The short version of Research chemical fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
This page was last updated on 2026-03-19 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
Cardarine has no approved therapeutic indication and is not marketed as a medicine. The World Anti-Doping Agency lists GW501516 as a prohibited substance at all times, covering both in-competition and out-of-competition periods. National laws vary: some countries treat it as an unapproved drug subject to import controls, while others have specific restrictions on sale for human consumption. It is often sold as a research chemical, a label that does not imply safety or legality. Enforcement actions have targeted online vendors and shipments.
Anti-doping laboratories identify GW501516 and related metabolites using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Urine is the most common matrix, though blood and dried blood spots may also be analyzed. The method targets the parent compound and phase I and phase II metabolites, which extend the detection window. Because the substance is prohibited at all times, athletes can be tested outside competition. Detection limits and windows depend on the assay, sample type, and individual metabolism.
Cardarine is frequently described as a fat-burning or endurance-enhancing supplement, but these claims exceed the available evidence. The compound is not a hormone, steroid, or selective androgen receptor modulator. Research articles discuss it as a tool compound for studying PPARδ biology, while anti-doping literature focuses on its abuse and detection. Quality of unapproved products is uncertain, and independent analyses have found impurities or incorrect labeling. Open questions include whether human cancer risk resembles that seen in rodents and how often non-athletes use the substance.
Laboratory studies indicate that GW501516 activates PPARδ, a nuclear receptor involved in fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism. In rodent experiments, treated animals often showed increased endurance and reduced fat mass. These effects were observed under controlled conditions and do not establish safe or effective use in humans. The exact dose-response relationship in humans remains poorly characterized. Species differences in metabolism can affect how results translate across animals and people.
Safety concerns emerged from long-term animal studies. In rodents given the compound for extended periods, researchers found an increased incidence of certain cancers, including liver and bladder tumors. These findings contributed to the discontinuation of clinical development. Whether similar risks apply to short-term or low-level exposure in humans is not established, and controlled human safety data are limited. The relevance of high-dose rodent carcinogenicity findings to human use remains a subject of debate.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory status | Prohibited in sport; not approved as medicine | Listed by WADA at all times. |
| Common synonyms | GW501516, GW-501516, endurobol | Cardarine is a colloquial name. |
| Typical analytical method | LC-MS/MS | Detects parent compound and metabolites. |
| Common test matrix | Urine | Blood and dried blood spots also possible. |
| Legal classification | Varies by country | Often treated as unapproved drug or research chemical. |
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, a synthetic compound first described in the 1990s as a selective agonist of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta. It was studied in preclinical models for metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, but it has not been approved as a medicine in the United States, Europe, or other major jurisdictions. Retail products labeled as cardarine are generally research chemicals or supplements, not pharmaceutical formulations. Because human safety and efficacy data remain limited, regulatory agencies treat it as an unapproved substance rather than a therapeutic product.
Sporting authorities added GW501516 to prohibited lists after it appeared in athlete samples and online markets. The World Anti-Doping Agency classifies it as a hormone and metabolic modulator, and its use can lead to an anti-doping rule violation. Some early laboratory work suggested effects on fatty acid oxidation and endurance-related metabolism in animals, but those findings do not establish safe or effective use in people. Reports of adverse events in humans are scarce and often anecdotal, which complicates risk assessment.
Laboratory studies have examined GW501516 in cell cultures and rodents for conditions such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and obesity. Some trials in humans were initiated, but development was discontinued after preclinical findings raised concerns about cancer in certain models. Those findings do not prove that the compound causes cancer in people, but they contributed to regulatory caution. Later reviews often describe the evidence as preliminary and insufficient for assessing long-term safety.
In the fitness and bodybuilding literature, cardarine is frequently discussed as an endurance agent or fat-loss compound, although such claims are not supported by robust clinical evidence. Online descriptions often mix animal data, user anecdotes, and marketing language. Researchers who study PPARδ agonists distinguish between receptor activation in controlled experiments and unsupervised use of unverified products. The latter introduces unknown purity, dose, and interactions, making reported experiences difficult to interpret scientifically.
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, also GW-1516, a synthetic compound developed as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) agonist. It belongs to a class of agents that modulate gene transcription related to lipid and energy metabolism. The compound was studied in preclinical and early clinical research for metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, but it did not progress to approved therapeutic use. Its name appears in fitness and sports contexts despite not being approved as a drug.
PPARδ is a nuclear receptor that influences transcription of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, lipid transport, and energy homeostasis. GW501516 binds and activates this receptor with high selectivity relative to PPARα and PPARγ in laboratory assays. Activation alters expression of target genes in skeletal muscle, liver, and adipose tissue in animal models. The exact clinical consequences of these changes in humans remain incompletely characterized, and observed effects in animals do not establish therapeutic benefit or safety.
Published studies have examined GW501516 in animal models of obesity, insulin resistance, and exercise endurance. Early human trials reportedly ended, and development was discontinued after preclinical findings raised concerns about cancer in some rodent studies. Regulatory agencies have not approved cardarine for any medical use. Its availability through non-pharmaceutical channels raises questions about identity, purity, and legal status that are separate from its laboratory pharmacology. Those questions are often addressed through analytical testing rather than assumptions about product labels.
=== United States === The rate of obesity among children and adolescents in the United States has nearly tripled between the early 1980s and 2000. It has, however, not changed significantly between 2000 and 2006, with the most recent statistics showing a level just over 17 percent. In 2008, the rate of overweight and obese children in the United States was 32%, and had stopped climbing. In 2011, a national cohort study of infants and toddlers found that nearly one-third of US children were overweight or obese at nine months and two years old. In a follow-up study, infant weight status (healthy and obese) was strongly associated with preschool weight status.
=== Diagnosis and assessment === The assessment of riboflavin status is essential for confirming cases with non-specific symptoms whenever deficiency is suspected. Total riboflavin excretion in healthy adults with normal riboflavin intake is about 120 micrograms per day, while excretion of less than 40 micrograms per day indicates deficiency. Riboflavin excretion rates decrease as a person ages, but increase during periods of chronic stress and the use of some prescription drugs. Indicators used in humans are erythrocyte glutathione reductase (EGR), erythrocyte flavin concentration and urinary excretion. The erythrocyte glutathione reductase activity coefficient (EGRAC) provides a measure of tissue saturation and long-term riboflavin status. Results are expressed as an activity coefficient ratio, determined by enzyme activity with and without the addition of FAD to the culture medium. An EGRAC of 1.0 to 1.2 indicates that adequate amounts of riboflavin are present; 1.2 to 1.4 is considered low, greater than 1.4 indicates deficient. For the less sensitive "erythrocyte flavin method", values greater than 400 nmol/L are considered adequate and values below 270 nmol/L are considered deficient. Urinary excretion is expressed as nmol of riboflavin per gram of creatinine. Low is defined as in the range of 50 to 72 nmol/g. Deficient is below 50 nmol/g. Urinary excretion load tests have been used to determine dietary requirements.
=== Resonance assisted hydrogen bond === The resonance assisted hydrogen bond (commonly abbreviated as RAHB) is a strong type of hydrogen bond. It is characterized by the π-delocalization that involves the hydrogen atom and cannot be properly described by the electrostatic model alone. This description of the hydrogen bond has been proposed to describe unusually short distances generally observed between O=C−OH··· or ···O=C−C=C−OH.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Treatment == The treatment of calciphylaxis requires a multidisciplinary approach, using the knowledge of nephrologists, plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and wound care specialists working together to manage the disease and its outcomes.
Menthyl nicotinate is an organic compound with the formula C16H23NO2. It is the ester of nicotinic acid (niacin, vitamin B3) and menthol. At room temperature, menthyl nicotinate is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid. Being a topical lipophilic niacin derivative, menthyl nicotinate is used in cosmetics and personal care products, personal lubricants and intimate hygiene compositions. Menthyl nicotinate is rapidly absorbed through the stratum corneum and slowly hydrolyzed by skin esterase into niacin and menthol. Such time-dependent release of niacin and menthol, in an equimolar ratio, prevents the excessive niacin-flush effect that is usually observed with other nicotinates. Niacin is a precursor to coenzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is essential to all cellular processes involved in immune response and DNA-repairing of photodamaged skin cells. Niacin has also been used and tested for the purpose of enhancing detoxification by removing skin lipid-stored xenobiotics. In vitro testing has evidenced menthyl nicotinate's fast skin absorption kinetics and slow percutaneous delivery of niacin. Its antioxidant, antipollution, and protective efficacy against different kinds of damaging agents (UV radiation, oxidizing agents, urban particulates, and cigarette smoke) has also been evaluated. Results indicate that menthyl nicotinate significantly enhances skin barrier function.
However, only SDS monomers bind to proteins via hydrophobic interactions, whereas the SDS micelles are anionic on the outside and do not adsorb any protein. SDS is amphipathic in nature, which allows it to unfold both polar and nonpolar sections of protein structure. In SDS concentrations above 0.1 millimolar, the unfolding of proteins begins, and above 1 mM, most proteins are denatured. Due to the strong denaturing effect of SDS and the subsequent dissociation of protein complexes, quaternary structures can generally not be determined with SDS. Exceptions are proteins that are stabilised by covalent cross-linking (e.g. -S-S- linkages) and the SDS-resistant protein complexes, which are stable even in the presence of SDS (the latter, however, only at room temperature). To denature the SDS-resistant complexes a high activation energy is required, which is achieved by heating. SDS resistance is based on a metastability of the protein fold. Although the native, fully folded, SDS-resistant protein does not have sufficient stability in the presence of SDS, the chemical equilibrium of denaturation at room temperature occurs slowly. Stable protein complexes are characterised not only by SDS resistance but also by stability against proteases and an increased biological half-life. Alternatively, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis can also be performed with the cationic surfactants CTAB in a CTAB-PAGE, or 16-BAC in a BAC-PAGE.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Legal status varies by country. It is not approved as a medicine, and it is prohibited in sport. Some jurisdictions restrict import, sale, or possession.
Laboratories use liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to detect GW501516 and its metabolites. Urine is commonly tested, and testing can occur in and out of competition.
No, cardarine is not a SARM. It is a PPARδ agonist, which acts on a different receptor. The two classes are often confused in online discussions.
Rodent studies reported increased endurance and fat oxidation after GW501516 exposure. Long-term studies also found higher rates of some tumors, which led to halted development.