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Longevity

SS-31

Elamipretide / D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2, a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide

Mitochondria-targeted peptide research examining mitochondrial membrane function and cellular energy production.

Limited Human Evidence

Route

Subcutaneous is common in clinical development

Common format

10 mg vial

Research focus

mitochondrial disease

Evidence level

Limited Human Evidence

Typical cycle

8–12 weeks

Longevity research motifLongevity

SS-31 in 30 seconds

Atlas Fast Read

What it is

Elamipretide / D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2, a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide

Why people care

Mitochondria-targeted peptide research examining mitochondrial membrane function and cellular energy production.

Human evidence

Limited Human Evidence — Human interventional or clinical data exist, but studies are small, early-phase, mixed, indirect, route-specific, or not confirmatory.

Biggest misconception

Key gaps include larger independent trials, clearer dose-response data, long-term safety, clinically meaningful endpoints, and evidence that findings generalize beyond the narrow populations or routes already studied.

Bottom line

SS-31 has a real human signal or documented human pharmacology, but evidence is too small, mixed, route-specific, or indication-specific to justify broad claims.

Overview

What is SS-31?

SS-31 is elamipretide / D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2, a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide. Mitochondria-targeted peptide research examining mitochondrial membrane function and cellular energy production.

SS-31 was developed by Hazel Szeto and Peter Schiller in the early 2000s as a mitochondria-targeted aromatic-cationic peptide. It later entered clinical development as elamipretide for mitochondrial and cardiometabolic disorders.

Mechanism

How it works

Concentrates at the inner mitochondrial membrane and interacts with cardiolipin, helping stabilize cristae, electron transport, and redox balance. The goal is improved mitochondrial efficiency rather than nonspecific antioxidant scavenging.

Research areas

mitochondrial diseasecardiac/renal energeticsskeletal muscleoxidative stress

Evidence

What does the evidence actually say?

Limited Human Evidence

Human interventional or clinical data exist, but studies are small, early-phase, mixed, indirect, route-specific, or not confirmatory.

01

Preclinical Evidence

02

Limited Human Evidence

03

Strong Human Evidence

Human evidence

Elamipretide has been studied in multiple human clinical programs involving mitochondrial, cardiac, renal, and muscle disorders. Some studies show physiologic or functional signals, while pivotal results have been mixed; it remains an investigational/indication-specific evidence base.

Preclinical evidence

Extensive animal work shows cardiolipin binding, improved mitochondrial bioenergetics, and protection in cardiac, renal, skeletal-muscle, and neurodegenerative models. Translation has produced mixed human trial results.

Knowledge gaps

Key gaps include larger independent trials, clearer dose-response data, long-term safety, clinically meaningful endpoints, and evidence that findings generalize beyond the narrow populations or routes already studied.

Protocol

Research protocol

DoseFrequencyTimingCycle

Dose

Community reference: 5–10 mg/day SC, with higher experimental doses listed. Clinical elamipretide trials have used study-specific fixed or weight-based doses, so no single dose applies across indications.

Frequency

Once daily in many trials and the community protocol.

Timing

Consistent daily timing; no universal clock-time requirement.

Route

Subcutaneous is common in clinical development; IV has also been studied.

Cycle length

8–12 weeks

Reconstitution

Community research-vial reference: 1 mL per 10 mg vial = 10 mg/mL.

Storage

Community reference: lyophilized frozen; reconstituted 2–8 °C and use within about 4 weeks. Clinical products follow study/product-specific storage.

Monitoring

Condition-specific function plus renal/hepatic labs, BP and injection-site reactions. Mitochondrial biomarkers remain research tools rather than routine clinical targets.

Protocols vary widely between sources. Investigational compounds are not approved therapies, and approved products should follow their official labeling. Nothing here is medical advice.

Safety

Safety, side effects, and precautions

Side effects

Clinical elamipretide studies most commonly report injection-site reactions; headache, fatigue, nausea or dizziness can occur. Long-term safety remains indication- and trial-dependent.

Contraindications

No broadly approved contraindication profile exists because elamipretide remains indication-specific/investigational in many settings. Pregnancy, serious organ disease and hypersensitivity require protocol-specific review.

Interactions

Formal interaction data are limited. Mitochondrial/toxicologic interactions with other experimental agents are not well characterized.

Stacks

Common stacks

SS-31 + MOTS-c

Research-oriented pairing of two distinct mitochondrial pathways.

No controlled human combination evidence.

Questions

FAQ

References

Sources

Atlas

The Atlas verdict

SS-31 has a real human signal or documented human pharmacology, but evidence is too small, mixed, route-specific, or indication-specific to justify broad claims. The most defensible use of the literature is to separate what has actually been measured in people from what is still extrapolated from mechanism or animal work.

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