SS-31 (elamipretide)

• Cardiolipin in the inner mitochondrial membrane

Unusually for a peptide, SS-31 is not understood as a receptor ligand. Its alternating aromatic and cationic residues allow it to concentrate in the inner mitochondrial membrane and interact with cardiolipin, a phospholipid required for the proper organisation of respiratory chain supercomplexes.

A broad preclinical literature plus registered human clinical trials across several indications. Trial outcomes have been mixed, which is itself informative and is not always reflected in secondary summaries.

No regulator has assessed elamipretide as safe and effective for any indication. No regulatory authority has assessed this compound as safe or effective for any human indication. The published record is predominantly laboratory and animal work, which does not establish human safety. Supplied and discussed here strictly as a laboratory research material. Not a medicine, not for human or veterinary administration, and nothing on this page should be read as a dosing, treatment or safety recommendation.

Identity by high-resolution mass spectrometry against the expected mass, purity by RP-HPLC with UV detection. For a sequence-defined peptide, enzymatic digestion followed by peptide mapping gives far stronger identity evidence than mass alone, because isomers and closely related sequences can share a mass. A tetrapeptide, so full sequence confirmation by tandem MS is straightforward.

Investigational. No marketing authorisation recorded as of 11 October 2026.