AUTHOR=Iboleon-Jimenez Andrea , Sánchez-Quintero María J. , Carmona-Segovia Ada D. M. , Sojo Bélen , Fernández-Ramos Ana María , García-Rodríguez Luis , Molina-Ramos Ana I. , García-Pinilla José Manuel , Jimenez-Navarro Manuel , Ortega-Gomez Almudena TITLE=Circulating mitochondrial biomarkers in acute coronary syndrome JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025 YEAR=2025 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1568305 DOI=10.3389/fmed.2025.1568305 ISSN=2296-858X ABSTRACT=BackgroundAcute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a hallmark of various cardiometabolic diseases, including ACS. Emerging evidence suggests that evaluating mitochondrial biomarkers in plasma may offer valuable insights into the pathophysiology and management of these conditions. The present study aims to analyse the effect of ACS, sex and their interaction on plasma levels of mitochondrial markers, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α), mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c (MOTS-c) and citrate syntetase (CS).MethodsA total of 18 ACS patients (8 women and 10 men) and 20 controls (8 women and 12 men) were included in this study. Venous blood samples were collected from participants after a 12-h overnight fast. Plasma levels of mitochondrial PGC-1α, MOTS-c and CS were measured.ResultsACS significantly reduced plasma levels of PGC-1α and MOTS-c. Sex did not shown a significant effect on these markers. Additionally, MOTS-c positively correlated with the first troponin and hemoglobin, PGC-1α negatively correlated with glucose and positively with HDL-cholesterol, and CS showed negative correlations with NT-proBNP, C-reactive protein, and hemoglobin.ConclusionMitochondria markers, MOTS-c and PGC-1α, are altered in ACS patients, with no observed sex differences. These findings represent an initial step toward integrating personalized medicine into the clinical management of ACS. Nonetheless, further studies are required to fully elucidate the role of these markers in this pathology.