SS-31 is the short name for a tetrapeptide also known as elamipretide. One unusual property sets it apart: the molecule accumulates in the inner mitochondrial membrane on its own, without a transporter. That is where all the interest in it comes from.
What SS-31 is, briefly
SS-31 is a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide. Inside the mitochondrion it binds cardiolipin, a specific inner-membrane lipid that the respiratory chain depends on. The full mechanistic breakdown is in the SS-31 monograph.
What the research showed
A foundational 2004 paper described the class of cell-permeable peptide antioxidants targeted to the inner mitochondrial membrane, to which SS-31 belongs (J. Biol. Chem., 2004). It set the logic for the whole field: deliver a protective molecule exactly where the cell produces and spends energy.
A recent review sums up the structure, mechanism of action and studied therapeutic potential of elamipretide, and also marks where the evidence is firmer and where it is still preliminary (Int. J. Mol. Sci., 2025).
Why researchers find it interesting
Mitochondria are a hard target: most molecules never reach the inner membrane. SS-31 is valuable precisely as a tool that gets there, so it is used to study how the state of cardiolipin and the respiratory chain affects the cell. It is more a probe for mitochondrial biology than a ready recipe.
Technical parameters such as studied concentrations and protocols we keep in a separate dosing document rather than in this overview.
Research status
Longeva material is research use only. It is not a medicine or a supplement. SS-31 is not a ready treatment; the data cited concern basic and clinical-research work and are not a basis for self-administration.
Lots come with a certificate of analysis from an independent third-party laboratory; a COA (certificate of analysis) by lot number is in the open archive. For presentation and specifications, see the SS-31 catalogue page.
