BAM15 (Mitochondrial Uncoupler)

BAM15 is a small-molecule research chemical, not a peptide. It is a synthetic furazano[3,4-b]pyrazine, also written as an oxadiazolopyrazine, with the systematic name 5-N,6-N-bis(2-fluorophenyl)-[1,2,5]oxadiazolo[3,4-b]pyrazine-5,6-diamine. The formula is C16H10F2N6O and the molecular weight 340.29 g/mol. It is a fused bicyclic heteroaromatic core carrying two 2-fluoroaniline arms. Nothing in that structure is an amino acid and the compound has no sequence, which is why the sequence field above reads as not applicable. It is stocked as a laboratory reference chemical, and it sits in the small-molecule class rather than the peptide class.

Functionally, the literature describes BAM15 as a mitochondrial protonophore, meaning a molecule that carries protons across a membrane. The inner mitochondrial membrane holds a proton gradient that ATP synthase uses to make ATP. A protonophore lets protons cross without passing through ATP synthase, so substrate oxidation continues while less ATP is captured and more energy leaves as heat. Compounds that behave this way are called uncouplers, because they uncouple substrate oxidation from ATP synthesis. BAM15 is used as a tool compound for producing that state in cells and rodent models.

BAM15 was reported in 2014 by Kenwood and colleagues at the University of Virginia (PubMed 24634817). It came out of a phenotypic screen of several thousand library compounds in rat L6 myoblasts, selected for raising oxygen consumption.

Two independent 2020 reports anchor the in vivo literature. Alexopoulos and colleagues investigated dietary BAM15 in mice on a Western-style diet for its effect on fat mass and insulin sensitivity (PubMed 32409697). Axelrod and colleagues reported concordant findings in diet-induced obese mice (PubMed 32519812). A 2023 review by Xiong and colleagues surveys the field (PubMed 37900126).

The evidence base is entirely preclinical. No human trial of BAM15 has been published and none is registered. Findings come from cell culture and rodent work in few laboratories, with the oncology and skeletal muscle work more preliminary still.

The literature describes two linked mechanisms. BAM15 is reported to shuttle protons across the inner mitochondrial membrane independently of the adenine nucleotide translocase, lowering the proton-motive force and raising oxygen consumption (PubMed 24634817). The resulting shift in cellular ATP to AMP ratio is then reported to activate AMP-activated protein kinase, linked to fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial biogenesis (PubMed 37900126).

The distinction researchers care about is from older uncouplers. Classical protonophores such as 2,4-dinitrophenol and FCCP also depolarise the plasma membrane, whereas BAM15 was reported not to, a difference established in the original work (PubMed 24634817). The biophysical basis for that selectivity is not settled. BAM15 acts on membrane biophysics rather than a receptor, and it is not a peptide, unlike SS-31 or MOTS-c.

The methodology caveat is that uncoupling is concentration-dependent and assay-dependent. A concentration that mildly uncouples one cell line can be cytotoxic in another, and flux instruments, membrane potential dyes and viability assays report different facets. Exposure conditions are defined in each cited study’s methodology.

BAM15 is stored at -20°C, shielded from light, and kept sealed until use. As a dry heteroaromatic solid it is generally robust under those conditions. No stability duration is asserted here; lot data appear on the Certificate of Analysis.

Capsules are a solid unit-dose format, kept in the original closed container at the temperature on the label rather than frozen. Conditions for material in solution belong to the study protocol.

Reconstitution means returning a solid compound to solution. No reconstitution procedure appears on this page. Solvent, quantity and technique belong to the methodology of the study reproduced.

As a general solubility class, BAM15 has low aqueous solubility, and DMSO is the co-solvent usually reported for small molecules of this type. Solid material is kept dry, since heteroaromatic solids take up atmospheric moisture. The lot COA records appearance and identity.

Identity for BAM15 is confirmed from documentation rather than assumed. Verified purity is documented per lot on the Certificate of Analysis, with identity established by chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods.

Novelle Bio and Catalyst Compounds are house brands; their material is batch tested with a published Certificate of Analysis. Regioisomers and mono-substituted intermediates of the core are the realistic impurity class, so the COA chromatographic trace is the practical check.

Compounds researchers commonly study alongside BAM15:

• SS-31.
  A mitochondria-targeting tetrapeptide studied on the same organelle, described as preserving the proton gradient BAM15 dissipates.
• MOTS-c.
  A mitochondrial-derived signalling peptide studied in overlapping pathways.
• 5-Amino-1MQ.
  A small-molecule NNMT inhibitor, not a peptide, studied in the same rodent models.
• SLU-PP-332 (entry forthcoming).
  A small-molecule ERR agonist, not a peptide, studied in oxidative metabolism.

Kenwood BM, Weaver JL, Bajwa A, et al. (2014). Identification of a novel mitochondrial uncoupler that does not depolarize the plasma membrane. Molecular Metabolism.
PubMed 24634817

Alexopoulos SJ, Chen SY, Brandon AE, et al. (2020). Mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 reverses diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice. Nature Communications.
PubMed 32409697

Axelrod CL, King WT, Davuluri G, et al. (2020). BAM15-mediated mitochondrial uncoupling protects against obesity and improves glycemic control. EMBO Molecular Medicine.
PubMed 32519812

Xiong G, Zhang K, Ma Y, et al. (2023). BAM15 as a mitochondrial uncoupler: a promising therapeutic agent for diverse diseases. Frontiers in Endocrinology.
PubMed 37900126

Peptides.com lists two BAM15 research products, both capsules in a solid unit-dose format, from the house brands Novelle Bio and Catalyst Compounds. Both products are specified at 50mg in 60 count bottles, which are product specifications rather than research quantities. Each lot is batch tested with a published Certificate of Analysis, available through Lab Reports.

• Browse all BAM15 research products
• Novelle Bio BAM15 Capsules, 50mg, 60 count
• Catalyst Compounds BAM15 Capsules, 50mg, 60 count
• Collections: Capsules & Tablets. Documentation: COA and Lab Testing.

These products are sold for Research Use Only and are not intended for human consumption.