The study found that people with aortic valve disease have lower levels of two mitochondrial proteins, PGC‑1α and MOTS‑c, in their blood, hinting that their heart problems are linked to mitochondrial dysfunction. The researchers suggest these proteins could become blood tests for early detection, but they didn’t test any treatments or give dosing advice.

Aortic valve disease (AVD) is a common condition that leads to pressure and/or volume overload in the left ventricle. Aortic valve replacement is the standard treatment, as no pharmacological therapies are currently available. The incidence of AVD is increasing in developed countries, making the discovery of new biomarkers for early detection crucial. The importance of mitochondria in heart function is well established, and various cardiovascular pathologies are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated for the first time the role of mitochondria in AVD, aiming to identify new pathways involved in the disease and discover potential biomarkers. We recruited 17 patients diagnosed with AVD and scheduled for aortic valve replacement, and 22 healthy controls. Plasma levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC1α) and mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c peptide (MOTS-c) were measured by ELISA. We observed significantly reduced levels of both proteins in patients, suggesting that substantial mitochondrial dysfunction occurs in AVD patients, independent of sex or age, but directly related to the disease. Mitochondria may represent a promising target for studying new pathways involved in AVD. We propose PGC1α and MOTS-c as potential plasma biomarkers for AVD detection. Further studies, including early-stage patients, are necessary to confirm the significance of our findings.