Research Comparison
NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) vs SS-31 (Elamipretide)
A side-by-side research comparison of NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) and SS-31 (Elamipretide) drawn from Cedar Peptides' peptide database records.
NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide)
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) is an essential coenzyme present in all living cells, playing a central role in energy production, DNA repair, and cellular metabolism. It functions as a key redox carrier, cycling between oxidized (NAD+) and reduced (NADH) states to drive mitochondrial ATP production. NAD+ levels decline significantly with age (up to ~10–50% across tissues), contributing to reduced mitochondrial efficiency, increased oxidative stress, and impaired cellular repair. Injectable NAD+ bypasses oral absorption limitations, providing immediate systemic availability and rapid cellular uptake.
SS-31 (Elamipretide)
SS-31, also known as Elamipretide or Bendavia, is a small aromatic-cationic tetrapeptide that selectively targets the inner mitochondrial membrane. Unlike traditional antioxidants that scavenge reactive oxygen species diffusely, SS-31 specifically binds to cardiolipin — a phospholipid critical for maintaining the structural integrity of the electron transport chain — protecting it from oxidative damage and restoring cellular energy production. This targeted mechanism makes SS-31 highly relevant in mitochondrial dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and age-related decline. It has received regulatory approval for specific mitochondrial disorders, representing the first class of therapies directly targeting mitochondrial membrane integrity rather than downstream oxidative damage.
Reading a comparison
A comparison places two records side by side; it does not merge them. Each description above is drawn from that compound's own record, and the two were not necessarily characterised by the same methods, at the same time, or to the same level of detail. Before comparing any attribute, it is worth establishing that both records describe the substance you think they describe — names are not identifiers, and two entries sharing a name can differ in salt form, stereochemistry or the convention used to state a mass. Where a figure carries no method beside it, the comparison is between two reported numbers rather than between two measurements.