Study record
MOTS-c is an effective target for treating cancer-induced bone pain through the induction of AMPK-mediated mitochondrial biogenesis
Yang L, Li M, Liu Y et al. · Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) · 2024
What this study reported
Measured lower plasma MOTS-c in mice with bone cancer pain than in sham mice. Reported that administered MOTS-c was associated with reduced pain behaviours, higher AMPKα phosphorylation, restored spinal mitochondrial biogenesis, less microglial activation and less local bone destruction, with the behavioural effects blocked by an AMPK inhibitor.
Limitations
Single tumour implantation model with group sizes and blinding not reported; behavioural readouts in mice do not capture the human experience of cancer pain; organ-marker assessments are reported only briefly.
Study record
| Study model | Animal study (in vivo) |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | SeveralMore than one of these is central to the paper (common for reviews). |
| Species | mouse |
| System studied | Mouse model of bone cancer pain produced by tumour cell implantation into bone |
| Population | Not reported |
| Design | Controlled animal experiment |
| Sample size as reported | Not reported |
| Control group | sham-operated mice |
| Route (data field only) | intraperitoneal |
| Endpoints measured | plasma MOTS-c; pain behaviours; AMPKα phosphorylation; mitochondrial biogenesis and microglial activation; local bone destruction |
| Pathways measured | AMPK signalling · SIRT1 / PGC-1α / biogenesis · Inflammation |
| Research areas | Cancer · Bone · Nervous system |
| 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.