Peptide encyclopedia
2 of 20 peptides match the filters. Each entry carries mechanism, route of administration, half-life, legal status in your jurisdiction, and the primary sources backing every claim.
- Compounds
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- Source links
- 39
- Therapeutic classes
- 9
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Reset all01·Mitochondrial
MOTS-c
Also: Mitochondrial open reading frame of 12S rRNA-c
MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded within the 12S ribosomal RNA gene of the mitochondrial genome — the first mitochondrial-encoded peptide to be characterized as a circulating signaling molecule rather than a structural component of the organelle. The discovery and primary characterization, by Changhan Lee and Pinchas Cohen at the University of Southern California, established a metabolic signaling pathway distinct from any known nuclear-encoded peptide hormone ([Lee et al., *Cell Metab* 2015, 21:443–454](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2015.02.009)). MOTS-c's primary tissue target appears to be skeletal muscle, where it inhibits the folate cycle, raises AICAR levels, and activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK activation downstream produces increased glucose uptake, fatty-acid oxidation, and the broader metabolic effects associated with the cellular energy-stress response. Subsequent work from the Cohen group showed that MOTS-c can translocate to the nucleus under metabolic stress and regulate nuclear gene expression — a mitochondria-to-nucleus signaling axis that adds mechanism beyond simple peripheral hormone-like activity.
Research use only
02·Mitochondrial
SS-31
Also: Elamipretide, Bendavia, et al.
SS-31, marketed as elamipretide, is a four-amino-acid peptide engineered by Hazel Szeto and Peter Schiller at Cornell to selectively concentrate in the inner mitochondrial membrane and bind cardiolipin — the unique phospholipid that organizes the electron transport chain and is exclusively localized to mitochondrial inner membranes. The molecule's structure (D-Arg-2',6'-dimethylTyr-Lys-Phe-NH2) combines alternating aromatic and basic residues with a D-stereochemistry N-terminal arginine that produces 1,000- to 5,000-fold concentration in the inner mitochondrial membrane relative to extracellular space. By stabilizing cardiolipin and supporting electron-transport-chain organization, SS-31 has been reported to improve mitochondrial respiration, reduce reactive oxygen species production under stress, and protect mitochondria in models of ischemia-reperfusion injury, heart failure, and primary mitochondrial disease. The mechanism is structural and pharmacological — direct organelle targeting — rather than receptor agonism, which distinguishes it sharply from every other peptide on this site.
Prescription only