While Big Pharma continues search for marketable therapies for Metabolic Associated Steato-Hepatitis (i.e. MASH, or fatty liver), we can learn a few things from their current contender for a patentable MASH therapy. First, peptides, despite the political hype against them, are promising for a variety of conditions. Second, glutathione, also a peptide, likely contributes to the efficacy of their new DT-109 contender beyond its 100 other functions. Third, functional medicine keeps asking if we can look further upstream for therapies rather than simply new drugs to boost stock prices. Altogether, we can all appreciate the research while also asking Big Pharma to be more honest about peptides in general.
If you have not heard about peptides, you probably have not been watching either the health news, the political news, or the biohacking news. Peptides are short chains of linked amino acids, just a handful compared to proteins in our bodies with hundreds of amino acids. These shorter chains can act as chemical messengers in various metabolic functions. Some, like insulin, are naturally made, while others on the health market are shortened forms of other hormones or natural messengers.
They have gained attention in various news outlets for a variety of reasons. In biohacking, they are promoted as anything from fountains of youth to brain enhancers to injury recovery and more. In politics, they have caused a lot of fuss, as RFK Jr. enabled them to move forward to be researchable and compoundable therapies in a July 2026 committee meeting. In the mainstream world of medicine, many are fuming over what they call “untested” and “unproven” therapies.
This mainstream research offers some insight to answer these different debates by looking at the three angles mentioned earlier. First, DT-109 is a peptide of only 3 amino acids being researched by Big Pharma. By attaching a glycine to a glycine to a leucine (each an amino acid), they created a peptide apparently capable of stimulating GLP-1 receptors and increasing glutathione production. To make its list of superpowers even more impressive, it also prevented a bacterially driven process causing leaky gut (leaky gut contributes to the liver disease). Let’s leave it at this question, could other simple and short peptides also possess superpowers for our health? Hmm.
Second, the ability of DT-109 to increase production of glutathione enlists the already known powers of another peptide. Glutathione, composed of glycine, glutamine, and cysteine, 3 simple amino acids, acts as a master antioxidant in our body. Rather than cite pages and pages of studies describing its health benefits or mentioning that we already use glutathione to support the liver and so many body processes… we will just say that we are not surprised. We are not surprised that an increase in glutathione production induced by DT-109 would benefit the liver which processes so many toxins using glutathione.
Third, the article acknowledges that one of the mechanisms leading to MASH liver disease includes increased levels of a specific bacteria, Clostridium perfringens, and its metabolic product ammonia. We, in functional medicine, know that many other factors, bacterial and otherwise, contribute to leaky gut, ammonia levels, and other inflammatory processes. Daily we help our patients to work on these contributing factors in the gut, besides supporting the liver with other nutrients and herbals. I know the authors want to focus on their hopes for a superdrug, but let’s not forget the basics.
Altogether, we are hopeful that a simple peptide compound of three amino acids could provide promising therapy for those with MASH that don’t know a good functional medicine provider nearby. However, since we step back and see a bigger picture in terms of peptides, glutathione, and other gut health factors, we don’t confine ourselves to Big Pharma’s current or future profit hopes. We help patients restore healthier, more abundant lives using the best of natural and conventional medicines, aiming at lasting health rather than a long term medication therapy.
Other SFM blogs about Liver Health:
B12 and Folate for Fatty Liver
Liver Detox
Fire Resistant Fatty Liver
Original Articles
Pengxiang Qu, Shusi Ding, Yanru Zhang, Yang Zhao, Erfei Song, Liangshuo Hu, Ruike Ding, Wenbin Cao, Yiting Hou, Jia Qi, Juan Zhao, Chenjing Duan, Shuangqing Liu, Chong Shen, Ying Zhao, Yanhong Guo, Zuowen Zheng, Shiwei Luo, Huizhong Hu, Liang Bai, Sihai Zhao, Bo Wang, Shuixiang He, Yi Wu, Xuelian Xiong, Qiutong Wu, Weiwang Gu, Oren Rom, Aimin Xu, Lemin Zheng, Jifeng Zhang, Enqi Liu, Y. Eugene Chen. Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis exacerbated by Clostridium perfringens–derived ammonia is attenuated by tripeptide DT-109. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2026; 136 (13) DOI: 10.1172/JCI200522
Jia, L., Qu, P., Zhao, Y. et al. Tripeptide DT-109 (Gly-Gly-Leu) attenuates atherosclerosis and vascular calcification in nonhuman primates. Sig Transduct Target Ther 10, 122 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-025-02201-2
Thanks to Science Daily:
Michigan Medicine – University of Michigan. “Experimental drug reverses severe fatty liver disease by repairing the gut.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 July 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260711010116.htm>.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
Dr. Eric Potter graduated from Vanderbilt Medical School and then went on to specialize in internal medicine (adult) and pediatric care, spending significant time and effort in growing his medical understanding while caring for patients from all walks of life.
