SS-31, also known by its investigational drug name elamipretide, is a synthetic tetrapeptide designed to concentrate in the inner mitochondrial membrane rather than act through a surface receptor like most peptides. That distinction is why it shows up in longevity and energy-focused research circles under a different mechanism than growth-hormone secretagogues or healing peptides like BPC-157.
How It’s Thought to Work
SS-31 binds to cardiolipin, a phospholipid concentrated in the inner mitochondrial membrane that’s essential for the structure of the electron transport chain. Research interest centers on whether stabilizing cardiolipin helps preserve mitochondrial efficiency and reduce the production of reactive oxygen species under stress — a mechanism distinct from stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis outright.
Where the Research Is Focused
Elamipretide has been studied in clinical trial contexts for primary mitochondrial myopathy and Barth syndrome, along with investigational interest in age-related cardiac and skeletal muscle function. In the research-peptide community, interest tends to center on general cellular energy and fatigue-adjacent use cases, though this remains an area with far more preclinical and early clinical data than consumer-level evidence.
How It Compares to NAD+-Focused Approaches
NAD+ and its precursors work by replenishing a coenzyme the mitochondria need for energy metabolism broadly. SS-31 works at the membrane-structure level instead. They’re not competing approaches so much as different points of intervention in the same general system, which is why you’ll sometimes see the two discussed together in longevity-stack contexts.
Sourcing
SS-31 is a research compound; it is not FDA-approved for any indication. It’s available through the following research-use vendors.