MOTS-c Serum Concentration Positively Correlates with Lower-Body Muscle Strength and Is Not Related to Maximal Oxygen Uptake-A Preliminary Study.

Domin R, Pytka M, Żołyński M, Niziński J, Rucinski M, Guzik P, Zieliński J, Ruchała M

International journal of molecular sciences6 Oct 2023Cited by 7 (Europe PMC)

PMID37834399PMCIDPMC10573682DOI10.3390/ijms241914951PepBankPUB-37834399

Summary

The mitochondrial open reading frame of 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c) is a mitochondrial-derived peptide that regulates the nuclear genome during stressful conditions such as hypoxia, which is typical of exercise and training. We aim to mainly investigate the relationship between serum MOTS-c concentration and muscle strength parameters measured during the countermovement jump test with oxygen consumption (VO2) measured during the cardiopulmonary exercise test to exhaustion. Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years), not involved in any regular exercise program or participating in any sports competitions, performed five consecutive countermovement jump tests and cardiopulmonary exercise tests until maximal exhaustion and underwent a body composition assessment by means of bioelectrical impedance analysis, and had serum MOTS-c concentration measured at rest. Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage. There was no correlation with peak VO2. A higher serum MOTS-c concentration is associated with greater muscle mass, force, and power generated during jumping in healthy individuals but not exercise capacity reflected by peak VO2. More studies are needed to better understand the physiological and clinical values of these findings and why MOTS-c is better associated with measures of muscle strength and not endurance in physically active people.

CC BYText from Europe PMC. Highlighted sentences are the source of results.

Results from this study7

No result from this study comes from a test of the peptide.

Natural levels measured7

These results measure the body's own peptide. Nobody was given the peptide. They are not evidence about taking it. They are left out of key results, evidence counts and charts.

01HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration correlated positively with average power of countermovement jumps.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, higher levels of the body's own MOTS‑c were linked to more jumping power.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
IncreaseMOTS-c and average jump power
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Exercise and physical function · Musculoskeletal
Source sentences
Summary
Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439901
02HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration correlated positively with average force of countermovement jumps.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, higher levels of the body's own MOTS‑c were linked to more jumping force.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
IncreaseMOTS-c and average jump force
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Exercise and physical function · Musculoskeletal
Source sentences
Summary
Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439902
03HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration correlated positively with maximal force of countermovement jumps.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, higher levels of the body's own MOTS‑c were linked to a higher peak jump force.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
IncreaseMOTS-c and maximal jump force
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Exercise and physical function · Musculoskeletal
Source sentences
Summary
Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439903
04HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration correlated positively with overall muscle mass.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, higher levels of the body's own MOTS‑c were linked to more muscle mass.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
IncreaseMOTS-c and overall muscle mass
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Exercise and physical function · Musculoskeletal
Source sentences
Summary
Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439904
05HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration correlated positively with leg muscle mass.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, higher levels of the body's own MOTS‑c were linked to more leg muscle mass.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
IncreaseMOTS-c and leg muscle mass
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Exercise and physical function · Musculoskeletal
Source sentences
Summary
Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439905
06HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration did not correlate with body fat percentage.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, the body's own MOTS‑c was not linked to body fat percentage.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
No significant changeMOTS-c and body fat percentage
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Body weight · Metabolic and weight
Source sentences
Summary
Serum MOTS-c concentration was positively correlated with the average power and average and maximal force of the jumps, both overall muscle mass and leg muscle mass, but not with body fat percentage.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439906
07HumanEndogenous levelObservational studyOther
In healthy volunteers, serum MOTS‑c concentration did not correlate with peak oxygen uptake.
In plain wordsIn healthy adults, the body's own MOTS‑c was not linked to peak oxygen uptake during exercise.
Peptide
MOTS-c
Outcome
No significant changeMOTS-c and peak VO2
Study
n = 20
Outcome group
Exercise and physical function · Musculoskeletal
Source sentences
Summary
There was no correlation with peak VO2.
1 context sentence(design, population, supporting numbers)
Summary · context
Physically active healthy volunteers (17 male, three female, median age 30 years)
This result measures the body's own MOTS-c. Nobody was given the peptide. It is not evidence about taking it.
Show in the study text Report a problemFND-3783439907

AI wrote and checked these results. AI can make mistakes, so check important results against the source.

Version history

PepBank keeps every version of the data on this study. Status changes from Retraction Watch, Europe PMC and Crossref are listed with their source.

Version 2Current
10 Oct 2026, 08:19 UTC
Study results updated
Version 1
9 Oct 2026, 02:47 UTC
First added · source update from Europe PMC

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