SS-31 (elamipretide): the complete guide to the mitochondrial peptide

What is SS-31?

SS-31 is a small, water-soluble tetrapeptide, four amino acids joined together, designed to target the mitochondria. Known clinically as elamipretide (and by the research codes Szeto-Schiller peptide 31, MTP-131 and Bendavia), it is one of the most researched mitochondria-targeting peptides in science. Rather than acting on receptors at the cell surface, it concentrates in the inner mitochondrial membrane, where energy is actually made. Supplied for research use only.

SS-31 belongs to a family of compounds developed by researchers Hazel Szeto and Peter Schiller, which is where the "SS" name comes from. What sets it apart from most peptides is its destination: it crosses into the cell and concentrates several thousand-fold in the inner mitochondrial membrane, the part of the cell where energy is produced.

Mitochondria are often called the power plants of the cell, and for good reason: they convert nutrients into ATP, the molecule that powers almost everything cells do. As we age, or when cells are under stress, mitochondria become less efficient and leak more damaging by-products. SS-31 attracted so much research interest precisely because it targets this machinery directly.

• What it is: a mitochondria-targeting tetrapeptide, known clinically as elamipretide.
• Why it matters: studied for supporting cellular energy (ATP) and lowering oxidative stress.
• The mechanism: it concentrates in the inner mitochondrial membrane and binds a lipid called cardiolipin.
• In the range: supplied as a complete 30mg SS-31 research kit with a verifiable Janoshik COA.

How SS-31 works

SS-31 is best understood as a mitochondrial stabiliser. Research points to a few connected mechanisms, all centred on a lipid called cardiolipin.

• It binds cardiolipin. Cardiolipin is a unique lipid found almost exclusively in the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it helps hold the membrane's tightly folded shape (the cristae) and keeps the energy-producing machinery organised. With age and stress, cardiolipin becomes damaged and disorganised. SS-31 selectively binds cardiolipin and is studied for helping it stay stable and functional.
• It protects the cristae and the electron transport chain. By stabilising cardiolipin, SS-31 is researched for helping mitochondria keep their folded structure so the electron transport chain, the assembly line that produces ATP, can run efficiently rather than falling apart under stress.
• It supports ATP production. A more organised, better-protected membrane is associated in research with more efficient energy output, which is why SS-31 is so often described as an energy peptide.
• It reduces oxidative stress. Inefficient mitochondria leak reactive oxygen species (ROS), the unstable molecules behind much cellular ageing and damage. SS-31 has been studied for reducing this leakage, lowering oxidative stress at the source rather than mopping it up afterwards.

SS-31 and cellular energy

Energy is where SS-31 earned its reputation. Because it works directly on the machinery that makes ATP, the peptide has been studied as a way to support cells whose energy output has dropped, whether through age, stress or high demand. Tissues that use the most energy, such as muscle, heart and nerve cells, are densely packed with mitochondria, which is why so much SS-31 research focuses there. In plain terms, SS-31 is studied for helping tired, under-performing cells run cleaner and produce more of the energy they rely on.

SS-31 and healthy ageing

Declining mitochondrial function is considered one of the hallmarks of ageing. As cardiolipin degrades and ATP output falls, cells across the body have less energy to repair and maintain themselves. SS-31 (elamipretide) has been investigated extensively in research on age-related and stress-related mitochondrial dysfunction, including in laboratory and clinical studies of muscle, heart and eye tissue. The research interest is straightforward: a peptide that targets the root cause of mitochondrial decline is studied for supporting the cellular resilience that tends to fade with age.

Recovery and performance

The same two properties, more efficient energy and less oxidative stress, are why SS-31 also appears in recovery and performance research. Intense physical demand places heavy load on mitochondria and generates oxidative stress, and SS-31 has been studied in models of muscle function and exercise-related stress. For researchers, it is a logical companion to recovery-focused peptides because it works on the energy system that underpins how cells bounce back.

The SS-31 research kit

At NovaPeptides, SS-31 is supplied as a single-peptide research kit rather than a loose vial. Each kit includes the reusable dosing pen, bacteriostatic water, needle heads, an extraction syringe and a thermal hard case, so it arrives ready to assemble, and every batch carries a verifiable Janoshik Certificate of Analysis. Research use only.

Research handling and reconstitution

SS-31 ships as a lyophilised (freeze-dried) powder. In a research setting it is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before use, then drawn or dialled in measured amounts. Because the right concentration depends on how much bacteriostatic water you reconstitute with, we keep the click-by-click method on a U-100 pen in one place rather than printing a single fixed figure.

Purity and testing

With a peptide as targeted as SS-31, identity and purity are everything, because they determine whether research is meaningful. Every NovaPeptides batch is independently tested by Janoshik, one of the most trusted peptide analysis labs in the world.

The batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis you can read and check for yourself. No smoke, no mirrors. Ask us and we will send the report.

Verified by Janoshik

Every NovaPeptides batch, including the SS-31 in the SS-31 research kit, ships with a verifiable Janoshik Certificate of Analysis for identity, content and purity. Here is a real report.

REAL CERTIFICATE OF ANALYSIS · JANOSHIK

Every SS-31 batch is tested

No smoke, no mirrors. Each batch is independently verified by Janoshik for purity, content and identity. Ask us and we will send the report.

99.7%Janoshik Test #150378 · batch-tested purity

How to research SS-31 with NovaPeptides

At NovaPeptides, SS-31 is supplied within the SS-31 research kit as a complete, ready-to-assemble research kit rather than a loose vial, with the reusable dosing pen, bacteriostatic water, needle heads, an extraction syringe and a thermal hard case, plus a verifiable Janoshik Certificate of Analysis. Because the right concentration depends on how much bacteriostatic water you reconstitute with, we keep the click-by-click method on a U-100 pen in one place.

Mitochondrial peptide

SS-31 research kit

Contains SS-31, supplied as a complete, ready-to-assemble research kit. Research use only.

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