Metabolic Longevity · 10mg × 10 vials
In plain terms: SS-31 is a research compound - injectable, fast-acting and well studied.
SS-31 (elamipretide, originally Bendavia/MTP-131) is a small mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide (D-Arg-2',6'-dimethyl-Tyr-Lys-Phe-NH2) that binds selectively to cardiolipin on the inner mitochondrial membrane. Cardiolipin is the unique phospholipid that anchors the electron transport chain complexes and shapes the cristae; in aging, heart failure, ischemia, and primary mitochondrial disease, cardiolipin oxidizes and disorganizes, electron leak goes up, and ATP output collapses. SS-31 docks onto cardiolipin without disrupting it, stabilizes the cristae geometry, protects complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) supercomplexes, reduces electron leak, and cuts reactive oxygen species (ROS) production at the source rather than mopping them up downstream like a generic antioxidant. The downstream effects in the literature: preserved ATP synthesis, reduced mitochondrial swelling under stress, protection against ischemia-reperfusion injury, restored mitochondrial calcium handling, and improved cellular bioenergetics in tissues with the highest mitochondrial density (heart, skeletal muscle, retina, kidney). It crosses cell membranes via its alternating cationic/aromatic structure and accumulates ~1,000-5,000 fold in mitochondria relative to cytosol. Stealth BioTherapeutics ran it through cardiology (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, primary mitochondrial myopathy), ophthalmology (dry AMD/geographic atrophy), and Barth syndrome programs; it's the most-studied mitochondrial-targeted peptide in clinical pipeline history.
Typical dose ranges by experience level - educational reference. Message us and we tailor it to you.
A 10 mg vial reconstituted with 2 ml BAC = 5 mg/ml, so 1 mg = 20 IU, 2 mg = 40 IU on a U-100 syringe. This dose band is what most longevity-stack users land on (matches the lower end of the Stealth clinical dosing). Subjective energy/recovery improvement typically reported by week 2-4. Beginners often pair with MOTS-c 2-3x/week on the same protocol.
This is the band where heart-failure trial participants and mitochondrial-myopathy patients were dosed (Stealth's MMPOWER and PROGRESS-HF trials ran 4-40 mg/day IV/SubQ). 5 mg/day SubQ is roughly the bioequivalent of the lower SubQ trial arm. Intermediate users typically stack with NAD+ injections (50-100 mg 2x/week) or oral NMN, and continue MOTS-c 5-10 mg 2-3x/week. Energy, recovery, and cognitive sharpness reads are most pronounced at this band.
10 mg EOD is the upper end of community advanced protocols, mostly run by people with documented mitochondrial dysfunction (long COVID, ME/CFS, post-statin myopathy, age-related cardiac stiffness) rather than healthy longevity users. Stealth trial data suggests diminishing returns above ~8 mg/day. Advanced users almost always run SS-31 inside a multi-peptide mitochondrial stack (MOTS-c + NAD+ + occasionally Humanin or Cardiogen).
Straight talk - what people actually report, and what the studies measured.
Peer-reviewed studies and clinical guidelines - tap any to read the source.
foundational mechanism paper from the inventor
Read study ↗PubMedBirk AV et al, The mitochondrial-targeted compound SS-31 re-energizes ischemic mitochondria, JASN 2013cardiolipin binding, ATP restoration in ischemia
Read study ↗PubMedSaad A et al, Phase 2a randomized clinical trial of elamipretide in CKD, JASN 2017renovascular disease, renal mitochondrial function
Read study ↗PubMedDaubert MA et al, Novel mitochondria-targeting peptide in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, Circulation Heart Failure 2017PROGRESS-HF program
Read study ↗PubMedKaraa A et al, A randomized crossover trial of elamipretide in adults with primary mitochondrial myopathy, J Inherit Metab Dis 2020MMPOWER trials
Read study ↗Clinical guidelinesStealth BioTherapeutics TAZPOWER (Barth syndrome) program summaryprogram summary](https://www.stealthbt.com/our-pipeline/) - open-label extension data, muscle strength and exercise capacity improvements
Read study ↗Aggregated sentiment from public forums & socials - real-world reports, not individual endorsements.
Energy improvement: most-reported subjective effect, usually felt week 2-4, described as "cleaner" energy than stimulants
Improved exercise recovery: notable in users >40 and in long COVID / ME/CFS populations
Injection-site soreness: matches RCT signal, manageable with site rotation and slower-push technique
Mood lift: not formally measured in trials but commonly mentioned, possibly secondary to better cellular energy
Sleep quality improvement: reported especially when stacked with MOTS-c
Skin appearance / "glow": occasionally mentioned, plausibly from improved dermal mitochondrial function
Route: SubQ injection (clinical trials also used IV; subQ is the community/research-chem norm)
Injection site: abdomen or outer thigh, rotate sites. Some users inject IM into the deltoid or quad on heavier dose days for faster onset.
Storage: refrigerated, 28-30 days after reconstitution. Light-sensitive, keep in the original box or wrapped in foil in the fridge.
Notes: Short half-life (~2.5 hr) means timing matters. Morning dosing is the norm so the bioenergetic effect lines up with the active day. Some advanced users split the dose AM/PM to extend coverage. Don't shake the vial - swirl gently. Use a fresh insulin syringe per draw.