SS-31

SS-31, also designated elamipretide or MTP-131, is a synthetic tetrapeptide engineered to selectively accumulate within the inner mitochondrial membrane through an alternating cationic-aromatic residue structure. Once concentrated at the membrane, it binds with high affinity to cardiolipin — the signature phospholipid of the inner membrane — and stabilizes the architecture critical to electron transport chain function.

Mechanistically, this cardiolipin–SS-31 interaction is associated with preservation of cristae structure, optimization of cytochrome c retention, enhancement of oxidative phosphorylation efficiency, and reduction in reactive oxygen species generation at the source. The compound is mechanistically distinct from conventional antioxidants: rather than scavenging ROS systemically, it operates upstream by preventing their generation through mitochondrial membrane stabilization.

Preclinical research has examined SS-31 across heart failure, ischemia-reperfusion injury, age-related sarcopenia, mitochondrial myopathies, and renal ischemia models, with documented effects on ATP production, exercise capacity, and tissue-level bioenergetic markers. Clinical investigation has advanced into Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials for conditions characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction. ROEHN supplies SS-31 at 99% HPLC-verified purity as a lyophilized powder, supporting research protocols in mitochondrial bioenergetics, cardiac biology, and sarcopenia.