Study record
Effects of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists, Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors, and Their Combination on Neurohumoral and Mitochondrial Activation in Patients With Diabetes
Ikonomidis I, Pavlidis G, Pliouta L et al. · J Am Heart Assoc · 2025
What this study reported
Reported that circulating MOTS-c improved only in the SGLT-2 inhibitor and combined GLP-1 receptor agonist plus SGLT-2 inhibitor groups in adults with type 2 diabetes over 12 months of follow-up. Found that the decrease in GDF-15 was associated with increases in antioxidant capacity and MOTS-c, and that an increase in MOTS-c was associated with improved global longitudinal strain and constructive myocardial work.
Limitations
Non-randomised observational comparison relying on propensity matching; MOTS-c was one of several secondary biomarkers; single-centre cohort with modest group sizes and no placebo arm.
Study record
| Study model | Human observational |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | Endogenous MOTS-c measuredNaturally occurring MOTS-c was measured; nothing was given. |
| Species | human |
| System studied | Adults with type 2 diabetes at high cardiovascular risk receiving glucose-lowering drug regimens |
| Population | Consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes and high or very high cardiovascular risk |
| Design | Propensity-matched observational treatment cohort with repeated biomarker measurement |
| Sample size as reported | 163 patients (insulin n=40, liraglutide n=41, empagliflozin n=42, combination n=40) |
| Control group | Propensity-score-matched insulin-treated group |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | plasma MOTS-c; NT-proBNP; GDF-15; antioxidant capacity (ABTS); left ventricular global longitudinal strain; global work index |
| Pathways measured | Oxidative stress · Other |
| Research areas | Metabolic · Cardiovascular · Mitochondrial biology |
| Evidence tier | B — Other human study |
| Publication types | Journal Article, Observational Study, 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
- Indirect
- Model applicability
- Human
- Sample size
- Adequate
- Controls
- Limited
- 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.