Laboratory compound raises a handful of sensible questions. This page answers them in order, starting with the fundamentals and moving to applications.
Reviewed 2025-09-03. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
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.
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.
Laboratory detection of cardarine typically involves sample preparation followed by chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric identification. Urine is the most common matrix for anti-doping tests, though blood and hair have also been explored. Methods can target the parent compound or its metabolites, depending on the expected window of detection. Reference standards are required for accurate quantification. Matrix effects and dilution can influence results, so laboratories use internal standards and validation protocols. The exact detection window varies with dose, route, and individual metabolism.
A common misconception is that cardarine has been proven safe for human use. In reality, human clinical data are limited, and long-term animal studies have raised concerns about cancer. Another misconception is that it is a supplement or vitamin-like compound. It is a synthetic research chemical with no approved medical indication. Scientific discussion often focuses on its mechanism and detection rather than therapeutic use. Regulatory and anti-doping literature treats it primarily as a prohibited substance.
Cardarine is explicitly prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency under the class of PPARδ agonists. Its presence in urine or blood samples can be detected using mass spectrometry-based methods, often liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Athletes who test positive may face sanctions, including bans from competition. The compound is also regulated as a prescription-only or unapproved drug in many countries. Enforcement varies by jurisdiction, and some regions treat it as a controlled substance. Online sales may occur despite these restrictions, creating quality and legal risks.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common synonyms | GW501516; GW-1516; endurobol | GW501516 is the research code |
| Drug class | PPARδ agonist | Not a selective androgen receptor modulator |
| Molecular formula | C21H18F3NO3S2 | Established chemical formula |
| Molar mass | 453.5 g/mol | Calculated from the formula |
| Regulatory status | Prohibited in sport; not approved as medicine | Status varies by country |
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.
Human trials of GW501516 were small and short in duration. They examined lipid levels, glucose handling, and other metabolic markers, but the programs were halted after the animal cancer findings. No approved therapeutic product exists, and published human data are insufficient for establishing long-term safety. Reports of use for athletic performance come mainly from non-clinical settings and cannot be verified through controlled trials. Independent testing of products sold as cardarine has found inconsistent purity and labeling.
Activation of PPARδ changes transcription of genes involved in fatty acid transport, mitochondrial function, and skeletal muscle fuel preference. In rodent studies, pharmacological PPARδ activation was associated with increased endurance and altered body composition. These findings generated interest in performance enhancement, but species differences and study designs limit direct extrapolation to humans. Small human trials were conducted in the 2000s and later discontinued. The extent to which cardarine produces similar metabolic or performance effects in people remains an open question.
The compound is typically described as a laboratory compound rather than a therapeutic product. Published reports have explored its role in lipid disorders, insulin sensitivity, and exercise metabolism, yet no major drug regulator has approved it for medical use. Commercial samples sold under the cardarine name may vary in purity and identity. Analytical confirmation is therefore necessary when the material is discussed in scientific or regulatory contexts. Its classification as a prohibited substance in sport further shapes how it is studied and reported.
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, a synthetic compound studied for its effects on lipid and glucose metabolism. It functions as an agonist at peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, or PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that influences gene expression. The molecule is not a steroid, nor is it a selective androgen receptor modulator. It is also known in research and sports literature as GW-501516 and endurobol. Early laboratory work examined its metabolic activity in cell cultures and animal models.
=== Definition === The term "opioid" originated in the 1950s. It combines "opium" + "-oid" meaning "opiate-like" ("opiates" being morphine and similar drugs derived from opium). The first scientific publication to use it, in 1963, included a footnote stating, "In this paper, the term, 'opioid', is used in the sense originally proposed by George H. Acheson (personal communication) to refer to any chemical compound with morphine-like activities". By the late 1960s, research found that opiate effects are mediated by activation of specific molecular receptors in the nervous system, which were termed "opioid receptors". The definition of "opioid" was later refined to refer to substances that have morphine-like activities that are mediated by the activation of opioid receptors. One modern pharmacology textbook states: "the term opioid applies to all agonists and antagonists with morphine-like activity, and also the naturally occurring and synthetic opioid peptides". Another pharmacology reference eliminates the morphine-like requirement: "Opioid, a more modern term, is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors (including antagonists)". Some sources define the term opioid to exclude opiates, and others use opiate comprehensively instead of opioid, but opioid used inclusively is considered modern, preferred and is in wide use.
CAT was acquired by AstraZeneca, who also acquired MedImmune, combining the two into a biologics division. MedImmune renamed CAT-8015 to moxetumomab pasudotox. On 16 May 2013, AstraZeneca announced that CAT-8015 had started Phase III clinical trials.
A number of studies suggest that the inflated rates of depression and anxiety in transgender individuals may partially be because of systematic discrimination or a lack of support. Evidence suggests that these increased rates begin to normalize when transgender individuals are accepted as their identified gender and when they live within a supportive household. Many studies report extremely high rates of suicide within the transgender community. A United States study of 6,450 transgender individuals found that 41% of them had attempted suicide, as differing from the national average of 4.6%. The very same survey found that these rates were the most high for certain demographics, with transgender youth between the ages of 18 and 24 having the highest percent. Individuals in the survey who were multiracial, had lower levels of education, and those with a lower annual income were all more likely to have attempted. Specifically, transgender males as a group are the most likely to attempt suicide, more so than transgender females. Later surveys suggest that the rate of suicidal attempts for non-binary individuals is in between the two. Transgender adults who have "de-transitioned", meaning having gone back to living as their sex assigned at birth, are significantly more likely to attempt suicide than transgender adults who have never "de-transitioned". Several studies have shown the relation between minority stress and the heightened rate of depression and other mental illness among both transgender men and women.
== Cause == CJD is a type of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE), which is caused by prions. Prions are misfolded proteins that occur in the neurons of the central nervous system (CNS). The CJD prion is dangerous because it promotes refolding of cellular prion proteins into the diseased state. The number of misfolded protein molecules will increase exponentially, and the process leads to a large quantity of insoluble proteins in affected cells. This mass of misfolded proteins disrupts neuronal cell function and causes cell death. Mutations in the gene for the prion protein can cause a misfolding of the dominantly alpha helical regions into beta pleated sheets. This change in conformation disables the protein's ability to undergo digestion. Once the prion is transmitted, the defective proteins invade the brain and induce other prion protein molecules to misfold in a self-sustaining feedback loop. These neurodegenerative diseases are commonly called prion diseases. PrPC, the normal fibril cellular proteins responsible for a wide range of CNS functions, are misfolded by what current research suggests are small, highly neurotoxic oligomeric aggregates, known as PrPSc, which interact with cell surfaces to disrupt neuronal function. The binding of prion oligomers to normal prion protein on neurons may trigger toxic signals similar to how oligomeric β-amyloid causes synaptic damage in Alzheimer's disease.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Uterine effects === Under normal physiological circumstances, progesterone secreted by the corpus luteum during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle produces endometrial transformation of the estrogen-primed uterus in preparation for implantation and pregnancy. Normal progesterone production during the luteal phase is 25 mg/day on average with a range of 15 to 50 mg/day. Progesterone levels during the luteal phase range from 7 ng/mL to 22 ng/mL using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) per one source. Sustained progesterone levels of more than 5 ng/mL, perhaps approximately 10 ng/mL, are required for full endometrial transformation. Progesterone levels of more than 10 ng/mL are rarely associated with luteal-phase defect on the basis of endometrial biopsy. Luteal-phase levels of progesterone are said to be produced by 25 mg/day progesterone in oil solution by intramuscular injection or by 100 mg/day progesterone by vaginal or rectal administration. Progesterone by intramuscular injection in oil solution has been found to produce endometrial transformation at a dose of 10 or 20 mg/day for 14 days (total dose per cycle of 200 mg), whereas a single intramuscular injection of 200 mg progesterone in microcrystalline aqueous suspension provides endometrial transformation after 10 to 14 days. A study found full and equivalent endometrial transformation with subcutaneous injection of 25 mg/day versus 50 mg/day progesterone in aqueous solution.
Karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics: American karateka Ariel Torres wins a bronze medal in the men's kata event, winning the first United States medal in karate. 2021 California fire season: The Dixie Fire near Chico becomes the largest fire in the history of California. August 8 Volleyball at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Women's tournament: The United States defeats the two time reigning Olympic Champions Brazil. Becoming the first to win Gold in Tokyo. August 9 COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 vaccination Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announces that all service members will be required to get vaccinated by mid September. The CDC announces that 60% of Americans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. August 10 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announces he will resign effective August 24 after an inquiry found he sexually harassed multiple women. The Senate votes 69–30 to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. Dominion Voting Systems sues conservative news channels One America News Network and Newsmax, plus former Overstock.com CEO Patrick M. Byrne, claiming they promoted false conspiracy theories about them after the 2020 presidential election. August 11 Aubrey de Grey, a leading anti-aging researcher and Chief Science Officer of the SENS Research Foundation, is placed on leave by his company, following sexual harassment allegations by two women in the field. The Senate votes to pass a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package, a day after the bipartisan infrastructure package passed.
==== Hypoxia/anoxia tolerance ==== Hypoxia/Anoxia tolerant ectotherms have shown unique strategies for surviving anoxia. Pond turtles, such as the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii), will experience anoxia during winter while they overwinter at the bottom of frozen ponds. In their cardiac mitochondria, the reversing of Complex V, the usage of ATP, and the build-up of succinate are all prevented during anoxia. Crucian carps (Carassius carassius) also overwinter in frozen ponds and show no loss membrane potential in their cardiac mitochondria during anoxia, but this relies on complexes I and III to be active.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The average lifespan of inactivated human neutrophils in the circulation has been reported by different approaches to be between 5 and 135 hours. Upon activation, they marginate (position themselves adjacent to the blood vessel endothelium) and undergo selectin-dependent capture followed by integrin-dependent adhesion in most cases, after which they migrate into tissues, where they survive for 1–2 days. Neutrophils have also been demonstrated to be released into the blood from a splenic reserve following myocardial infarction. The distribution ratio of neutrophils in bone marrow, blood and connective tissue is 28:1:25. Neutrophils are much more numerous than the longer-lived monocyte/macrophage phagocytes. A pathogen (disease-causing microorganism or virus) is likely to first encounter a neutrophil. Some experts hypothesize that the short lifetime of neutrophils is an evolutionary adaptation. The short lifetime of neutrophils minimizes propagation of those pathogens that parasitize phagocytes (e.g. Leishmania) because the more time such parasites spend outside a host cell, the more likely they will be destroyed by some component of the body's defenses. Also, because neutrophil antimicrobial products can also damage host tissues, their short life limits damage to the host during inflammation. Neutrophils will be removed after phagocytosis of pathogens by macrophages. PECAM-1 and phosphatidylserine on the cell surface are involved in this process.
Muscle architecture refers to the arrangement of muscle fibers relative to the axis of force generation, which runs from a muscle's origin to its insertion. The usual arrangements are types of parallel, and types of pennate muscle. In parallel muscles, the fascicles run parallel to the axis of force generation, but the fascicles can vary in their relationship to one another, and to their tendons. These variations are seen in fusiform, strap, and convergent muscles. A convergent muscle has a triangular or fan-shape as the fibers converge at its insertion and are fanned out broadly at the origin. A less common example of a parallel muscle is a circular muscle such as the orbicularis oculi, in which the fibers are longitudinally arranged, but create a circle from origin to insertion. These different architectures can cause variations in the tension that a muscle can create between its tendons. The fibers in pennate muscles run at an angle to the axis of force generation. This pennation angle reduces the effective force of any individual fiber, as it is effectively pulling off-axis. However, because of this angle, more fibers can be packed into the same muscle volume, increasing the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA). This effect is known as fiber packing, and in terms of force generation, it more than overcomes the efficiency-loss of the off-axis orientation. The trade-off comes in overall speed of muscle shortening and in the total excursion. Overall muscle shortening speed is reduced compared to fiber shortening speed, as is the total distance of shortening.
==== APCI MS ==== The source for APCI is similar to ESI except that ions are formed by the interaction of the heated analyte solvent with a corona discharge needle set at a high electrical potential. Primary ions are formed immediately surrounding the needle, and these interact with the solvent to form secondary ions that ultimately ionize the sample. APCI is particularly useful for the analysis of nonpolar lipids such as triacylglycerols, sterols, and fatty acid esters.
=== „Sozusagen Paris“ (2016) === „Sozusagen Paris“' (Paris, So to Speak) constitutes a sequel to the previous novel: after a public reading from „Love Writ Large“, the first-person narrator is approached by his childhood sweetheart, who is now the mayor of a small town. This sequel describes the first encounter between the two characters after thirty years, which lasts from the moment of their reunion after the public reading until the next morning. Overall, the text complements its predecessor: whereas the former dealt with the ecstasy of first love, the latter focuses on long-term love, specifically in light of Jutta's 23-year marriage. Whereas „Love Writ Large“ was told from the man's perspective, the nighttime conversation in Paris, So to Speak is shaped by the woman’s point of view —for the first time in Kermani's work, a female voice is at the center of the text. Like „Love Writ Large, Paris So to Speak“ also aims at a supra-individual exploration of love, but it is anchored differently: instead of early Islamic mysticism, it’s the French marriage novels of the nineteenth century up to Marcel Proust which serve as a foil here for modern love. This shifts the reflection on love from a general anthropological to a historical perspective. In particular, the important role of their children to the couple's life, lifestyle, and emotional stability serves to emphasize distinctions from older marriage novels and to highlight specifics of love and cohabitation in the 21st century.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No. Cardarine is GW501516, a PPARδ agonist, while SARMs act on androgen receptors. The two classes are often grouped in informal discussions despite different mechanisms.
No. It has no approved medical indication in any country. Regulatory agencies have not cleared it for treatment or prevention of any condition.
Early clinical work stopped after rodent carcinogenicity findings. Those animal results raised concerns about long-term human risk, although direct human evidence is lacking. The human relevance of the tumors remains an open scientific question.
Yes, WADA prohibits cardarine as a PPARδ agonist. It appears on the prohibited list and can be detected in urine or blood. Athletes using it risk sanctions.