A practical reference on Cardarine: what it is, how it behaves, what the literature reports, and where the honest uncertainties sit.
This page was last updated on 2025-09-01 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
Stability of GW501516 depends on form, temperature, light exposure, and moisture. Solid reference material is typically stored frozen or refrigerated in a desiccator and protected from light. Solutions in organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide are often kept frozen in aliquots to reduce freeze-thaw cycling. Aqueous solubility is low, so aqueous stock solutions can be difficult to prepare without cosolvents. Degradation may appear as changes in chromatographic purity or mass spectral signal. Stability studies are needed to establish shelf life for any specific preparation.
Quality assessment for cardarine samples usually combines identity, purity, and impurity testing. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry can confirm molecular structure, while high-performance liquid chromatography estimates purity. Certificates of analysis from testing laboratories may list these results, but they do not establish safety or legality. In the absence of approved manufacturing, products sold online may contain the wrong compound, variable amounts, or unlisted contaminants. Independent verification is therefore central to analytical work and to interpreting any reported biological activity.
Laboratory detection of GW501516 commonly uses liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The method can identify the parent compound or its metabolites in urine and blood after sample cleanup. Protein precipitation, solid-phase extraction, or enzymatic hydrolysis may precede analysis, depending on the matrix. Reference standards are required for accurate quantification and confirmation. Because the compound is not approved, testing often occurs in anti-doping, forensic, or research settings rather than routine clinical care. Results are reported with limits of detection and quantification.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | PPARδ agonist | Not an anabolic steroid. |
| Common synonyms | GW501516, GW-1516 | Cardarine is an informal name. |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typical for research-grade solid. |
| Solubility class | Poorly soluble in water; soluble in some organic solvents | Such as DMSO or ethanol in laboratory settings. |
| Typical storage temperature | Cool, dry, protected from light | Specific conditions vary by supplier and form. |
Legal status varies by country. In some places, cardarine is controlled under medicines or psychoactive substances laws; in others, it may be sold with minimal oversight as a research chemical. Customs agencies have intercepted shipments, and several national health agencies have issued warnings about products marketed for bodybuilding or performance enhancement. The lack of a standardized pharmaceutical supply means identity, purity, and contamination levels can differ widely between samples. These factors make cardarine a regulatory and public health concern rather than a conventional prescription drug.
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.
Literature on cardarine often separates receptor pharmacology from toxicology. Mechanistic papers describe PPARδ activation and gene expression changes, while safety assessments focus on carcinogenicity and species differences. Questions remain about whether rodent tumors arise through PPARδ-dependent or off-target mechanisms. Another open area is how human metabolism and exposure compare with those in animal studies. Analytical methods such as liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry are used to confirm identity in biological and product samples.
GW501516 acts as an agonist at the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, a nuclear receptor that regulates gene expression. Activation shifts transcription toward genes involved in fatty acid uptake, oxidation, and energy expenditure. The compound does not bind the androgen receptor and therefore differs from anabolic steroids and SARMs. In rodent models, this metabolic shift has been linked to increased running endurance and reduced fat accumulation. The exact downstream pathways in humans remain incompletely characterized.
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.
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.
Regulatory treatment varies, but cardarine is not approved as a medicine. Sports authorities list GW501516 as a prohibited substance, and it is banned at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency code. Many countries restrict sales for human consumption, while online vendors market it as a research chemical. Such products may lack purity data, and their actual contents can differ from the label. Purchasing or possessing cardarine may carry legal consequences depending on jurisdiction. The compound is not a dietary supplement ingredient in regulated markets.
Clinical development stopped after rodent studies showed tumors at multiple sites. Whether those findings predict human cancer risk remains an open question, but they led sponsors to discontinue programs. Human safety data are limited to small, short-term studies that were not designed to assess cancer risk. Reported effects in those studies included changes in blood lipids, but the evidence is insufficient for medical use. Long-term consequences of nonmedical use are not well characterized. Questions about dose, duration, and individual susceptibility remain unresolved.
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, an investigational compound developed in the 1990s for metabolic conditions. It acts as an agonist at peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, a nuclear receptor involved in lipid and energy metabolism. The compound is frequently mislabeled as a selective androgen receptor modulator, or SARM, but its molecular target is different. GW501516 reached early clinical testing before development was discontinued. It has no approved therapeutic use in any country. The name cardarine is not a formal international nonproprietary name.
Larry Hama took over Wolverine's solo series in 1990, and exerted a major influence on how Wolverine was depicted throughout the X-Men family of publications during his run. Hama commented that he "considered the Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, and Barry Windsor-Smith [Wolverine] stories to be canon" and "pretty much ignored everything else." From 1990 to 1992, the series was usually illustrated by Marc Silvestri, who contributed to the character's rising popularity; his work on Wolverine also established him as a star artist in the industry. In issues #48-50 (November 1991-January 1992), Hama delved into Wolverine's mysterious past in the Weapon X program, which was often highly convoluted and unreliable due to the false memories implanted by the program's designers. In 1992, he revisited the Japanese setting and characters of Claremont's and Miller's earlier limited series, ending the story with the poisoning of Mariko Yashida, Logan's lover, and her mercy killing at the hands of Wolverine. During the Fatal Attractions storyline, in X-Men #25 (October 1993), the adamantium in Wolverine's body is ripped out by Magneto, using his magnetic abilities. Writers Fabian Nicieza and Scott Lobdell were inspired by a suggestion of another Marvel writer, Peter David. The story arc reveals that Wolverine has natural bone claws, in contrast to previously established narrative continuity that his claws were entirely bionic. Wolverine himself is confused by this realization, and his healing factor is also greatly weakened by recovery from this extraordinary injury.
== Mechanism of action == Phenobarbital acts as an allosteric modulator which extends the amount of time the chloride ion channel is open by interacting with GABAA receptor subunits. Through this action, phenobarbital increases the flow of chloride ions into the neuron which decreases the excitability of the post-synaptic neuron. Hyperpolarizing this post-synaptic membrane leads to a decrease in the general excitatory aspects of the post-synaptic neuron. By making it harder to depolarize the neuron, the threshold for the action potential of the post-synaptic neuron will be increased. Direct blockade of glutamatergic AMPA and kainate receptors are also believed to contribute to the hypnotic and anticonvulsant effect that is observed with phenobarbital.
In November 1944, the division and several attached units were redesignated as Panzerkorps Großdeutschland. By March 1945, the Panzer Grenadier Division Großdeutschland had been reduced to around 4,000 men after the Battle of Memel. It had only one Sturmgeschütz III self-propelled gun, one Panzer IV, five Panthers, and six Tiger Is by 15 March 1945. By 25 April, the division was engaged in heavy fighting in the battles around Pillau. Eight hundred men of the division were evacuated on ferries via the Baltic Sea and surrendered to British forces in Schleswig-Holstein on 9 May. The rest were either killed or captured during the fighting in Pillau or surrendered to Soviet forces on 9 May on the Vistula spit.
syphilis caused by Treponema pallidum, yaws caused by Treponema pertenue, listeriosis due to Listeria monocytogenes, Vincent's infection caused by Fusobacterium fusiforme, actinomycosis caused by Actinomyces israelii, infections caused by Clostridium species.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Lysine price fixing === In 1986, the Ajinomoto Group produced lysine at its Iowa factory of Heartland Lysine Co. U.S.A., followed by production in its Pathum Thani factory in Ajinomoto, Thailand, in 1986, and Bio Italia, BioPro in Italy in 1992, gradually upgrading its worldwide production bases. In the United States, competitors increased their own lysine production, which resulted in lower prices due to an overabundance of lysine on the market. To raise prices again, several companies, including Ajinomoto, price fixed lysine in the 1990s. Along with Kyowa Hakko Kogyo and Sewon America, Inc., Ajinomoto admitted to price fixing and settled with the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division in September 1996. Each firm and an executive from each pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain to aid in further investigation. Their cooperation led to Archer Daniels Midland settling charges with the US government in October 1996 for $100 million, a record antitrust fine at the time. Cartels were able to raise lysine prices 70% within the first six months of cooperating.
Chiral inversion is the process of conversion of one enantiomer of a chiral molecule to its mirror-image version with no other change in the molecule. Chiral inversion happens depending on various factors (viz. biological-, solvent-, light-, temperature- induced, etc.) and the energy barrier associated with the stereogenic element present in the chiral molecule. 2-Arylpropionic acid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide one of the best pharmaceutical examples of chiral inversion. Chirality is attributed to a molecule due to the presence of a stereogenic element (viz. center, planar, helical, or axis). Many pharmaceutical drugs are chiral and have a labile (configurationally unstable) stereogenic element. Chiral compounds with stereogenic center are found to have high energy barriers for inversion and generally undergo biologically mediated chiral inversion. While compounds with helical or planar chirality have low energy barriers and chiral inversions are often caused by solvent, light, temperature. When this happens, the configuration of the chiral molecule may rapidly change reversibly or irreversibly depending on the conditions. The chiral inversion has been intensively studied in the context of the pharmacological and toxicological consequences. Other than NSAIDs, chiral drugs with different chemical structures can also show this effect. Chiral drugs have different effects on the body depending on whether one enantiomer or both enantiomers act on different biological targets.
== Coordination chemistry == Dysprosium perchlorate is used as a soluble source of Dy3+ in coordination and materials chemistry. Reaction of Dy(ClO4)3·6H2O with thiocyanate salts and bulky organic cations has been used to prepare anionic dysprosium thiocyanate complexes such as [Dy(SCN)8]5−. For example, [C16mim]5[Dy(SCN)8] has been prepared from dysprosium perchlorate hexahydrate, an imidazolium thiocyanate and KSCN. Dysprosium perchlorate has also been used as a starting material for polynuclear Dy(III) coordination polymers exhibiting large magnetocaloric effects and slow magnetic relaxation.
=== Cooking === Some culinary uses of syringes are injecting liquids (such as gravy) into other foods, or for the manufacture of some candies. Syringes may also be used when cooking meat to enhance flavor and texture by injecting juices inside the meat, and in baking to inject filling inside a pastry. It is common for these syringes to be made of stainless steel components, including the barrel. Such facilitates easy disassembly and cleaning.
=== Original BCA assay === As described by Smith, the original BCA assay is a two-component protocol. The two reagents are "stable indefinitely at room temperature". Modern (likely exact or highly similar) formulations are available from at least two commercial vendors. The BCA Working solution is generated by mixing Reagent A and Reagent B in a 50:1 ratio, and can be prepared either weekly (it is moderately stable), or as needed. Reagent A
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Cardarine is commonly known as GW501516 or GW-1516. These names refer to the same synthetic compound. It is not a brand-name approved medicine.
No, cardarine is not a steroid. It is classified as a PPARδ agonist. Its structure and receptor target differ from anabolic steroids.
No regulatory agency has approved cardarine as a medicine. It was investigated in early research but development was discontinued. It is not available as a prescription drug.
LC-MS/MS is common, often after sample cleanup. The assay targets GW501516 or its metabolites.