SS-31 20mg

SS-31 is a four amino acid peptide that concentrates inside the mitochondria and binds cardiolipin, the phospholipid that holds the inner membrane in shape. It is the one compound in the peptide line aimed at the energy system rather than the tissue, which makes it the odd one out next to BPC-157 and TB-500. Supplied as a 20mg lyophilized vial.

SS-31 20mg: The Peptide That Targets the Power Supply

Most of the peptides on this page fix things you can point at. A tendon, a gut lining, a joint capsule. SS-31 does not work that way, and people usually misread it the first time because of that.

Mitochondria are where the cell makes ATP, and they lose efficiency with age, with illness and with the kind of chronic training load that never really lets up. When that happens you do not get an injury. You get a ceiling. Work capacity drops, recovery between sessions stretches out, and the problem does not show up on anything you would normally test.

SS-31 was built for that specific problem. It is an aromatic cationic tetrapeptide, sequence D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2, developed by Hazel Szeto and Peter Schiller. In the clinical literature it goes by elamipretide or MTP-131, and it has been through human trials for mitochondrial myopathy, Barth syndrome and heart failure.

How It Works

The inner mitochondrial membrane is folded into cristae, and those folds are held in shape by a phospholipid called cardiolipin. Cardiolipin also organises the respiratory chain complexes into working groups. When it is damaged or depleted, the folds flatten out, the chain loses efficiency, and the mitochondria start leaking reactive oxygen species instead of producing energy cleanly.

SS-31 binds cardiolipin directly. Research associates that binding with better preserved cristae structure, more efficient electron transport and less ROS produced at source. That last part matters: it is not mopping up free radicals after the fact, it is cutting down how many get made in the first place.

One practical note that separates it from other mitochondrial compounds. SS-31 accumulates in mitochondria without needing membrane potential to pull it in. Compounds that rely on charge gradients concentrate worst in the damaged mitochondria that have lost their potential, which is exactly where you want them most. SS-31 does not have that problem.

Where It Sits Next to the Rest of the Line

Worth being clear about what SS-31 does not do. It does not build new mitochondria. That is a different mechanism entirely, and if biogenesis is what you are after, SLU-PP-332 is the compound in our line that works on that pathway. SS-31 makes the mitochondria you already have run properly.

It also does not overlap with the repair peptides. BPC-157 and TB-500 rebuild damaged tissue, one locally and one systemically. Thymosin Alpha-1 works on immune signalling. None of the three touch the energy system, which is why researchers running long protocols tend to slot SS-31 in alongside rather than in place of anything.

Specs

• Sequence: D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2 (tetrapeptide)
• Also known as: Elamipretide, MTP-131
• Vial size: 20mg lyophilized powder
• Class: Mitochondria-targeted aromatic cationic peptide
• Binding target: Cardiolipin, inner mitochondrial membrane
• Storage: Refrigerate. Stable long-term unmixed.

Reconstitution and Storage

Ships as a sterile lyophilized powder. Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water. Once mixed, keep it refrigerated and use within 30 days. Store the vial out of direct light and do not let it go through repeated warm and cold cycles, which is what degrades a reconstituted peptide faster than anything else.

Browse the full peptides category for the rest of the range.

For laboratory and research use only. Not for human consumption. Not approved by Health Canada for therapeutic use.