AUTHOR=Amado Carlos A. , Martín-Audera Paula , Agüero Juan , Lavín Bernardo A. , Guerra Armando R. , Boucle Daymara , Ferrer-Pargada Diego , Berja Ana , Martín Fernando , Casanova Ciro , García-Unzueta Mayte 

TITLE=Circulating levels of mitochondrial oxidative stress-related peptides MOTS-c and Romo1 in stable COPD: A cross-sectional study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2023.1100211

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2023.1100211

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>MOTS-c and Romo1 are mitochondrial peptides that are modulated by oxidative stress. No previous studies have explored circulating levels of MOTS-c in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>We enrolled 142 patients with stable COPD and 47 smokers with normal lung function in an observational cross-sectional study. We assessed serum levels of both MOTS-c and Romo1 and associated these findings with clinical characteristics of COPD.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Compared with smokers with normal lung function, patients with COPD had lower levels of MOTS-c (<italic>p</italic> = 0.02) and higher levels of Romo1 (<italic>p</italic> = 0.01). A multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that above-median MOTS-c levels were positively associated with Romo1 levels (OR 1.075, 95% CI 1.005–1.150, <italic>p</italic> = 0.036), but no association was found with other COPD characteristics. Below-median levels of circulating MOTS-c were associated with oxygen desaturation (OR 3.25 95% CI 1.456–8.522, <italic>p</italic> = 0.005) and walking &lt;350 meters (OR 3.246 95% CI 1.229–8.577, <italic>p</italic> = 0.018) in six-minute walk test. Above-median levels of Romo1 were positively associated with current smoking (OR 2.756, 95% CI 1.133–6.704, <italic>p</italic> = 0.025) and negatively associated with baseline oxygen saturation (OR 0.776 95% CI 0.641–0.939, <italic>p</italic> = 0.009).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Reduced levels of circulating MOTS-c and increased levels of Romo1 were detected in patients diagnosed with COPD. Low levels of MOTS-c were associated with oxygen desaturation and poorer exercise capacity using 6 min walk test. Romo1 was associated with current smoking and baseline oxygen saturation.</p></sec><sec><title>Trial registration</title><p><ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.clinicaltrials.gov</ext-link>; No.: NCT04449419; URL: <ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">www.clinicaltrials.gov</ext-link>. Date of registration: June 26, 2020.</p></sec>