Cellular Research Stack

MOTS-C with SS-31: two mitochondria-focused research materials supplied together.

The Cellular Research Stack supplies two mitochondria-focused research materials together: MOTS-c and SS-31. Trinity Research supplies both as lyophilised research materials. This page is a reference monograph for qualified researchers. It lists the two components, explains how to read the documentation for a two-material listing, and describes the records supplied with each lot. It makes no claims about effects, safety or use, and it makes no claim that the two materials act together in any way.

1. Identity

Name	Cellular Research Stack
Type	Two research materials supplied together
Components	MOTS-c and SS-31 (elamipretide)
Presentation and amounts	As stated on the product page, the vial label(s) and the Certificate(s) of Analysis for your lot
Supplied as	Lyophilised powder in sealed vial(s), with lot-specific Certificate(s) of Analysis

The composition and presentation that apply to your material are the ones on the label and the documentation for your lot.

2. Regulatory context

SS-31 is the research name of elamipretide, the active ingredient of a prescription medicine that received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2025 for a specific rare mitochondrial condition.
MOTS-c has not been approved as a medicine for any use. The FDA’s position on several research peptides in a pharmacy-compounding context has been under review in 2026 and can change, so please check current primary sources.

Material supplied by Trinity Research is a laboratory research material. It is not that medicine, has not been evaluated by the FDA, is not made, tested or labelled as a medicine, and is not for human or veterinary use.

3. The two components

	MOTS-c	SS-31
Origin	Naturally occurring; encoded in mitochondrial DNA	Synthetic; designed in the laboratory
Class	Mitochondrial-derived peptide	Aromatic-cationic tetrapeptide
Length	16 amino acids	4 residues
Sequence	`MRWQEMGYIFYPRKLR`	D-Arg–Dmt–Lys–Phe–NH₂
Approximate weight	About 2.17 kDa	About 0.64 kDa
CAS number	1627580-64-6	736992-21-5

The two are unrelated in structure and origin. They share only the area of research in which each has been studied. For a full comparison, see MOTS-c vs SS-31, and for the individual monographs, see MOTS-c and SS-31.

4. Areas of published research

The published literature has studied each component separately. This table lists the areas described for each one. It is a classification, not a statement about activity, and it does not describe any biological or clinical outcome.

Component	Areas described in the literature
MOTS-c	Metabolic regulation and stress-response signalling pathways in cell and animal models
SS-31	Mitochondrial membrane structure and reactive-oxygen-species research in cell and animal models

In a co-lyophilised preparation, the components are dissolved together and freeze-dried together, so that the finished powder in the vial already contains all of them. This is different from four separate vials, each holding a single peptide.

5. Reading the documentation

Check both materials. Whether the two are supplied in separate vials or as one preparation is stated on the product page and label. If they are separate vials, each vial carries its own lot number and has its own Certificate of Analysis. Match each vial to its own report.
The masses are easy to tell apart. MOTS-c is around 2.17 kDa and SS-31 around 0.64 kDa, so a report with a mass and a spectrum for each leaves no room for confusion between them.
MOTS-c contains two methionines. Oxidised forms show as small extra masses (about +16 or +32), a common minor finding for methionine-containing peptides.
SS-31 contains a D-amino acid. A mass spectrum cannot show stereochemistry, because the D-form and L-form have the same mass. Confirmation relies on the synthesis route and, where included, additional analytical data.
Retention times differ. On HPLC the two peptides elute at very different times, because they differ in size and in charge and aromatic content. A retention time is only meaningful when compared under the same method.
Amount per component. Check whether the amount of each is a measured result or only the label amount, and whether it matches the label.
Only what is listed was tested. Do not assume other tests were run.

6. Documentation with each lot

Each order ships with the lot-specific Certificate(s) of Analysis for the material you receive. Check that the lot number on each report matches the one on the vial it describes (see lot numbers and traceability) and that the report shows the methods behind each result. For notes on sealed material, see handling and storing lyophilised research material. Current document availability is listed in our Quality & COAs library.

7. What this page does not cover

This page does not describe effects, outcomes, safety or tolerability, and gives no information on doses, preparation or administration. It does not state or imply that the two materials work together. Trinity Research does not provide dosing, reconstitution, administration, clinical, medical, veterinary or treatment guidance of any kind. Values are given for identification and reference and may be updated as the literature and regulatory position change.