Evidence review · Published July 22, 2026 · Sources checked July 22, 2026

SS-31 (elamipretide) research overview

SS-31, also called elamipretide in clinical-development literature, is a mitochondria-targeted aromatic-cationic tetrapeptide.

Evidence boundary: published research does not establish the identity or performance of a separately supplied batch. The catalog product is supplied only for qualified in vitro laboratory research and is not for human or animal use.

What is SS-31?

Biophysical and biochemical studies have examined membrane surface electrostatics, cardiolipin-associated cytochrome c behavior, and mitochondrial protein interactions.

Research category

Mitochondrial & cellular aging

Study models represented

Biophysical systems, isolated mitochondria, cells, animals, and a controlled human mechanistic study

Names in the literature

Elamipretide; MTP-131; Szeto-Schiller peptide 31

Primary boundary

Mechanistic and small human studies do not establish broad clinical efficacy or product interchangeability.

What does the selected evidence support?

A randomized study in older adults examined skeletal-muscle mitochondrial energetics after a controlled intervention. That finding is protocol-specific and does not establish equivalence of separately sourced material.

Primary sources

1. Birk et al., British Journal of Pharmacology (2014) — Cardiolipin/cytochrome-c interaction and mitochondrial mechanism experiments. DOI: 10.1111/bph.12468
2. Chavez et al., PNAS (2020) — Cross-linking mass-spectrometry study of the mitochondrial protein interaction landscape. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2002250117
3. Campbell et al., JCI Insight (2021) — Randomized human study measuring skeletal-muscle mitochondrial energetics in older adults. DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.146353

Research literature and product documentation are different

A publication describes a study and its results. A batch-specific Certificate of Analysis documents characteristics of a supplied research material. One does not substitute for the other.

Review SS-31 product specifications · Browse the COA library · Read the research-use policy

Prepared by The Pep Labs Research Editorial Team. This evidence summary is not medical advice and contains no dosing or administration guidance.