Researchers at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and Jiangnan University-affiliated Wuxi Fifth Hospital reported in Cell Death Discovery on October 10, 2026 that high blood sugar lowered levels of MOTS-c, a small peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, in retinal blood vessels. MOTS-c treatment protected the vessel barrier and mitochondrial function in human retinal endothelial cells exposed to high glucose and in diabetic mice, and blocking the enzyme PLA2G6 erased that protection. MOTS-c is one of the peptides the FDA's compounding advisers voted to recommend in July 2026, but this work is in cells and mice.
A Nature Communications umbrella review by Kong, Zhao, Zhang and colleagues synthesized 123 meta-analyses covering 464 outcomes from 5,617 articles to comprehensively assess GLP-1 receptor agonist effectiveness and adverse events across diverse outcomes. Outcomes were grouped into seven categories: endocrine and metabolic, cardiovascular, cancer, renal, respiratory, mortality and adverse events, and other. The review documented improvements in metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory outcomes plus cognitive function, with potential reductions in fracture risk and all-cause mortality in selected populations. Increased risks were observed for diabetic retinopathy, ketoacidosis, gastrointestinal events, and treatment discontinuation — useful evidence-summary input for ECO 2026 in Istanbul (May 12–15) and the prevention-trial proposal that 21 obesity-and-cancer experts will present there.