SS-31 (Elamipretide)
Longevity In trials Human trials
Also called Elamipretide, Bendavia, MTP-131
A four-amino-acid peptide that crosses into cells and parks on the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it binds cardiolipin — the lipid that keeps the energy-producing machinery correctly folded. Restoring that structure is meant to improve how efficiently mitochondria make ATP.
Why people take it
What studies report
- Improved mitochondrial function and exercise tolerance in primary mitochondrial myopathy trials
- Better cardiac function measures in heart failure studies
- Improved muscle energetics in older adults in a small imaging study
How it works
Targets the inner mitochondrial membrane and binds cardiolipin, stabilising cristae architecture and restoring electron transport chain efficiency.
In practice Unapproved use
- An emerging favourite in the mitochondrial and longevity community
- Interest grew despite mixed trial results, driven by the mechanism
Reported real-world use, not evidence and not a recommendation.
Worth knowing: Several late-stage trials missed their primary endpoints, including in primary mitochondrial myopathy and Barth syndrome, so results are genuinely mixed rather than uniformly positive.
Status: Reached phase 3 trials. Not approved.
- Route
- Subcutaneous injection, from reconstituted lyophilised powder
- Sequence
- D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2
- Formula
- C32H49N9O5
- Molecular weight
- 639.8 g/mol
- CAS
- 736992-21-5
- Available as
- 10 mg
Educational information only. Nothing here is medical advice, a dosing protocol, or a recommendation to use any compound. Most entries describe substances not approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician before acting on anything you read here. How to read these entries.