Study record
MOTS-c attenuates mitochondrial dysfunction induces pyroptosis and cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis via an Nrf2-Dependent Mechanism
Li K, Yang T, Chen F et al. · Free Radic Biol Med · 2025
What this study reported
Reported that exogenous MOTS-c improved markers of mitochondrial dysfunction, reduced inflammasome activation and reduced chondrocyte pyroptosis in LPS-stimulated chondrocytes, with higher expression of extracellular matrix components and lower matrix metalloproteinase production. Found that these effects involved the Nrf2/TXNIP/NLRP3 axis in cultured chondrocytes, and that imaging and histopathology in a murine osteoarthritis model showed slower articular cartilage degeneration in treated mice.
Limitations
Animal numbers, sex and blinding of histological scoring are not reported in the abstract; mechanistic work rests on LPS-stimulated chondrocyte cultures, which model inflammation rather than mechanical osteoarthritis, and the Nrf2 dependence is inferred without a reported knockout control.
Study record
| Study model | Animal study (in vivo) |
|---|---|
| Substance studied | MOTS-c administeredSynthetic MOTS-c was given to cells, animals or people. |
| Species | mouse |
| System studied | Murine surgical osteoarthritis model with LPS-stimulated chondrocyte cultures |
| Population | Not reported |
| Design | Controlled animal experiment with cell culture mechanistic work |
| Sample size as reported | not reported |
| Control group | untreated osteoarthritis model mice and untreated LPS-stimulated chondrocytes |
| Route (data field only) | Not reported |
| Endpoints measured | chondrocyte pyroptosis; mitochondrial function; Nrf2/TXNIP/NLRP3 signalling; inflammatory factor expression; extracellular matrix components and matrix metalloproteinases; cartilage histopathology and imaging |
| Pathways measured | NRF2 / antioxidant response · Inflammation · Oxidative stress · Apoptosis |
| Research areas | Bone · Inflammation & immunity · Mitochondrial biology |
| 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
- Limited
- 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.