Abstract
Background: Humanin and the mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S
rRNA-c (MOTS-c) are mitochondrial encoded peptides involved in energy metabolism,
cytoprotection, longevity, insulin sensitivity and their expression decrease with
age. Levels of these molecules have been shown to respond to acute exercise,
however little is known about their modulation under different chronic exercise
conditions. In this study, we aim to compare levels of Humanin and MOTS-c in
non-athletes vs professional (moderate and high endurance) athletes.
Methods: Serum samples were collected from 30 non-athlete controls and
75 professional athletes (47 low/moderate endurance and 28 high endurance
athletes). Levels of Humanin and MOTS-c were measured by the enzyme linked
immunosorbent aaasy (ELISA) and linear models were generated to compare the
effect of different levels of endurance exercise on these factors in different
age groups. Spearman correlation was used to assess the correlation between these
factors in athletes and non-athletes. Results: We showed that
professional athletes had lower levels of MOTS-c and higher levels of Humanin
than sedentary controls. Within the athletic groups, high endurance athletes had
lower levels of Humanin than low/moderate endurance athletes of the same
gender/age groups, whereas MOTS-c levels did not change between the subgroups.
Humanin and MOTS-c levels were highly correlated in athletes, but not in
sedentary controls. Conclusions: This pilot data suggests that serum
levels of the mitochondrial proteins MOTS-c and Humanin change in response to
chronic exercise with implications on energy metabolism and performance.
Description
This study compares serum levels of Humanin and MOTS-c in professional athletes and non-athletes.