A 2025 study in Experimental & Molecular Medicine by Kong et al. found that the mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c declines as pancreatic islet cells age and that exogenous MOTS-c treatment can reduce this senescence. Lower circulating MOTS-c levels were observed in type 2 diabetes patients compared to healthy controls. In aged mice, MOTS-c treatment improved glucose intolerance and modulated nuclear gene expression linked to beta-cell aging. The findings position MOTS-c as a potential therapeutic target for age-related metabolic disease.