Three selected human reports measured naturally occurring MOTS-c during exercise studies or in patients with coronary endothelial dysfunction. None of these reports tested administering MOTS-c to people.123
Bottom line from this bounded source set
Human studies associate endogenous MOTS-c with exercise or vascular measurements. Exercise interventions and biomarker associations do not demonstrate the efficacy or safety of administered MOTS-c.123
Reviewed study record
Acute exercise and circulating peptides
Design
Participants were randomized to endurance exercise, resistance exercise or a control group, with blood and muscle measurements.1
Population
Thirty participants were assigned to three groups of ten.1
Outcomes reported
Humanin increased after endurance exercise; MOTS-c showed a trend toward an increase.1
Limitations
The intervention was exercise, not MOTS-c administration. A trend is not a demonstrated clinical benefit, and the small study measured short-term biomarkers.1
Reviewed study record
Exercise in breast cancer survivors
Design
A secondary analysis of a randomized 16-week exercise-versus-usual-care study measured circulating MOTS-c.2
Population
The analysis included 25 Hispanic and 24 non-Hispanic White breast cancer survivors.2
Outcomes reported
MOTS-c increased in the non-Hispanic White subgroup and was associated with changes in metabolic measures; a comparable increase was not reported in the Hispanic subgroup.2
Limitations
Small subgroup analyses and baseline differences limit interpretation. Associations do not establish that MOTS-c caused the metabolic changes, and no peptide was administered.2
Reviewed study record
Coronary endothelial dysfunction
Design
An observational human comparison measured endogenous MOTS-c; separate experiments exposed rodent vessels to the peptide.3
Population
Forty patients undergoing angiography for recurrent angina were classified into two groups of twenty by endothelial function.3
Outcomes reported
Circulating MOTS-c was lower in patients with endothelial dysfunction and correlated with vascular function measures.3
Limitations
The human findings are associations. Exposure experiments used rodent tissues, so they do not establish a therapeutic effect or safety in people.3
No registered Crossref update in the reviewed snapshotChecked September 15, 2026 for DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00706.2019. This bounded result is not proof that the publication has never been corrected or retracted. Open the pinned Crossref work endpoint ↗
No registered Crossref update in the reviewed snapshotChecked September 15, 2026 for DOI 10.1038/s41598-021-96419-z. This bounded result is not proof that the publication has never been corrected or retracted. Open the pinned Crossref work endpoint ↗
No registered Crossref update in the reviewed snapshotChecked September 15, 2026 for DOI 10.1016/j.ijcard.2017.12.001. This bounded result is not proof that the publication has never been corrected or retracted. Open the pinned Crossref work endpoint ↗