MOTS-C side effects and results in studies
The studied benefits of MOTS-c come from animal and cell work: in the original mouse study it prevented diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance, and later rodent studies reported less tissue injury in lung, joint and heart models. Two mouse studies reported no notable or systemic toxicity, but no human trial of added MOTS-c appears in these records.
Adverse events reported
| Event | As reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Toxicity in vitro and in vivo | No notable toxicity reported in HBV-infected mice and cells | Lin C et al. |
| Systemic toxicity | No systemic toxicity reported in the ovarian cancer mouse model | Yin Y et al. |
| Adverse events in people | Not reported: no controlled human trial of added MOTS-c in these records | Lee C et al. |
Outcomes measured
| Outcome | Result as reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Insulin resistance and obesity (mouse) | MOTS-c treatment prevented age-dependent and high-fat-diet-induced insulin resistance and diet-induced obesity | Lee C et al. |
| AMPK activation (skeletal muscle) | MOTS-c inhibited the folate cycle and de novo purine biosynthesis, leading to AMPK activation | Lee C et al. |
| Nuclear gene regulation under stress (cells) | MOTS-c translocated to the nucleus and regulated antioxidant response element genes after glucose restriction | Kim KH et al. |
| Lung ischaemia-reperfusion injury (rat) | Exogenous MOTS-c reduced oxidative damage, inflammation, lung injury and mortality | Li X et al. |
| HBV replication (mice and cells) | 50–70% inhibition of HBV replication alongside improved liver function | Lin C et al. |
| Cartilage degeneration (mouse osteoarthritis) | MOTS-c delayed articular cartilage degeneration on imaging and histology | Li K et al. |
| Myocardial injury markers (LPS sepsis model) | Lower CK-MB, TnT and inflammatory cytokine mRNA; effect abolished by an AMPK inhibitor | Wu J et al. |
| Ovarian cancer growth (cells and mice) | Reduced proliferation, migration and invasion in cells and an anti-tumour effect in vivo | Yin Y et al. |
What the studies don't show
These results do not show that MOTS-c has any benefit in people; the human data only relate circulating MOTS-c levels to disease. The animal studies are mostly short, acute models, and the abstracts report safety only as an absence of notable toxicity rather than as measured adverse-event rates.