Peptide Therapy Foundations: Mitochondrial Health

This course examines the peptides that act at the level of the mitochondria: the small molecules and mitochondrial-derived peptides that influence energy production, oxidative balance, and cellular signaling. It is built for clinicians who want to understand how these agents work where the cell makes its energy, and how that mechanism sets them apart from peptides acting on classical receptors.

The lessons cover three distinct agents. SS-31 concentrates in the inner mitochondrial membrane and supports the machinery of oxidative phosphorylation. Humanin and MOTS-c are mitochondrial-derived peptides, encoded within the mitochondrial genome, that act as signaling molecules with effects reaching well beyond the organelle itself. Each one illustrates a different way that mitochondrial biology can be addressed therapeutically.

Every lesson follows the same clinical lens: what the agent is, how it works, what the evidence shows, and what a practitioner weighs before applying it. Together they map the mitochondrial peptides as a group so you can reason about each one in the context of the others.

• Explain how mitochondria-targeted and mitochondrial-derived peptides differ in origin and action
• Describe the mechanism of SS-31 at the inner mitochondrial membrane
• Identify the signaling roles of Humanin and MOTS-c
• Apply a consistent clinical framework when evaluating a mitochondrial peptide for use