Study record
MOTS-c and aerobic exercise induce cardiac physiological adaptation via NRG1/ErbB4/CEBPβ modification in rats
Yuan J, Xu B, Ma J et al. · Life Sci · 2023
What this study reported
Measured cardiac structure, cardiac function and NRG1/ErbB4/C-EBPβ signalling in rats given MOTS-c, aerobic training, or both. Reported higher heart weight and heart weight index, thickened myocardial fibres, lower heart rate and lower isovolumic relaxation time constant, and higher dP/dtmax and dP/dtmin in the exercise, MOTS-c and combined groups than in controls, with end-diastolic pressure unchanged. Reported higher ErbB4, Gata4 and NRG1 protein and lower C/EBPβ expression in the treated groups in rat myocardium.
Limitations
Group sizes, sex and randomisation are not reported in the abstract; a single rat strain and a single training protocol; outcomes are structural and molecular surrogates rather than clinical endpoints, and NRG1 mRNA results were inconsistent with the protein findings.
Study record
| Study model | Animal study (in vivo) |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | MOTS-c administeredSynthetic MOTS-c was given to cells, animals or people. |
| Species | rat |
| System studied | Rats assigned to control, aerobic exercise training, MOTS-c treatment, or combined exercise and MOTS-c groups |
| Population | Not reported |
| Design | Controlled animal experiment with four groups |
| Sample size as reported | Not reported |
| Control group | untreated, non-exercised control rats |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | heart weight index; myocardial structure on histology and electron microscopy; cardiac function by carotid catheterisation; NRG1, ErbB4, C/EBPβ and Gata4 mRNA and protein |
| Pathways measured | Other |
| Research areas | Cardiovascular · Exercise |
| Evidence tier | C — Animal in vivo |
| Publication types | Journal Article |
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
- Mammalian
- Sample size
- Not reported
- Controls
- Appropriate
- Outcome validity
- Surrogate
- 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.