SS-31

What it is:

SS-31 (Elamipretide, also referenced as MTP-131 and Bendavia) is a synthetic amphipathic tetrapeptide with the sequence D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2, where Dmt represents 2',6'-dimethyltyrosine. It belongs to the Szeto-Schiller (SS) peptide class, a family of mitochondria-targeting amphipathic tetrapeptides characterized by an alternating aromatic-cationic amino acid motif. Its positively charged residues (D-Arg and Lys) facilitate selective electrostatic accumulation at the negatively charged cardiolipin-rich inner mitochondrial membrane, while its aromatic residues (Dmt and Phe) provide cell membrane permeability through charge shielding via pi orbital electron interactions. It is used as a research tool in mitochondrial biology, cardiolipin interaction studies, and inner mitochondrial membrane biophysics research.