Research background · Updated November 1, 2026
SS-31 Research: Publications, Study Types and Background
Short answer
SS-31 is listed as synthetic tetrapeptide, C-terminally amidated. As of November 1, 2026, PubMed indexes 412 records matching SS-31, the earliest from 1993; 195 were published in 2021–2025 and 92 are reviews. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 22 registered studies matching the compound.
- PubMed records
- 412
- Earliest record
- 1993
- Published 2021–2025
- 195
- Reviews
- 92
- Animal-only studies
- 162
- Registered studies
- 22
Publications per year, 2006–2025
341 records in 2016–2025 against 57 in 2006–2015; the busiest year was 2025, with 66.
See the numbers
| Year | PubMed records |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2015 | 16 |
| 2016 | 12 |
| 2017 | 21 |
| 2018 | 28 |
| 2019 | 30 |
| 2020 | 31 |
| 2021 | 35 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 28 |
| 2024 | 53 |
| 2025 | 66 |
Study types
| All PubMed records | 412 |
|---|---|
| Reviews | 9222% |
| Animal studies (no human subjects indexed) | 16239% |
| Indexed as clinical trials | 164% |
| Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov | 22 |
Categories overlap and follow PubMed’s own indexing; recent records may not be indexed yet.
Primary research directions
What 7 of the most-cited and most recent SS-31 papers report, in their own authors’ terms. Each line links the paper it came from.
This review of inherited mitochondrial cardiomyopathies separates cellular, animal and human evidence, and notes that elamipretide (SS-31) has accelerated approval for muscle-strength improvement in Barth syndrome while cardiac disease modification remains unconfirmed.
ReviewLee CL 2026International journal of molecular sciencesPMID 42794697
In mice with lipopolysaccharide-induced memory impairment, elamipretide (SS-31) was reported to ameliorate learning and memory deficits, protect against mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress, and support BDNF signaling and hippocampal synaptic structure; the authors suggest possible relevance to perioperative neurocognitive disorders.
MiceZhao W 2019Journal of neuroinflammationPMID 31747905
In podocytes and mouse models of diabetic kidney disease linked to ABCA1 deficiency, the authors report that inhibiting cardiolipin peroxidation with elamipretide improved diabetic kidney disease in vivo and prevented ABCA1-dependent podocyte injury in vitro and in vivo.
MiceDucasa GM 2019The Journal of clinical investigationPMID 31329164
In aged mice, SS-31 was reported to improve neurovascular coupling by increasing NO-mediated cerebromicrovascular dilation, which was associated with improved spatial working memory, motor skill learning and gait coordination; protective effects on mitochondrial ROS production were also seen in cultured endothelial cells.
MiceTarantini S 2018Aging cellPMID 29405550
In mice fed a high-fat diet, SS-31 preserved mitochondrial structure in kidney cells and prevented glomerulosclerosis, lipid accumulation and upregulation of proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines, while having no effect on weight gain, insulin resistance or hyperglycemia.
MiceSzeto HH 2016Kidney internationalPMID 27519664
In dogs with experimentally induced advanced heart failure, elamipretide was associated with increased left ventricular ejection fraction, lower NT-proBNP, normalized plasma TNF-alpha and C-reactive protein, and restored mitochondrial respiration and ATP synthesis in cardiomyocytes compared with controls.
AnimalsSabbah HN 2016Circulation. Heart failurePMID 26839394
In mice, the authors report that reverse-mode mitochondrial transhydrogenase was the dominant source of cardiac ROS during pressure overload, and that targeting this ROS with the tetrapeptide SS-31 rescued mortality in pressure overload-induced heart failure.
MiceNickel AG 2015Cell metabolismPMID 26256392
Most-studied topics
The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) PubMed indexers most often marked as a main topic, across 400 of the 412 records. They describe what the literature is about, not what SS-31 does.
- Mitochondria122 papers
- Antioxidants39 papers
- Oxidative Stress26 papers
- Mitochondria, Heart21 papers
- Heart Failure20 papers
- Aging19 papers
- Reactive Oxygen Species18 papers
- Barth Syndrome17 papers
Key papers
Earliest indexed record
Adam MP (1993). .
PMID 25299040Most-cited paper · 470 citations
Szeto HH (2014). British journal of pharmacology.
PMID 24117165Most-cited #2 · 424 citations
Birk AV (2013). Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN.
PMID 23813215Most-cited #3 · 422 citations
Cano Sanchez M (2018). Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland).
PMID 30042332
Citation counts from NIH iCite, among the 400 records sampled. Titles are left out; open each record on PubMed to read it.
Identity
| Synonyms and codes | Elamipretide, MTP-131, Szeto-Schiller peptide 31 |
|---|---|
| Description | Synthetic tetrapeptide, C-terminally amidated |
| Supplied form | Lyophilized powder |
| CAS number | 736992-21-5 |
| Molecular formula | C32H49N9O5 |
| Molecular weight | 639.8 g/mol |
| Sequence | D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2 |
As published by Vanta Labs, with its sources, on the SS-31 page.
How these numbers were counted
- PubMed search, run November 1, 2026:
elamipretide[tiab] OR Bendavia[tiab] OR ("SS-31"[tiab] AND (Szeto[au] OR mitochondria*[tiab] OR cardiolipin[tiab]))re-run it. Study types add PubMed’s own filters (review, clinical trial, animals not humans). - Topics: MeSH major-topic headings counted across up to 400 of the matching records; headings for study set-up (species, sex, age) are left out.
- Citations: NIH iCite citation counts for the same records.
- ClinicalTrials.gov search:
elamipretide OR "SS-31"re-run it. Any phase, any status.
This page reports what has been published and what papers say they found, with each source linked. It gives no dosing or usage information, and nothing here is a reason to use SS-31 outside a laboratory.
Wholesale supply
SS-31 for research, documented lot by lot.
10mg vials, with a published report printing 99.476% HPLC purity. Every wholesale lot comes with its certificate of analysis, and your quote names the lot. Pricing on inquiry.
SS-31 research questions
How much research has been published on SS-31?
PubMed indexes 412 records matching SS-31 (searched November 1, 2026), including 92 reviews and 16 records indexed as clinical trials. 195 were published in the five years 2021–2025.
When was SS-31 first described in the literature?
The earliest PubMed record matching SS-31 is from 1993 (Adam MP, , PMID 25299040).
What topics does the SS-31 literature cover?
The subject headings PubMed indexers most often marked as a main topic of SS-31 papers are Mitochondria, Antioxidants, Oxidative Stress, Mitochondria, Heart. These describe what the literature is about. Findings from individual papers, with their sources, are summarized on this page.
What is the regulatory status of SS-31?
The material supplied here is a research chemical. It is not a drug product and is not for human or veterinary use.
Is SS-31 sold for human use?
No. Vanta Foundry supplies it for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not a drug, food, cosmetic or dietary supplement.
Where can I buy SS-31 wholesale for research?
From the Vanta Foundry wholesale catalog: add it to your list, choose sizes and the number of vials, and send it on WhatsApp or by email. Every wholesale lot comes with a certificate of analysis.
Research materials supplied by Vanta Foundry are for laboratory research use only. They are not for human or veterinary use and are not drugs, foods, cosmetics or dietary supplements. Websites and payment processing are business services for research-supply brands.
All compounds: research peptide publication statistics.