Study record
Plasma MOTS-c levels are associated with insulin sensitivity in lean but not in obese individuals
Cataldo LR, Fernández-Verdejo R, Santos JL et al. · J Investig Med · 2018
Human obs.Endogenous MOTS-c measuredEvidence tier B
What this study reported
Found similar plasma MOTS-c in lean and obese adults. Across all participants, plasma MOTS-c correlated positively with HOMA and negatively with the Matsuda index, and when groups were analysed separately these associations remained only in lean individuals.
Limitations
Very small sample; cross-sectional design; insulin sensitivity assessed with surrogate indices.
Study record
| Study model | Human observational |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | Endogenous MOTS-c measuredNaturally occurring MOTS-c was measured; nothing was given. |
| Species | human |
| System studied | Lean and obese adults; plasma MOTS-c and insulin sensitivity indices |
| Population | lean and obese adults |
| Design | Cross-sectional case comparison |
| Sample size as reported | n=10 per group (lean, obese) |
| Control group | lean individuals |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | plasma MOTS-c; HOMA index; Matsuda index |
| Pathways measured | Insulin & glucose handling |
| Research areas | Metabolic |
| Evidence tier | B — Other human study |
| Publication types | Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Appraisal
Each dimension is recorded separately and never combined into a single score. A study can be well controlled and still tell you little about people.
- Relevance to MOTS-c
- Direct
- Model applicability
- Human
- Sample size
- Small
- Controls
- Appropriate
- Outcome validity
- Validated biomarker
- Support for its own conclusion
- Moderate
Provenance
- Bibliographic fields retrieved from PubMed E-utilities efetch (title, journal, date, authors, DOI) on 2026-11-11.
- Annotated from the published abstract.
- Editorial review: approved (2026-11-11).
- Classification follows the site methodology; the record describes the study, not what MOTS-c does in people.