SS-31
SS-31 (elamipretide) is a four-amino-acid mitochondria-targeted peptide that accumulates in the inner mitochondrial membrane by binding cardiolipin to support cellular energy; research protocols typically use 0.5 mg subcutaneously daily (up to 10 mg).
Best for
Adults with mitochondrial dysfunction concerns, age-related fatigue, or researchers exploring cellular-energy interventions for specific organ-system applications
What to expect
Energy and cellular-marker shifts develop over weeks to months
Pairs with
Often combined with NAD+, MOTS-c, or other mitochondrially-targeted compounds for comprehensive mitochondrial support
Subcutaneous injection, typically ~0.5 mg once daily to start, titrating up toward ~10 mg/day as tolerated (a fixed mg dose, not per-kg) in research contexts
- How often
- Daily
- When
- Morning
- Route
- Subcutaneous
- Vial & water
- 10 mg vial in 3 mL = 3.33 mg/mL · 0.5 mg = 15 units on a U-100 syringe
- Cycle
- 8–12 weeks continuous, then reassess
The same numbers the goodtides app and the Dose Calc use — a research reference, not a prescription. Responses are individual; research protocols start at the low end.
SS-31 (also known as Elamipretide or Bendavia) is a four-amino-acid peptide (D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe) developed by Hazel Szeto's research group at Cornell. It's engineered as a 'mitochondria-targeted' compound that selectively accumulates in the inner mitochondrial membrane via specific binding to cardiolipin, a unique mitochondrial phospholipid not found elsewhere in the cell.
Phase 3 trial results are pending; not FDA-approved as of this writing.
Cardiolipin's role in stabilizing the electron transport chain and supporting cristae structure makes it both essential to cellular energy production and uniquely vulnerable to age-related oxidative damage. SS-31's selective cardiolipin binding allows it to protect this membrane and improve mitochondrial bioenergetics specifically in cells with damaged or aging mitochondria, without affecting healthy cells.
The compound is currently in clinical trials for conditions including Barth syndrome (a rare genetic cardiolipin disorder), primary mitochondrial myopathy, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, age-related macular degeneration, and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy. Earlier-stage research suggests applications in skeletal-muscle aging, kidney injury recovery, and ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Unlike conventional antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, CoQ10), which distribute throughout cellular compartments, SS-31's targeted delivery means it can act at the precise inner-mitochondrial-membrane location where age-related oxidative damage occurs first.
- Half-life
- ~3-4 hr plasma (SC)
- Peak
- ~0.5-1 hr post-SC
- Absorption
- Rapidly absorbed after subcutaneous injection
- Bioavailability
- ~92% subcutaneous
References3
- Elamipretide: The first cardiolipin-directed mitochondrial therapeutic for Barth syndrome approved under accelerated approval (PubMed)
- FDA Approves First Mitochondrial Disease Therapy: Stealth BioTherapeutics' Elamipretide (Forzinity) for Barth Syndrome (UMDF)
- FORZINITY (elamipretide hydrochloride injection) prescribing information (DailyMed)
Log every dose, count every vial, and verify your batches — free in the goodtides app.
This page is educational reference material about compounds studied in research settings. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy, possess, or use any compound. Research findings described are from published literature; individual compounds may not be approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician about anything that affects your health.