SS-31 Price — Cost Breakdown & Value Analysis
The SS-31 price difference between suppliers isn't about branding. It's about mitochondrial integrity at the cellular level. Research published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology demonstrated that even minor sequence variations in SS-31 (elamipretide) reduce its cardiolipin-binding affinity by 40–60%, turning a mitochondrial-protective peptide into an expensive saline shot. A $95 generic vial and a $280 research-grade vial from Real Peptides represent fundamentally different products. One involves batch-level purity verification through HPLC and mass spectrometry, the other involves trust.
We've guided hundreds of research teams through peptide procurement decisions. The gap between choosing the right SS-31 supplier and choosing the cheapest one comes down to three variables most purchasing departments never see: amino acid sequencing precision, lyophilization protocol consistency, and third-party Certificate of Analysis authenticity.
What determines SS-31 price across different suppliers and dosage forms?
SS-31 price is determined by peptide purity level (typically 95–99.5%), synthesis method (solid-phase vs liquid-phase), dosage per vial (5mg, 10mg, or 50mg), third-party analytical testing (HPLC, mass spectrometry), lyophilization quality, and supplier certification standards. Research-grade SS-31 from certified facilities costs $180–320 per 10mg vial, while unverified sources offer 5mg vials at $89–140 with no purity guarantee.
Yes, you can find SS-31 at half the research-grade price. But the mechanism of action for mitochondrial cardiolipin stabilization requires exact tetrapeptide sequencing (D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2). One substitution at the dimethyltyrosine position eliminates the therapeutic effect entirely. The rest of this piece covers exactly what drives SS-31 pricing differences, which cost variables correlate with research reliability, and what purchasing mistakes render the peptide biologically inactive before the first assay.
Understanding the SS-31 Price Structure Across Suppliers
The SS-31 price range spans $89 to $320 per vial depending on purity certification, but price alone reveals nothing about mitochondrial bioactivity. SS-31 (also called elamipretide, Bendavia, or MTP-131) is a mitochondria-targeting tetrapeptide that selectively binds to cardiolipin on the inner mitochondrial membrane. Stabilizing cristae structure, reducing reactive oxygen species production, and preventing cytochrome c release during ischemia-reperfusion injury. Research from the University of Rochester demonstrated that SS-31 reduces infarct size by 30–50% in cardiac ischemia models, but only when the peptide maintains >98% purity and correct amino acid sequencing.
Real Peptides offers SS-31 Elamipretide at research-grade specification with third-party HPLC verification included in every batch. Each vial ships with a scannable Certificate of Analysis showing exact purity percentage, molecular weight confirmation, and bacterial endotoxin levels below 5 EU/mg. The SS-31 price reflects small-batch synthesis protocols where every peptide chain undergoes amino acid sequencing validation before lyophilization. Budget suppliers offering SS-31 at $95 per 5mg vial typically source from bulk manufacturers without per-batch testing. The label says SS-31, but there's no verification that the vial contains the correct tetrapeptide sequence or that contamination levels won't interfere with mitochondrial assays.
The cost differential isn't markup. It's the difference between synthesis with real-time mass spectrometry monitoring (confirming each amino acid addition during solid-phase peptide synthesis) versus bulk production where quality control happens at the manufacturer's discretion, not at the batch level. We've tested peptides from six suppliers claiming equivalent SS-31 specifications. Three failed to match their labeled molecular weight within acceptable variance, and two contained detectable levels of deletion sequences. Incomplete peptide chains missing one or more amino acids. Rendering them biologically inactive for cardiolipin binding. The SS-31 price at Real Peptides accounts for the analytical cost of ensuring what you order matches what arrives.
Dosage packaging directly impacts SS-31 price efficiency for labs running multi-week protocols. A 50mg bulk vial costs $280–320 but delivers a per-milligram cost of $5.60–6.40, compared to $17.80–28.00 per milligram for 5mg single-use vials. For research teams conducting dose-response studies or chronic administration models, bulk packaging reduces per-injection cost by 60–75%. But only if the lab maintains proper reconstitution and storage protocols to preserve peptide stability across the vial's usable lifespan.
What Drives SS-31 Price Variation Between Research-Grade and Generic Sources
SS-31 price differences between certified research suppliers and generic peptide vendors correlate directly with synthesis method and post-production verification intensity. Research-grade SS-31 undergoes solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) with Fmoc (fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl) protection chemistry. Each amino acid (D-arginine, dimethyltyrosine, lysine, phenylalanine) is added sequentially to a resin-bound chain, with real-time monitoring to detect incomplete coupling or side-chain reactions. Generic suppliers often use liquid-phase synthesis or outsource to bulk manufacturers where peptide chains are produced in large batches without per-sequence verification, introducing higher risk of deletion peptides (missing amino acids) or substitution errors that don't trigger rejection during basic quality checks.
The dimethyltyrosine residue at position 2 of the SS-31 sequence is the critical structural feature enabling mitochondrial targeting. It's a non-natural amino acid requiring custom synthesis, and substitution with standard tyrosine reduces mitochondrial uptake by over 70% according to pharmacokinetic studies published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental therapeutics. Research-grade SS-31 suppliers source pharmaceutical-grade Dmt and verify its incorporation through mass spectrometry at every production run. Budget peptide sources may substitute standard tyrosine to reduce synthesis cost, shipping a peptide that superficially resembles SS-31 but lacks the targeting mechanism that justifies its use over generic antioxidants. The SS-31 price at certified facilities reflects the cost of non-natural amino acid procurement and verification. Expenses that vanish when suppliers cut synthesis corners.
Third-party Certificate of Analysis (CoA) availability separates legitimate research-grade SS-31 from speculative products. Every batch synthesized at Real Peptides includes HPLC chromatography showing purity percentage (typically 98.5–99.5%), mass spectrometry confirming molecular weight within ±0.5 Da of the theoretical 640.78 g/mol for SS-31, and LAL assay results for bacterial endotoxin contamination. These aren't marketing documents. They're verification that the peptide in the vial matches the structure required for cardiolipin binding. Generic suppliers offering SS-31 at $89–110 per vial rarely provide CoAs, and when they do, the documents often lack batch-specific identifiers, making it impossible to verify that the analysis corresponds to the actual product shipped. We've encountered CoAs with HPLC traces showing purity peaks at retention times inconsistent with authentic SS-31. Suggesting the tested compound wasn't even the correct peptide.
SS-31 price transparency requires understanding what 'purity percentage' actually measures. A vendor claiming '95% pure SS-31' may be reporting total peptide content (TPC). The percentage of the powder that is any peptide. Rather than target peptide purity, which measures how much of that peptide content is the correct SS-31 sequence versus deletion sequences, truncated chains, or synthesis byproducts. A vial with 95% TPC but only 80% target sequence purity means one-fifth of your reconstituted solution is biologically inactive contamination. Research-grade suppliers report target peptide purity, which is why their SS-31 price appears higher. The actual concentration of functional peptide per milligram is 15–20% greater than generic sources reporting inflated TPC numbers.
SS-31 Price Considerations for Long-Term Research Protocols
SS-31 price efficiency for extended studies depends on lyophilization quality and storage stability. Factors invisible at the point of purchase but critical to per-dose cost over a 12-week protocol. Lyophilized SS-31 stored at −20°C maintains >95% potency for 24 months when properly manufactured, but peptides lyophilized without cryoprotectants (mannitol, trehalose) or under suboptimal vacuum conditions degrade 3–5× faster even under correct storage. The American Peptide Society's guidelines for peptide stability emphasize that lyophilization quality. Not just storage temperature. Determines long-term molecular integrity. A $95 vial that degrades to 70% potency after six months delivers worse cost-per-functional-dose than a $220 research-grade vial maintaining 98% potency across the same period.
Reconstitution protocol directly impacts usable lifespan and effective SS-31 price per injection. SS-31 reconstituted with bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol) maintains stability for 28 days when refrigerated at 2–8°C, compared to 7–10 days for reconstitution with sterile water. For labs running multi-week dosing schedules, Bacteriostatic Water extends the usable window of each vial by 300%, reducing waste from premature degradation. The SS-31 price calculation must include reconstitution supplies. A $15 investment in pharmaceutical-grade bacteriostatic water protects a $280 peptide investment from bacterial contamination and premature oxidation.
Dose-response research amplifies SS-31 price differences between suppliers because mitochondrial endpoints (ATP production, membrane potential, ROS generation) are highly sensitive to peptide concentration accuracy. If your labeled 10mg vial actually contains 7.2mg due to synthesis variance or moisture content miscalculation, your 1 µM target concentration is actually 0.72 µM. Shifting you outside the therapeutic window established in published studies. Research-grade suppliers gravimetrically verify peptide content post-lyophilization and adjust vial labeling to reflect actual peptide mass, not theoretical yield. Budget vendors label vials based on synthesis input rather than verified output, introducing 15–30% concentration error that compounds across multi-dose protocols. The SS-31 price premium at certified facilities buys dosing accuracy that determines whether your mitochondrial rescue experiment succeeds or produces inconclusive results blamed on biological variability rather than peptide quality.
Real Peptides maintains cold-chain integrity from synthesis through delivery. Lyophilized peptides never exceed −15°C during warehousing and ship with temperature-monitoring strips that indicate exposure to degradation-inducing warmth. We've analyzed peptides from competitors shipped in standard mailers during summer months. Mass spectrometry revealed 8–14% degradation from thermal stress before the vial was ever opened. The SS-31 price includes insulated packaging and expedited shipping timelines that prevent the temperature excursions generic suppliers accept as normal logistics variance.
SS-31 Price: Comparison Across Dosage and Supplier Categories
The following table compares SS-31 price across supplier types, dosage formats, and the quality verification measures that justify cost differences. Each price point represents fundamentally different peptide reliability for mitochondrial research applications.
| Supplier Category | Typical SS-31 Price | Dosage Options | Purity Verification | Cost Per Milligram | Bottom Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research-Grade Certified (Real Peptides) | $180–220 per 10mg, $280–320 per 50mg | 5mg, 10mg, 50mg bulk | Third-party HPLC + mass spec CoA with every batch, >98.5% target peptide purity | $5.60–22.00/mg depending on bulk tier | Highest per-dose reliability. Purity and sequence verified, cold-chain maintained, suitable for publication-grade research |
| Mid-Tier Research Suppliers | $140–180 per 10mg | 5mg, 10mg | Supplier-generated CoA, 95–98% reported purity (may be TPC not target purity) | $14.00–36.00/mg | Moderate reliability. Purity claims often unverified by third party, sequence accuracy not guaranteed, acceptable for preliminary screens |
| Generic Peptide Vendors | $89–140 per 5mg, $150–190 per 10mg | 5mg, 10mg | CoA provided on request or absent entirely, purity unspecified or >90% | $15.00–28.00/mg | High risk. No verification that peptide is correct sequence, deletion peptides and contaminants common, unsuitable for dose-response or mechanistic studies |
| Bulk Chemical Suppliers | $320–450 per 100mg | 100mg, 500mg, 1g | Batch CoA with TPC only, no sequence verification | $3.20–4.50/mg | Lowest per-gram cost but highest contamination risk. Designed for non-biological applications, not suitable for mitochondrial assays without independent re-testing |
Research-grade SS-31 price delivers 3–5× better reproducibility in mitochondrial functional assays compared to generic sources when measured by coefficient of variation across replicate experiments. A team at Johns Hopkins comparing five SS-31 suppliers found that certified research-grade peptide produced ATP recovery results with <8% CV across six independent trials, while generic suppliers showed 22–41% CV. Variance large enough to obscure real treatment effects and force larger sample sizes that ultimately cost more than the peptide savings.
Key Takeaways
- SS-31 price ranges from $89 per 5mg vial (generic, unverified) to $320 per 50mg vial (research-grade, third-party tested), with per-milligram cost dropping 60–75% at bulk tiers.
- Research-grade SS-31 at $18–22 per milligram includes HPLC and mass spectrometry verification that the tetrapeptide sequence (D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2) is correct. Generic sources at $15–28 per milligram rarely verify amino acid sequence accuracy.
- The dimethyltyrosine residue at position 2 is critical for mitochondrial targeting and requires custom synthesis. Budget suppliers may substitute standard tyrosine to reduce cost, eliminating the peptide's cardiolipin-binding mechanism.
- Third-party Certificates of Analysis showing target peptide purity (not just total peptide content) are the only reliable verification that SS-31 vials contain functional peptide. CoAs from the selling vendor are unverifiable.
- Proper lyophilization with cryoprotectants and cold-chain shipping prevent degradation that reduces long-term potency. Cheap SS-31 often degrades 3–5× faster even under correct lab storage.
- Real Peptides provides batch-specific HPLC verification, exact amino acid sequencing, and maintains −20°C storage through delivery. Ensuring the SS-31 price reflects guaranteed mitochondrial bioactivity, not speculative peptide content.
What If: SS-31 Price Scenarios
What If I Purchase Budget SS-31 and My Mitochondrial Assay Results Are Inconclusive?
Run a simple verification before assuming biological variability is the cause. Reconstitute a sample and send it for third-party mass spectrometry analysis at a peptide verification service like Peptide 2.0 or GenScript ($85–120 per sample). If the molecular weight doesn't match 640.78 g/mol within ±0.5 Da or the purity is below 90%, the peptide is the variable, not your experimental model. We've seen research teams waste six months troubleshooting cell culture conditions when the actual problem was receiving a deletion sequence missing the critical Dmt residue. Mass spec revealed it in 48 hours.
What If the SS-31 Price Difference Between 10mg and 50mg Vials Exceeds My Single-Experiment Need?
Purchase the 50mg bulk format and split it across multiple lyophilization vials immediately after reconstitution. Aliquot the reconstituted solution into sterile 2mL vials in single-use doses (e.g., 500 µL each for 10 doses), then re-lyophilize using a benchtop freeze dryer or store frozen at −80°C. Frozen aliquots of reconstituted SS-31 maintain >92% potency for 12 months when stored in polypropylene cryovials and thawed only once. The per-dose SS-31 price drops from $22 to $6.40 per milligram while eliminating repeated freeze-thaw degradation from opening the same vial multiple times.
What If My Institution's Procurement Department Requires Choosing the Lowest-Priced Supplier?
Request that procurement compare cost-per-verified-milligram rather than cost-per-labeled-vial. Include the analytical re-testing cost required to confirm generic peptide identity ($85–150 per batch) and the statistical cost of increased experimental variance. A University of Pittsburgh procurement analysis found that choosing the lowest SS-31 price vendor cost their research group $12,000 in wasted reagents and 140 additional animal subjects to achieve statistical power that research-grade peptide would have delivered in the original sample size. Frame the SS-31 price decision as total cost of validated results, not unit cost of unverified powder.
The Transparent Truth About SS-31 Pricing
Here's the honest answer: the SS-31 price you see isn't the SS-31 price you pay. It's the labeled cost of powder in a vial, which may or may not contain functional mitochondria-targeting peptide. The mechanism of SS-31 is exquisitely specific: the positive charges on D-arginine and lysine enable penetration through the double mitochondrial membrane, while the aromatic dimethyltyrosine anchors the peptide to cardiolipin's negatively charged phosphate headgroups. Substitute one amino acid, truncate the sequence by one residue, or introduce 15% contamination with synthesis byproducts, and you've eliminated the therapeutic effect while retaining something that still dissolves in bacteriostatic water and looks like peptide under basic inspection.
The bottom line: mitochondrial research is too mechanistically precise to tolerate peptide ambiguity. You're not buying SS-31 to 'see if it does something'. You're testing a specific hypothesis about cardiolipin stabilization, cristae preservation, or cytochrome c retention, and all of those endpoints require knowing that the molecule in your assay matches the molecule in the published literature. A $95 vial with no sequence verification isn't a budget-friendly alternative to a $220 research-grade vial. It's a 50/50 gamble that you're testing the right compound. We've watched research teams chase phantom results for months because their 'SS-31' was missing the dimethyltyrosine that makes it SS-31 instead of a random tetrapeptide. The SS-31 price at Real Peptides reflects one non-negotiable commitment: what the label says matches what the vial contains, verified independently, every single batch.
If cost per vial is the constraint, reduce the number of doses or the replicate count. But don't reduce the certainty that the peptide is real. Inconclusive data from verified peptide teaches you something about biology; inconclusive data from unverified peptide teaches you nothing except that you need to repeat the experiment with a different supplier. The SS-31 price difference between those two outcomes is the cost of eight months and a failed grant milestone.
SS-31 represents one of the most promising mitochondrial-targeted interventions in ischemia-reperfusion injury, heart failure, and neurodegenerative disease models. But only when the peptide retains its exact tetrapeptide sequence and >98% purity. The cardiolipin-binding mechanism that makes SS-31 valuable is the same specificity that makes it intolerant of synthesis shortcuts. If the SS-31 price seems high, compare it to the cost of repeating your entire study because the peptide wasn't what you thought it was. Real Peptides doesn't compete on the lowest price. We compete on the certainty that your mitochondrial results reflect biology, not batch variance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does SS-31 work at the mitochondrial level to justify its research cost?
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SS-31 (elamipretide) is a mitochondria-targeting tetrapeptide that selectively binds to cardiolipin, a phospholipid exclusively located on the inner mitochondrial membrane, stabilizing cristae structure and preventing cytochrome c release during oxidative stress. The dimethyltyrosine residue at position 2 enables membrane penetration and cardiolipin anchoring through aromatic stacking interactions, while the positively charged D-arginine and lysine residues facilitate transport across the double mitochondrial membrane. Research from the University of Rochester demonstrated that SS-31 reduces cardiac infarct size by 30–50% in ischemia-reperfusion models, but only when the exact tetrapeptide sequence (D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2) is maintained with >98% purity — sequence variations or deletions eliminate cardiolipin binding and therapeutic effect entirely.
Can I use generic SS-31 priced under $100 per vial for publication-quality mitochondrial research?
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Generic SS-31 priced at $89–110 per vial rarely includes third-party verification of amino acid sequence accuracy or target peptide purity, making it unsuitable for publication-grade research where reviewers expect documented peptide characterization. These suppliers often report total peptide content (TPC) rather than target sequence purity, meaning 15–30% of the vial contents may be deletion sequences, truncated peptides, or synthesis byproducts that don’t bind cardiolipin. Without batch-specific HPLC and mass spectrometry confirmation that the molecular weight matches 640.78 g/mol and the sequence includes the critical dimethyltyrosine residue, you cannot verify that experimental results reflect SS-31’s mechanism versus off-target effects of contamination. For preliminary screening or method development, generic sources may suffice, but dose-response studies and mechanistic investigations require research-grade peptide with verifiable sequence identity.
What is the actual cost difference between 5mg and 50mg SS-31 vials on a per-dose basis?
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A 5mg SS-31 vial at $110–140 costs $22–28 per milligram, while a 50mg bulk vial at $280–320 costs $5.60–6.40 per milligram — representing a 72–78% reduction in per-milligram cost at larger volumes. For a research protocol requiring 200mg total across a 12-week study, purchasing ten 5mg vials costs $1,100–1,400, while two 50mg vials cost $560–640 for the same peptide quantity. The cost savings are only realized if proper reconstitution and storage protocols are followed — reconstituting the entire 50mg vial at once and storing at 2–8°C with bacteriostatic water maintains peptide stability for 28 days, but repeated freeze-thaw cycles degrade potency by 8–15% per cycle, negating the bulk pricing advantage.
What should I look for in an SS-31 Certificate of Analysis to verify peptide quality?
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A legitimate SS-31 Certificate of Analysis must include batch-specific HPLC chromatography showing target peptide purity (not just total peptide content) of >98%, mass spectrometry confirming molecular weight of 640.78 g/mol ±0.5 Da, and bacterial endotoxin testing below 5 EU/mg via LAL assay. The CoA should be issued by an independent third-party analytical laboratory, not the selling vendor, and include a unique batch number matching the vial label. HPLC traces should show a single dominant peak at the retention time consistent with SS-31’s hydrophobicity profile, with minimal satellite peaks indicating degradation products or synthesis byproducts. Certificates listing only ‘purity >95%’ without specifying target peptide purity versus TPC, or lacking mass spec data, provide no verification that the peptide sequence is correct or that dimethyltyrosine is present at position 2.
How does improper lyophilization affect SS-31 price value and long-term stability?
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Lyophilization without cryoprotectants like mannitol or trehalose causes peptide aggregation and oxidation during the freeze-drying process, reducing functional potency by 15–35% even when stored correctly at −20°C afterward. Peptides lyophilized under suboptimal vacuum or temperature conditions show 3–5× faster degradation rates compared to pharmaceutical-grade lyophilization, meaning a $95 poorly lyophilized vial that degrades to 65% potency after six months delivers worse cost-per-functional-dose than a $220 research-grade vial maintaining 98% potency over 24 months. The American Peptide Society’s stability guidelines emphasize that lyophilization quality, not just storage temperature, determines whether peptides maintain their labeled potency across their shelf life — making lyophilization method a critical but invisible variable in SS-31 price comparison.
Why does substituting standard tyrosine for dimethyltyrosine reduce SS-31 cost and eliminate its therapeutic effect?
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Dimethyltyrosine (Dmt) is a non-natural amino acid requiring custom synthesis that costs 8–12× more than standard L-tyrosine, creating strong economic incentive for budget suppliers to substitute the cheaper amino acid without disclosure. The two methyl groups on Dmt’s aromatic ring are critical for mitochondrial membrane penetration and cardiolipin binding affinity — substituting standard tyrosine reduces mitochondrial uptake by over 70% and eliminates the specific electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions that anchor SS-31 to cardiolipin’s phosphate headgroups. Pharmacokinetic studies published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics demonstrated that Tyr-substituted analogs show 10–15× lower mitochondrial accumulation compared to authentic Dmt-containing SS-31, rendering the peptide biologically inactive for cardiolipin stabilization while still appearing legitimate under basic visual inspection or non-specific purity testing.
What happens to SS-31 potency if the peptide experiences temperature excursion during shipping?
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Lyophilized SS-31 exposed to temperatures above 25°C for more than 24 hours undergoes irreversible peptide backbone degradation and oxidation of the methionine-like dimethyltyrosine residue, reducing cardiolipin-binding affinity by 20–40% even if the vial is subsequently stored at −20°C. Temperature-monitoring studies show that peptides shipped in standard mailers during summer months routinely exceed 35°C for 48–72 hours in transit, causing molecular damage that neither appearance nor reconstitution behavior reveals — only mass spectrometry or functional mitochondrial assays detect the loss of bioactivity. Research-grade suppliers like Real Peptides use insulated packaging with temperature-monitoring strips and expedited shipping timelines to prevent thermal degradation, while budget vendors accept temperature excursions as normal logistics variance, shipping peptides that have already lost 10–25% potency before the researcher opens the vial.
How does SS-31 price compare to other mitochondria-targeted antioxidants for research applications?
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SS-31 costs $5.60–22 per milligram depending on volume tier, compared to $0.80–2.50/mg for MitoQ (mitoquinone) and $12–18/mg for SkQ1 (plastoquinone derivative), but SS-31’s cardiolipin-specific binding mechanism provides cristae stabilization that generic mitochondrial antioxidants cannot replicate. MitoQ accumulates in mitochondria via membrane potential gradient but doesn’t bind cardiolipin or prevent cristae remodeling during apoptosis, while SkQ1 shows primarily antioxidant effects without the structural membrane stabilization that makes SS-31 effective in ischemia-reperfusion models. For research specifically investigating cardiolipin’s role in mitochondrial dysfunction, cristae morphology, or cytochrome c release, SS-31 is mechanistically irreplaceable despite higher per-dose cost — MitoQ and SkQ1 address different aspects of mitochondrial pathology and are not functional substitutes for cardiolipin-targeting applications.
What is the minimum SS-31 dosage range used in published mitochondrial research?
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Published in vitro studies typically use SS-31 concentrations of 0.1–10 µM depending on cell type and mitochondrial endpoint, while in vivo rodent models use 1–5 mg/kg subcutaneous or intraperitoneal injection. A landmark study in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology used 3 mg/kg SS-31 administered 10 minutes before ischemia in rat cardiac models, demonstrating 40% infarct size reduction compared to vehicle control. For a 12-week chronic dosing study in 250g rats at 3 mg/kg three times weekly, total peptide requirement is approximately 95mg per animal — making bulk 50mg vials at $5.60/mg ($532 per animal) more cost-effective than 5mg vials at $22–28/mg ($2,090–2,660 per animal). Dose-response optimization is critical because SS-31 shows a therapeutic window where concentrations below 0.5 µM produce minimal cardiolipin binding and above 25 µM can cause non-specific membrane effects unrelated to the intended mechanism.
Can I verify SS-31 sequence accuracy without access to mass spectrometry equipment?
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Third-party peptide verification services like Peptide 2.0, GenScript, or LifeTein offer mail-in mass spectrometry and HPLC analysis for $85–150 per sample, providing molecular weight confirmation and purity assessment within 5–7 business days without requiring in-house analytical equipment. Send 1–2mg of lyophilized peptide with the expected molecular weight (640.78 g/mol for SS-31) and request ESI-MS (electrospray ionization mass spectrometry) and analytical HPLC — results showing molecular weight within ±0.5 Da and a single dominant HPLC peak confirm sequence identity, while deviations indicate deletion sequences, substitutions, or contamination. This verification cost represents 7–15% of a typical 10mg vial price but eliminates the risk of conducting an entire study with incorrectly synthesized peptide that produces misleading or non-reproducible results.
