Heart cells from diabetic rats have weaker power plants that leak more harmful molecules than those from healthy rats, which matches what scientists expect in diabetes-related heart damage.

Diabetic rats had weaker heart mitochondria energy production, but MOTS-c treatment helped improve it back to normal levels.

When oxygen was low, MOTS-c treated diabetic rat hearts used less ATP, which may help protect the heart during low-oxygen events like heart attacks.