 mg\/mL<\/td>\n50 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40 mg MOTS-c<\/td>\n2 mL<\/td>\n20 mg\/mL<\/td>\n5 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40 mg<\/td>\n4 mL<\/td>\n10 mg\/mL<\/td>\n10 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40 mg<\/td>\n5 mL<\/td>\n8 mg\/mL<\/td>\n12.5 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
40 mg<\/td>\n8 mL<\/td>\n5 mg\/mL<\/td>\n20 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Before choosing a larger volume, check that the peptide vial has headspace for it. A 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water reconstitutes five 10 mg vials at 2 mL each, or one 40 mg vial at 8 mL with 2 mL to spare.<\/p>\n

Reading the concentration on a U-100 syringe<\/h2>\n

A U-100 insulin syringe is graduated in units, and 100 units equal 1 mL. Units are therefore millilitres multiplied by 100: 0.1 mL is 10 units and 0.25 mL is 25 units. A 0.5 mL syringe carries 50 units and a 0.3 mL syringe carries 30 units on the same scale, with finer markings that make small volumes easier to read.<\/p>\n

To find the volume that contains a given mass, divide the mass by the concentration. At 5 mg\/mL (a 10 mg vial with 2 mL of water), the volume that contains 1 mg is 1 divided by 5, which is 0.2 mL, or 20 units. The table below runs the same calculation for four arbitrary amounts. They illustrate the arithmetic and nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mass (illustrative)<\/th>\nVolume at 5 mg\/mL<\/th>\nU-100 units<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
0.25 mg<\/td>\n0.05 mL<\/td>\n5 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
0.5 mg<\/td>\n0.1 mL<\/td>\n10 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 mg<\/td>\n0.2 mL<\/td>\n20 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2 mg<\/td>\n0.4 mL<\/td>\n40 units<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

At 10 mg\/mL, which the 40 mg vial gives with 4 mL of water, every volume in the table halves: a 1 mg draw measures 10 units and a 0.5 mg draw measures 5 units. Volumes below about 0.1 mL are hard to read accurately on a 1 mL syringe. Either move to a 0.3 mL or 0.5 mL syringe, or reconstitute with more water so that the same mass occupies a larger, more legible volume.<\/p>\n

\n

MOTS-c is supplied by Vistara Labs as a lyophilised material for research use. The quantities on this page illustrate the arithmetic of dilution and measurement only.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The 10 mg and 40 mg vials<\/h2>\n

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA. Vistara Labs supplies it in 10 mg and 40 mg vials; the mass on the label is the lyophilised peptide in the vial, and the tables above treat it as one quantity. A 40 mg vial reconstituted with 8 mL of water is indistinguishable, in concentration, from a 10 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL: both are 5 mg\/mL, so a given mass occupies the same number of units from either. Certificates of analysis are published on the Lab Results<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

What MOTS-c is, and planning the 40 mg vial<\/h2>\n

MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide, MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR, encoded in a short stretch of mitochondrial DNA inside the 12S rRNA gene. That makes it one of a small group of mitochondrial-derived peptides, described in 2015 by researchers at the University of Southern California, and the research since has centred on metabolism and exercise. Four of its sixteen residues are positively charged (three arginines and a lysine), so it dissolves readily in water; a clear, colourless solution is the expected result.<\/p>\n

The 40 mg vial is the one to plan ahead for. At 2 mL it gives 20 mg\/mL, where 1 mg occupies only 5 units on a U-100 syringe, too small to read accurately. Using 4 mL or more keeps small masses in a readable range, at the cost of using more bacteriostatic water per vial. The background is in what is MOTS-c?<\/a> and the human data in MOTS-c: exercise, heat and the mitochondrial signal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reconstitution technique<\/h2>\n

Let the vial reach room temperature, swab both stoppers, and run the measured water slowly down the inside wall of the vial rather than onto the powder. Swirl or tilt gently until the cake dissolves, never shake, and give any remaining powder a few minutes to settle into solution. Label the vial with the date and the concentration, then keep it refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C and protected from light. The full method, with the reason behind each step, is in how to reconstitute peptides with bacteriostatic water<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why the solution should look clear<\/h2>\n

Properly reconstituted MOTS-c forms a clear, colourless solution. Cloudiness, strands or a gel that will not disperse usually mean the water went in too fast or the vial was shaken; haze that appears later points to warm or bright storage. The causes are covered in why peptides gel or go cloudy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bacteriostatic water, not sterile water<\/h2>\n

Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows a refrigerated vial to be accessed more than once; plain sterile water is intended for single access. The difference is explained in bacteriostatic water explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n

How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a 10 mg vial of MOTS-c?<\/h3>\n

There is no single correct volume. With 2 mL of bacteriostatic water a 10 mg vial of MOTS-c gives 5 mg\/mL; with 1 mL it gives 10 mg\/mL; the 40 mg vial gives 20 mg\/mL with 2 mL. Adding more water does not change the quantity in the vial, it spreads it through a larger volume, so write the concentration you chose on the vial.<\/p>\n

How many 10 mg vials does a 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water cover?<\/h3>\n

A 10 mL vial of bacteriostatic water reconstitutes five 10 mg vials at 2 mL each, or one 40 mg vial at 8 mL with 2 mL to spare. Check that the peptide vial has headspace for the volume before choosing a larger one.<\/p>\n

How many units on a U-100 syringe contain 1 mg at 5 mg\/mL?<\/h3>\n

At 5 mg\/mL (a 10 mg vial with 2 mL of water), the volume that contains 1 mg is 1 divided by 5, which is 0.2 mL, or 20 units. Units are millilitres multiplied by 100, so 0.1 mL is 10 units. The amounts on this page illustrate the arithmetic only.<\/p>\n

What should reconstituted MOTS-c look like?<\/h3>\n

Properly reconstituted MOTS-c forms a clear, colourless solution. Cloudiness, strands or a gel that will not disperse usually mean the water went in too fast or the vial was shaken; haze that appears later points to warm or bright storage. More on the causes in why peptides gel or go cloudy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Can I use sterile water instead of bacteriostatic water?<\/h3>\n

Only for a vial that will be accessed once. Bacteriostatic water is sterile water with 0.9% benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows a refrigerated vial to be accessed more than once; plain sterile water is intended for single access. Details in bacteriostatic water explained<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How should a reconstituted MOTS-c vial be stored?<\/h3>\n

Refrigerated at 2 to 8 \u00b0C, protected from light and labelled with the date and the concentration. Unopened lyophilised vials are kept cold and dark until they are needed. The full storage guide is how to store research peptides<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Work it out for a different vial or concentration<\/h2>\n

Our peptide calculator<\/a> opens pre-set for a 10 mg vial with 2 mL of water and marks the 0.5 mg draw of 10 units on a syringe diagram. Change the vial size, water volume, mass or syringe and it recalculates. The 40 mg preset<\/a> shows 1 mg at 10 units on 4 mL of water.<\/p>\n

Products: MOTS-c 10 mg and 40 mg<\/a> and bacteriostatic water 10 mL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related reading.<\/strong> MOTS-c vs SS-31: two mitochondrial peptides compared<\/a>, MOTS-c: exercise, heat and the mitochondrial signal<\/a> and the Canadian buying guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n