Compounds / SLU-PP-332
SLU-PP-332
Also known as: SLU-PP-332; pan-ERR agonist; exercise mimetic; benzohydrazide ERR agonist; CAS 303760-60-3
Primary research focus: Metabolic and mitochondrial research (estrogen-related receptor agonist; exercise mimetic)
Last updated July 2026 · Reviewed against FDA labeling and published research.
What is SLU-PP-332?
SLU-PP-332 is a synthetic small molecule (not a peptide, despite being sold alongside them) developed at Saint Louis University as a pan-agonist of the three estrogen-related receptors (ERR alpha, beta, and gamma), with greatest potency at ERR alpha. Because ERRs are master regulators of the same gene networks endurance exercise activates, it is described as an exercise mimetic. All evidence is preclinical: no human clinical trials have been registered or conducted, and it is not FDA-approved.
Estrogen-related receptors are nuclear transcription factors that govern oxidative metabolism, mitochondrial biogenesis, and energy homeostasis. Despite the name, ERRs do not bind estrogen and are not part of classical estrogen signaling; SLU-PP-332 exhibits no estrogenic receptor activity. It binds and activates ERR alpha (EC50 approximately 98 nM), ERR beta (approximately 230 nM), and ERR gamma (approximately 430 nM), upregulating PGC-1 alpha, increasing mitochondrial density, enhancing oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid oxidation, and inducing oxidative muscle fiber gene programs. A specific documented mechanism is ERR alpha-dependent induction of DDIT4, recapitulating a genetic response seen after short bouts of aerobic exercise in humans. These findings come from cell and rodent systems only.
How it’s supplied
Not an FDA-approved or commercially manufactured medicine. It is sold as a research-grade lyophilized powder for laboratory use. Unlike peptides, it has poor aqueous solubility and is typically dissolved in DMSO for research stock solutions; animal studies used intraperitoneal injection. Research-grade products are not FDA-reviewed for identity, potency, or sterility.
Dosage Chart
| Phase | Dose | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-2 | 625mcg | 2x Daily | |
| Weeks 3-4 | 1.25mg | 2x Daily |
- Rotate injection sites to reduce irritation and lipohypertrophy
- Not for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Do not exceed the recommended dose to try to speed results
Potential Benefits and Side Effects
Effects reported in published research. Not a promise of results, and not medical advice.
- Reported in preclinical (mouse and cell) research only; human efficacy and safety are entirely unestablished.
- Improved running endurance in untrained mice (roughly 20 to 30 percent in peer-reviewed reports).
- Weight and fat-mass reduction in diet-induced obese and leptin-deficient mouse models.
- Increased mitochondrial biogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid oxidation.
- Induction of oxidative (Type I/IIa) muscle fiber gene programs and ERR alpha-dependent DDIT4 expression, recapitulating an acute aerobic exercise response.
- Reported improvements in insulin sensitivity and hepatic steatosis in animal models.
- No human adverse-effect data exist.
- Animal studies have reported favorable tolerability, but this does not establish human safety.
- ERRs regulate broad metabolic and mitochondrial programs across many tissues, so off-target metabolic effects are a theoretical concern with sustained activation.
- DMSO as a required co-solvent carries its own handling and toxicity considerations.
- Research-grade material carries identity and purity risks.
Warnings and contraindications
Important safety information. This is not exhaustive — read the full prescribing information and consult your prescriber or pharmacist.
- No FDA-approved labeling exists; the following reflect the compound's status and the limits of its evidence, not established label warnings.
- There are no human clinical trials of SLU-PP-332. No human safety, efficacy, dosing, or pharmacokinetic data exist, and the compound has not entered Phase 1.
- Vendor marketing figures (for example, claims of 12 percent weight loss in 28 days or 70 percent endurance gains) come from rodent studies and are often inflated relative to the peer-reviewed reports, which describe roughly 20 to 30 percent endurance improvement in mice.
- Exercise-mimetic translation from rodents to humans involves substantial unknowns; a 2017 expert perspective in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics cautioned explicitly on this point.
- It is a small molecule requiring a co-solvent (typically DMSO), which introduces its own handling and toxicity considerations; it is not a water-soluble peptide.
- Research-grade material varies in identity and purity; safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been studied.
- Not established; no FDA-approved labeling and no human use context. SLU-PP-332 is a laboratory research tool.
Reconstitution Steps
How to prepare the lyophilized vial. Confirm specifics with your pharmacist or prescriber.
- SLU-PP-332 is a small molecule with poor water solubility and is NOT reconstituted like a peptide; the steps below describe preparing a laboratory stock solution.
- Confirm the amount of compound in the vial and the stock concentration you intend to prepare before starting.
- Gather supplies: the vial, anhydrous DMSO (the standard solvent for this compound), and a calibrated pipette.
- Let the vial reach room temperature before opening to prevent moisture condensation onto the powder.
- Add the calculated volume of DMSO directly to the vial.
- Vortex or sonicate gently until fully dissolved; the compound will not dissolve adequately in water or bacteriostatic water alone.
- Inspect the solution for complete dissolution with no visible particles.
- Note the resulting stock concentration (amount divided by DMSO volume) for your records.
- Aliquot into single-use volumes, label with the date, and store frozen to minimize freeze-thaw cycles. Note that aqueous dilution of a DMSO stock may cause precipitation.
US regulatory status
Classifications are public record but can change. For reference only, not legal advice.
Development: SLU-PP-332 was developed in the Thomas Burris and Bahaa Elgendy laboratories at Saint Louis University (hence the SLU prefix), with later work continuing at Washington University and the University of Florida, and first described in the peer-reviewed literature in the early 2020s. The foundational characterization appeared in ACS Chemical Biology (2022), a mechanistic and pharmacological paper in an animal model rather than a clinical or translational study; it is the primary citation underlying the exercise-mimetic framing that spread through media coverage. A 2024 follow-up by Billon and colleagues in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics examined the compound across three mouse models (normal chow, diet-induced obese, and leptin-deficient ob/ob) over 15 to 28 days. A comprehensive structure-activity relationship study published in 2026 identified next-generation analogs with improved ligand efficiency and metabolic stability. As of 2026 no human clinical trials of SLU-PP-332 have been registered or conducted, and its successor SLU-PP-915 likewise has no registered human trials.
Notes: SLU-PP-332 is not FDA-approved for any human use and has no registered clinical trials. It is sold as a research chemical outside FDA quality oversight. It is not on the FDA 503A bulk drug substances list and is not eligible for 503A or 503B compounding. It is not a controlled substance. Athletes should note that AMPK activators and metabolic modulators are addressed under the WADA Prohibited List and should verify the current list before use in any competitive context. (Status current as of mid-2026.)
International status
Pharmacokinetics
Storage and handling
Important Notes
Practical considerations for consistency and safety.
- SLU-PP-332 is a small molecule, not a peptide, despite being grouped with peptides by most online vendors.
- It has never been tested in humans: no Phase 1, no registered trials, no human safety or dosing data.
- ERRs do not bind estrogen despite the name; the compound has no estrogenic receptor activity.
- It requires DMSO for dissolution, not bacteriostatic water; the reconstitution calculator on this page assumes aqueous peptide preparation and does not apply directly.
- Vendor efficacy figures are frequently inflated relative to the peer-reviewed rodent data; the exercise-mimetic framing rests on animal studies.
Lifestyle Factors
- The exercise-mimetic framing describes reproducing some transcriptional adaptations of endurance training in rodents; it is not established as a substitute for exercise in humans, and exercise confers benefits beyond the ERR pathway.
- Human lifestyle interactions are unstudied.
References
Related compounds
Important disclaimer
This page is an educational reference, not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation, and not a substitute for your prescriber or pharmacist. Approval and regulatory status varies by compound and can change. Always confirm against current prescribing information and consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any decision about a medication.