The short version of anti-doping fits in a sentence. The long version — which is the one that helps — is below.
Reviewed 2026-07-13. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
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.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IUPAC name | {4-[({4-methyl-2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-1,3-thiazol-5-yl}methyl)sulfanyl]phenoxy}acetic acid | Systematic name for GW501516 |
| CAS Registry Number | 317318-70-0 | Unique identifier for the parent compound |
| Molecular formula | C21H18F3NO3S2 | Includes carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur |
| Molecular weight | 453.5 g/mol | Approximate value for the neutral form |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typical description for purified laboratory material |
== Toxicology == Like other amatoxins, amaninamide is an inhibitor of RNA polymerase II. Upon ingestion, it binds to the RNA polymerase II enzyme which completely prevents mRNA synthesis, effectively causing cytolysis of hepatocytes (liver cells) and kidney cells.
As systematic review of 16 studies by Cochrane on Antimicrobial mouthwashes (gargling) and nasal sprays concludes that "there is currently no evidence relating to the benefits and risks of patients with COVID‐19 using antimicrobial mouthwashes or nasal sprays."
== Description == PrRP has 20 amino acids, and is a member of the RFamide peptide family. During the discovery process, PrRP was found to be a ligand for an orphan G-protein coupled receptor (GPR 10). Preliminary in vitro studies showed it to stimulate the secretion of prolactin from lactotropic cells, hence its name. Now, however, the function of PrRP in the brain is understood in terms of negative regulation of appetite. PrRP is produced by noradrenergic neurons A1 and A2 in the solitary nucleus, and also by neurons in the hypothalamus.
=== Cobalt-catalyzed routes === Related to the nickel-catalyzed alkyne trimerization, several methods have been developed using organocobalt compounds as catalysts. The organic precursors include acetonitrile, acetylene, and acrylonitrile.
The industrial manufacture of silicone breast prostheses employs the metallic element platinum (Pt, 78) as a catalyst for chemically transforming liquid silicone oil into viscous silicone gel, the elastomer material for making breast-implant shells. Occasionally, trace quantities of platinum leak from a prosthetic breast into the woman's body and accumulate in the bone marrow, from where red blood cells would deposit the trace-platinum upon nerve endings and consequently cause disorders of the nervous system, such as blindness, deafness, and nervous tics (involuntary muscle contractions). The FDA's review of the trace-platinum-toxicity data about the silicone-gel used for making prosthetic breasts said that the type of platinum used in modern silicone breast implants is not ionized platinum, and so not a biological risk to women with such prosthetic breasts. That there were no reports of trace-platinum-toxicity and no causal relation between the metal in the silicone-gel and the occurrence of trace-platinum-toxicity among women with silicone-gel prosthetic breasts.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
In 2004, a meta-analytic review paper found in terms of efficacy, "a significant superiority of ECT in all comparisons: ECT versus simulated ECT, ECT versus placebo, ECT versus antidepressants in general, ECT versus tricyclics and ECT versus monoamine oxidase inhibitors." Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a standard psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in patients to provide relief from psychiatric illnesses. ECT is used with informed consent as a last line of intervention for major depressive disorder. Among the elderly, who often experience depression, the efficacy of ECT is difficult to determine due to the lack of trials comparing ECT to other treatments. A round of ECT is effective for about 50% of people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder, whether it is unipolar or bipolar. Follow-up treatment is still poorly studied, but about half of people who respond relapse with twelve months. Aside from effects in the brain, the general physical risks of ECT are similar to those of brief general anesthesia. Immediately following treatment, the most common adverse effects are confusion and memory loss. ECT is considered one of the least harmful treatment options available for severely depressed pregnant women. A usual course of ECT involves multiple administrations, typically given two or three times per week until the patient no longer has symptoms ECT is administered under anesthetic with a muscle relaxant.
Because it is lighter than air, airships and balloons are inflated with helium for lift. While hydrogen gas is more buoyant and escapes permeating through a membrane at a lower rate, helium has the advantage of being non-flammable, and indeed fire-retardant. Another minor use is in rocketry, where helium is used as an ullage medium to backfill rocket propellant tanks in flight and to condense hydrogen and oxygen to make rocket fuel. It is also used to purge fuel and oxidizer from ground support equipment prior to launch and to pre-cool liquid hydrogen in space vehicles. For example, the Saturn V rocket used in the Apollo program needed about 370,000 cubic metres (13 million cubic feet) of helium to launch.
== Possible Complications == As described above, when a fistulectomy is performed to remove an anorectal fistula tract that involves the anal sphincters, a common complication that may occur is fecal incontinence. The degree of incontinence can be measured using the Wexner score, which can allow surgeons to monitor the progression of incontinence post-operatively. As with other surgeries, fistulectomies may also pose other complications such as delayed wound healing and infection.
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. is an American biotechnology company headquartered in San Rafael, California. It has offices and facilities in the United States, South America, Asia, and Europe. BioMarin's core business and research are in enzyme replacement therapies (ERTs). BioMarin was the first company to provide therapeutics for mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), by manufacturing laronidase (Aldurazyme, commercialized by Genzyme Corporation). BioMarin was also the first company to provide therapeutics for phenylketonuria (PKU). Over the years, BioMarin has been criticised for drug pricing and for specific instances of denying access to drugs in clinical trials.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No. Major drug regulators have not approved GW501516 for treating any medical condition. Products sold as cardarine are typically unapproved research chemicals or supplements, so their contents and safety are not assured.
It is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a hormone and metabolic modulator. Athletes who test positive for GW501516 can face sanctions, including suspensions and loss of results.
Cardarine is a common or trade-style name, while GW501516 is the research code for the same chemical entity. Some sources also use Endurobol or GSK-516. The names refer to the same compound, not distinct drugs.
No. Cardarine is a PPARδ agonist, while selective androgen receptor modulators act on androgen receptors. The two classes differ in receptor target and downstream effects.