Description
Not a peptide: A small-molecule uncoupler
We want to be clear from the start: BAM15 is a synthetic small molecule, not a peptide. It sits in our catalog because many labs that work with mitochondrial peptides also study small molecules that act on the same organelle. BAM15 belongs to the class known as mitochondrial uncouplers, or protonophores.
How uncoupling works
Mitochondria pump protons across their inner membrane to build a gradient, then use the flow of protons back through ATP synthase to make ATP. An uncoupler gives protons another route back across the membrane, so energy from the gradient is released as heat rather than captured as ATP. Classic uncouplers such as DNP and FCCP have long been used as laboratory tools, but they also depolarize the plasma membrane and can be toxic to cells at working concentrations.
BAM15 was described in the scientific literature in the 2010s as an uncoupler that, in cell studies, acted on mitochondria with comparatively little effect on the plasma membrane. Since then it has been investigated in cultured cells and rodent models for its effects on oxygen consumption, fat oxidation, insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure.
Product information
- Format: capsules
- Labeled quantity: 500 mcg per capsule
- Count: 60 per bottle
- Compound type: small molecule (mitochondrial protonophore)
Related research compounds
Labs studying mitochondrial function may also look at SS-31, a peptide that associates with cardiolipin, and MOTS-c, a mitochondrial-derived peptide. SLU-PP-332, another small molecule in our catalog, is studied in energy-metabolism models through a different mechanism.
In cell work, uncouplers are often used with a respirometer to measure maximal oxygen consumption. BAM15’s selectivity for mitochondria has made it a subject of interest for exactly that kind of measurement, where plasma-membrane effects could otherwise muddy the readout. Selectivity of this kind is one reason the compound is so often compared against FCCP in published experiments.
Testing
Refresh Research applies the same lot-by-lot testing to small molecules as to peptides. Your bottle’s lot code will lead you to the corresponding certificate in the COA / Lab Reports listings.
Provided for laboratory experimentation only.
