MOTS-c · research summary

Elevated Serum Nardilysin Is Inversely Associated with Cardiovascular Disease in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Kidney & blood pressure research · 2026. Summary drawn from the study's full text. Each statement is followed by the exact sentence it comes from. This is a research summary, not medical advice.

Study type

Observational cohort study
“This was an observational cohort study enrolling 118 adult KTRs under care of the University Hospital in Kraków, Poland.”

Subjects

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) and aged-matched healthy controls
“We measured serum NRDc and MOTS-c concentrations in an observational cohort of 150 patients (118 KTRs and aged-matched controls – 32 patients) using commercial ELISA kits.”

Sample size

150 total participants (118 KTRs and 32 controls)
“We measured serum NRDc and MOTS-c concentrations in an observational cohort of 150 patients (118 KTRs and aged-matched controls – 32 patients) using commercial ELISA kits.”

Duration

Median follow-up of 29.2 months
“KTRs were followed for a median of 29.2 (25.3–31.9) months.”

Reported findings

Serum NRDc and MOTS-c concentrations were significantly higher in KTRs compared to healthy controls.
“Median serum NRDc (1.91 vs. 0.42 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and MOTS-c (178 vs. 142 ng/mL, p = 0.014) were significantly higher in KTRs, as compared with controls.”
Higher standardized ln-NRDc was independently associated with lower odds of prevalent cardiovascular disease.
“After adjusting for age and sex, higher standardized ln-NRDc was independently associated with lower odds of prevalent CV disease (OR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.34–0.97, p = 0.04).”
Neither NRDc nor MOTS-c was significantly associated with allograft loss, all-cause mortality, or eGFR decline.
“Both serum NRDc and MOTS-c markers were not associated with all-cause mortality or follow-up eGFR decline.”

Limitations stated by the authors

Limited statistical power due to moderate cohort size and low event rates, single-center design with a homogeneous Caucasian population, and cross-sectional assessment of biomarkers.
“Due to moderate cohort size and low event rate [46], it is likely that statistical power is limited to effects of at least moderate strength, which may be further limited by a follow-up period of only 29 months on average, given the relatively stable nature of this KTR cohort.”

Source: PubMed 42166398 · DOI 10.1159/000552202 · all study summaries

Reported findings

Serum NRDc and MOTS-c concentrations were significantly higher in KTRs compared to healthy controls.

“Median serum NRDc (1.91 vs. 0.42 ng/mL, p < 0.001) and MOTS-c (178 vs. 142 ng/mL, p = 0.014) were significantly higher in KTRs, as compared with controls.”

Higher standardized ln-NRDc was independently associated with lower odds of prevalent cardiovascular disease.

“After adjusting for age and sex, higher standardized ln-NRDc was independently associated with lower odds of prevalent CV disease (OR 0.59, 95% CI: 0.34–0.97, p = 0.04).”

Neither NRDc nor MOTS-c was significantly associated with allograft loss, all-cause mortality, or eGFR decline.

“Both serum NRDc and MOTS-c markers were not associated with all-cause mortality or follow-up eGFR decline.”

Limitations stated by the authors

Limited statistical power due to moderate cohort size and low event rates, single-center design with a homogeneous Caucasian population, and cross-sectional assessment of biomarkers.

“Due to moderate cohort size and low event rate [46], it is likely that statistical power is limited to effects of at least moderate strength, which may be further limited by a follow-up period of only 29 months on average, given the relatively stable nature of this KTR cohort.”