# Publications

> Reading list | Bullish Peptides — The Bullish Peptides reading list: original MOTS-c studies, semaglutide and tirzepatide trials, tesamorelin fat studies and safety reviews.

Clinical trials, cell and animal experiments, reviews and medical references appear together below. The study titles identify their different subjects.

## Starting points

For the argument on the home page, begin with [SELECT’s cardiovascular trial](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/). For the direct weight comparison, open [SURMOUNT-5](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40353578/). [The tesamorelin trial measuring visceral and liver fat](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25038357/) makes location central, while the [MOTS-c cell-stress paper](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29983246/) concerns events inside cultured cells.

These entries reward my attention in different ways. The clinical trials can establish treatment effects in their enrolled groups; the cell experiments help develop an explanation and a next experiment. The complete list follows.

## References

[1] Kumagai H, Kim SJ, Miller B, et al. MOTS-c modulates skeletal muscle function by directly binding and activating CK2. iScience. 2024;27(11):111212. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39559755/
[2] Bolignano D, Greco M, Presta P, Duni A, et al. The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide MOTS-c May Refine Mortality and Cardiovascular Risk Prediction in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients: A Multicenter Cohort Study. Blood Purification. 2024;53(10):824-837. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39111290/
[3] Wan W, Zhang L, Lin Y, Rao X, Wang X, Hua F, Ying J. Mitochondria-derived peptide MOTS-c: effects and mechanisms related to stress, metabolism and aging. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2023;21(1):36. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36670507/
[4] Reynolds JC, Lai RW, Woodhead JST, Joly JH, Mitchell CJ, Cameron-Smith D, Lu R, Cohen P, Graham NA, Benayoun BA, Merry TL, Lee C. MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis. Nature Communications. 2021;12(1):470. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33473109/
[5] Kim KH, Son JM, Benayoun BA, Lee C. The Mitochondrial-Encoded Peptide MOTS-c Translocates to the Nucleus to Regulate Nuclear Gene Expression in Response to Metabolic Stress. Cell Metabolism. 2018;28(3):516-524.e7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29983246/
[6] Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, Sallam T, Martin-Montalvo A, Wan J, Kim SJ, Mehta H, Hevener AL, de Cabo R, Cohen P. The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance. Cell Metabolism. 2015;21(3):443-454. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738459/
[7] Pham T, Taberner A, Hickey A, Han JC. Mitochondria-derived peptide MOTS-c restores mitochondrial respiration in type 2 diabetic heart. Frontiers in Physiology. 2025;16:1602271. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40661667/
[8] Aronne LJ, et al. (SURMOUNT-5 Investigators). Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40353578/
[9] Perkovic V, et al. (FLOW Trial Committees and Investigators). Effects of Semaglutide on Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38785209/
[10] Lincoff AM, et al. (SELECT Trial Investigators). Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37952131/
[11] Wilding JPH, et al. (STEP 1 Study Group). Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/
[12] Smits MM, Van Raalte DH. Safety of Semaglutide. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34305810/
[13] Farzam K, Patel P. Tirzepatide (StatPearls). StatPearls [Internet], NCBI Bookshelf. 2024. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK585056/
[14] Zeng Q, et al. Safety issues of tirzepatide (pancreatitis and gallbladder or biliary disease) in type 2 diabetes and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37908750/
[15] Jastreboff AM, et al. Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35658024/
[16] Frias JP, et al. Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34170647/
[17] Badran AS, et al. Body composition, hepatic fat, metabolic, and safety outcomes of Tesamorelin, a GHRH analogue, in HIV-associated lipodystrophy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. 2026;20(1):2-12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41545261/
[18] National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (LiverTox). Tesamorelin - LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. NCBI Bookshelf (NIH). 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK548730/
[19] Stanley TL, Feldpausch MN, Oh J, Branch KL, Lee H, Torriani M, Grinspoon SK. Effect of tesamorelin on visceral fat and liver fat in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014;312(4):380-389. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25038357/
[20] Stanley TL, Chen CY, Branch KL, Makimura H, Grinspoon SK. Effects of a growth hormone-releasing hormone analog on endogenous GH pulsatility and insulin sensitivity in healthy men. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2011;96(1):150-158. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20943777/
[21] Falutz J, Allas S, Mamputu JC, Potvin D, Kotler D, Somero M, Berger D, Brown S, Richmond G, Fessel J, Turner R, Grinspoon S. Long-term safety and effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation. AIDS. 2008;22(14):1719-1728. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18690162/

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Bullish Peptides is an independent cohort-first literature digest—not a clinic, a peptide counter, or a permission slip to outrun the evidence.