This is a working overview of GW501516, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2026-03-26 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
Products sold as cardarine have been found to contain incorrect compounds, variable amounts, or no active ingredient at all. Independent testing is required to verify identity and purity. Common analytical approaches include high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance for structural confirmation. These methods can distinguish GW501516 from related PPAR agonists and from unrelated steroids. For regulators and researchers, such verification is central to interpreting both biological results and adverse event reports.
Cardarine is prohibited in competitive sport under the World Anti-Doping Agency code, where it is classified as a metabolic modulator. It is not approved as a prescription medicine in the United States, European Union, or other major markets. Regulatory action has focused on its presence in sports and in products marketed as research chemicals. Because it has no accepted medical indication, supply is often unregulated. This status creates legal and safety uncertainties for anyone who encounters the substance.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory status | Prohibited in sport | Listed by WADA as a metabolic modulator. |
| Approved medical use | None in major jurisdictions | Not a registered drug. |
| Common test matrix | Urine | Most anti-doping samples use urine. |
| Typical detection method | LC-MS/MS | Detects parent compound and metabolites. |
| Reference standard storage | -20 °C, desiccated | Typical for analytical standards. |
GW501516 acts on PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that helps regulate fatty acid oxidation and energy homeostasis. In animal studies, activation of this receptor was associated with increased endurance and changes in lipid metabolism. Human trials examined effects on blood lipids and other metabolic markers, but the compound did not advance to approval. Rodent studies later reported tumors in multiple tissues at doses used in those experiments. Whether those findings translate to human risk remains uncertain, and the clinical relevance of the animal data is still debated.
Regulatory bodies treat GW501516 as a prohibited substance in competitive sport. The World Anti-Doping Agency added it to the prohibited list, and it falls under classes covering metabolic modulators and hormone-related agents. It is not approved by drug regulators for human use, and it is not a lawful dietary supplement. Products sold under the cardarine name may contain unlisted ingredients or different compounds. Because no approved product exists, quality and identity are not guaranteed by pharmaceutical manufacturing standards.
Cardarine is a common name for the investigational chemical GW501516, also written GW-1516. It was developed as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta agonist for metabolic conditions such as dyslipidemia. Early research focused on lipid handling and energy use in skeletal muscle and other tissues. The compound was never approved as a medicine. In public discussion, it is often grouped with performance-enhancing substances, although its receptor target differs from that of anabolic steroids or selective androgen receptor modulators. Regulatory and health authorities have issued warnings about its use.
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.
Cardarine is a synthetic compound also known as GW501516, GW-501516, and sometimes endurobol. It was developed as a selective agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, a nuclear receptor involved in fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism. The compound was studied in preclinical models for metabolic and cardiovascular conditions, but it did not become a marketed human medicine. In regulatory and anti-doping contexts, it is treated as a prohibited substance rather than a licensed medicine.
The pharmacological interest in cardarine centers on PPARδ activation and its downstream effects on lipid handling and mitochondrial function. In animal studies, PPARδ agonists have been associated with changes in exercise endurance and fatty acid utilization, though results vary by model and protocol. Human data remain sparse, and the absence of large controlled trials limits conclusions about efficacy. Researchers often describe the compound as a tool for probing PPARδ biology rather than a proven therapeutic agent.
Safety discussions about cardarine frequently cite rodent carcinogenicity findings reported in the 2000s. In those studies, treated animals developed tumors at multiple sites, leading sponsors to discontinue clinical development. The relevance of these findings to humans has not been resolved, but they are a major reason the compound is not approved. Current literature emphasizes uncertainty about long-term effects and the risks of unregulated use. Regulators and health agencies have not established a safe human exposure level.
Static secondary-ion mass spectrometry, or static SIMS, is a secondary-ion mass spectrometry technique for chemical analysis including elemental composition and chemical structure of the uppermost atomic or molecular layer of a solid, which may be a metal, semiconductor, or plastic, with insignificant disturbance to its composition and structure. It is one of the two principal modes of operation of SIMS, which is the mass spectrometry of ionized particles emitted by a solid (or sometimes liquid) surface upon bombardment by energetic primary particles.
A time temperature indicator (TTI) is a device or label that shows the accumulated time-temperature history of a product. Time temperature indicators are commonly used on food, pharmaceutical, and medical products to indicate exposure to excessive temperature (and time at temperature). They are simple passive devices that work through chemical reactions. There are two main types: the full kind changes color all the time, with its rate varying with the temperature, while the partial kind only reacts under specific conditions such as a strict threshold temperature. In contrast, a temperature data logger measures and records the temperatures for a specified time period, providing a greater amount of data. The digital data can be downloaded (e.g. through RFID) and analyzed. Some have been miniaturized and made cheap enough to partially replace TTIs.
=== February === February 13, 2013: United Kingdom Sir Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, says he believes "a recovery is in sight". However, he also expects inflation to rise to at least 3% by the summer of 2013 and to remain above the Bank's 2% target for two years.
=== Heart === Cardiomyocyte necrosis activates an inflammatory response that serves to clear the injured myocardium from dead cells, and stimulates repair, but may also extend injury. Research suggests that the cell types involved in the process play an important role. Namely monocyte-derived macrophages tend to induce inflammation while inhibiting cardiac regeneration, while tissue resident macrophages may help restoration of tissue structure and function.
=== Climate impact === The production of nicotinic acid creates nitrous oxide as a by-product, which is a potent greenhouse gas. In 2018, it was discovered that a nicotinic acid factory in Visp, Switzerland, was responsible for around one percent of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. Eventually, catalytic scrubbing technology that eliminates most of the emissions was installed in 2021.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Classification == There are over 100 peptides which have been claimed as falling within this group, though most of them have relatively little published research and only a dozen or so such compounds are widely known and well characterised. Most compounds referred to as matrikines are synthetic versions of peptide fragments 2-6 amino acids in length which are found in connective tissue proteins such as collagen, elastin, fibronectin and laminin, and were originally isolated as products of the enzymatic hydrolysis of these proteins. Many of these form naturally in the body following injury or tissue damage, and act as signalling factors which trigger tissue repair processes. Larger protein fragments cleaved from the full length connective tissue proteins, such as arresten, canstatin and tumstatin, also have similar functions and may be grouped along with the smaller peptide matrikines. There are also other peptide fragments which are commonly included in the matrikine group on the basis of their similar activity, despite not being derived from connective tissue proteins.
Mathematical chemistry – area of study engaged in novel applications of mathematics to chemistry. It concerns itself principally with the mathematical modeling of chemical phenomena. Mechanochemistry – coupling of mechanical and chemical phenomena on a molecular scale. Molecular biology – study of interactions between the various systems of a cell. It overlaps with biochemistry. Petrochemistry – study of the transformation of petroleum and natural gas into useful products or raw materials. Phytochemistry – study of phytochemicals which come from plants. Radiochemistry – chemistry of radioactive materials. Sonochemistry – study of effect of sonic waves and wave properties on chemical systems. Synthetic chemistry – study of chemical synthesis.
The second most common form of SCID after X-SCID is caused by a defective enzyme, adenosine deaminase (ADA), necessary for the breakdown of purines. Lack of ADA causes accumulation of dATP. This metabolite will inhibit the activity of ribonucleotide reductase, the enzyme that reduces ribonucleotides to generate deoxyribonucleotides. The effectiveness of the immune system depends upon lymphocyte proliferation and hence dNTP synthesis. Without functional ribonucleotide reductase, lymphocyte proliferation is inhibited and the immune system is compromised.
== Mechanism == The hallmark feature of ferroptosis is the iron-dependent accumulation of oxidatively damaged phospholipids, i.e., lipid peroxides. The implication of Fenton chemistry via iron is crucial for the generation of reactive oxygen species and this feature can be exploited by sequestering iron in lysosomes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) driving ferroptosis originate from three primary sources: the iron-dependent Fenton reaction, mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and the NADPH oxidase (NOX) enzyme family. The NOX family, including NOX1, NOX2 (CYBB), and NOX4, transports electrons across the plasma membrane to produce superoxide and downstream ROS. The pentose phosphate pathway supplies NADPH, which serves as the essential electron donor for GPX4, FSP1/AIFM2, NOX, and POR — meaning that a higher intracellular NADPH ratio correlates with increased resistance to ferroptosis. The incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into membrane phospholipids is a prerequisite for ferroptosis. Two key enzymes govern this process: acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) activates PUFAs such as arachidonic acid and adrenic acid, and lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (LPCAT3) incorporates these activated PUFAs into the phospholipid bilayer. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), including oleic acid and palmitoleic acid, compete with PUFAs for membrane incorporation and suppress ferroptosis due to their lower susceptibility to peroxidation.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Legal status varies by country, but cardarine is not approved as a medicine in major jurisdictions. It is often sold as a research chemical, a category that may not be lawful for human use. Buyers should check local laws and product labels carefully.
Anti-doping laboratories use LC-MS/MS to detect GW501516 and its metabolites, usually in urine. The method can identify the parent compound at low concentrations. Detection windows vary with dose and individual factors.
No, cardarine has no approved medical uses in major jurisdictions. Early research explored metabolic conditions, but those programs were discontinued. It is not a registered treatment for any disease.
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.