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 2025-09-03 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
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.
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.
| 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. |
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.
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.
Handling and quality assessment of cardarine reference material follow general laboratory practices for poorly characterized compounds. It typically appears as a white to off-white powder and is sparingly soluble in water but soluble in organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide and ethanol. Storage recommendations usually specify a cool, dry, dark place, with long-term storage at low temperature and desiccation. Purity may be checked by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection, while identity is confirmed by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance. No pharmacopeial monograph exists, so reported purity and stability depend on the supplier’s methods.
GW501516 acts as a selective agonist at PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that regulates transcription of genes involved in lipid handling and energy metabolism. Activation of PPARδ in preclinical models increases fatty acid oxidation, mitochondrial biogenesis, and exercise endurance in rodents. These effects have made the compound a subject of metabolic research and also a target for sport anti-doping rules. In humans, however, controlled studies are limited, and whether similar endurance or metabolic changes occur at tolerated exposures remains an open question. The receptor’s broad tissue distribution also means downstream effects may vary by organ and condition.
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.
Anti-doping laboratories detect GW501516 and its metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine is the most common matrix, though blood and dried blood spots may also be used in some programs. Detection depends on factors such as dose, timing, metabolism, and the sensitivity of the assay. Published methods describe limits of detection in the low nanogram per milliliter range for related compounds. Exact detection windows are not fixed for all situations and remain an area of ongoing study.
===== Dutasteride ===== Dutasteride is also used in the treatment of male pattern hair loss and appears to have better effectiveness than finasteride for the condition. While used off-label for male pattern hair loss in most of the world, dutasteride is specifically approved for this indication in South Korea and Japan.
The epithelial layer, known as mesothelium, consists of a single layer of avascular flat nucleated cells (simple squamous epithelium) which produce the lubricating serous fluid. This fluid has a consistency similar to thin mucus. These cells are bound tightly to the underlying connective tissue. The connective tissue layer provides the blood vessels and nerves for the overlying secretory cells, and also serves as the binding layer which allows the whole serous membrane to adhere to organs and other structures. For the heart, the layers of the serous membrane are called the parietal pericardium, and the visceral pericardium (sometimes called the epicardium). Other parts of the body may also have specific names for these structures. For example, the serosa of the uterus is called the perimetrium.
== Signs and symptoms == The symptoms of rhabdomyolysis depend on its severity and whether kidney failure develops. Milder forms may not cause any muscle symptoms, and the diagnosis is based on abnormal blood tests in the context of other problems. More severe rhabdomyolysis is characterized by muscle pain, tenderness, weakness, and swelling of the affected muscles. If the swelling is very rapid, as may happen with a crush injury after someone is released from under heavy collapsed debris, the movement of fluid from the bloodstream into damaged muscle may cause low blood pressure and shock. Other symptoms are nonspecific and result either from the consequences of muscle tissue breakdown or from the condition that originally led to the muscle breakdown. Release of the components of muscle tissue into the bloodstream causes electrolyte disturbances, which can lead to nausea, vomiting, confusion, coma or abnormal heart rate and rhythm. The urine may be dark, often described as "tea-colored", due to the presence of myoglobin. Damage to the kidneys may give rise to decreased or absent urine production, usually 12 to 24 hours after the initial muscle damage. Swelling of damaged muscle occasionally leads to compartment syndrome—compression of surrounding tissues, such as nerves and blood vessels, in the same fascial compartment—leading to the loss of blood supply and damage or loss of function in the part(s) of the body supplied by these structures. Symptoms of this complication include pain or reduced sensation in the affected limb.
The decision to release the declaration was taken by the British War Cabinet on 31 October 1917. This followed discussion at four War Cabinet meetings (including the 31 October meeting) over the space of the previous two months. In order to aid the discussions, the War Cabinet Secretariat, led by Maurice Hankey, the Cabinet Secretary and supported by his Assistant Secretaries – primarily Sykes and his fellow Conservative MP and pro-Zionist Leo Amery – solicited outside perspectives to put before the Cabinet. These included the views of government ministers, war allies – notably from President Woodrow Wilson – and in October, formal submissions from six Zionist leaders and four non-Zionist Jews. British officials asked President Wilson for his consent on the matter on two occasions – first on 3 September, when he replied the time was not ripe, and later on 6 October, when he agreed with the release of the declaration.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Long dsRNA (which can come from hairpin, complementary RNAs, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerases) is cleaved by an endo-ribonuclease called Dicer. Dicer cuts the long dsRNA to form short interfering RNA or siRNA; this is what enables the molecules to form the RNA-Induced Silencing Complex (RISC). Once siRNA enters the cell, it gets incorporated into other proteins to form the RISC. Once the siRNA is part of the RISC complex, the siRNA is unwound to form single-stranded siRNA. The strand that is thermodynamically less stable due to its base pairing at the 5' end is chosen to remain part of the RISC complex. The single-stranded siRNA, which is part of the RISC complex, can now scan and find a complementary mRNA. Once the single-stranded siRNA (part of the RISC complex) binds to its target mRNA, it induces mRNA cleavage. The mRNA is now cut and recognized as abnormal by the cell. This causes degradation of the mRNA and, in turn, no translation of the mRNA into amino acids and then proteins, thus silencing the gene that encodes that mRNA. siRNA is also similar to miRNA; however, miRNAs are derived from shorter stemloop RNA products. miRNAs typically silence genes by repression of translation and have broader specificity of action, while siRNAs typically work with higher specificity by cleaving the mRNA before translation, with 100% complementarity.
== Other Activities == 1972–1975 – Associate Member, Viking Lander Science Team, NASA 1979–1982 – – Member, Committee on Response Strategies to Unusual Chemical Hazards, Assembly of Life Sciences, National Research Council 1982 – U.S. Coordinator, U.S.-Japan Joint Seminar on “Microcolumn Separation Methods and their Ancillary Techniques,” Honolulu, Hawaii 1980–1984 – Member, Advisory Committee to the Analytical Chemistry Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory 1986 – Instructor, ACS Short Course on Supercritical Fluid Chromatography 1988, 1990 – Organizing Committee, International Symposium, “Microcolumn Separation Methods,” Bloomington, IN and Aronberg, Sweden 1988, 1991 – Scientific Committee, International Symposium, “HPLC 88” and “HPLC 92” 1977–Pres. – Instructor, ACS Short Course on Capillary Gas Chromatography 1978–Pres. – ACS Lecture Tour Speaker 1990–Pres. – Scientific Committee, International Symposia on Capillary Chromatography 1994 – Scientific Committee, Glycobiology: Analytical Methods 2003 – Member of the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University 2004 – Member of the Indiana University Cancer Center, IU School of Medicine .
==== Ingredients ==== Exactly what the e-cigarette vapor consists of varies in composition and concentration across and within manufacturers. Limited data exists regarding their chemistry. The e-cigarette vapor usually contains propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavors, aroma transporters, and other substances. The levels of solvents and flavors are not provided on the labels of e-liquids, according to many studies. The yield of chemicals found in the e-cigarette vapor varies depending on, several factors, including the e-liquid contents, puffing rate, and the battery voltage. A 2017 review found that "Adjusting battery wattage or the inhaled airflow modifies the amount of vapor and chemical density in each puff." A high amount of e-liquid contains propylene glycol and/or glycerin. Limited but consistent data indicates that flavoring agents are at levels above the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health safety limit. High amounts of flavoring agents have been found in e-cigarette vapors. The main chemical found in the e-cigarette vapor was propylene glycol. A 2013 study, under close to real-life conditions in an emission test chamber, using a test subject who took six forceful puffs from an e-cigarette, resulted in a high level of propylene glycol released into the air. The next greatest amount in the e-cigarette vapor was nicotine.
Myofibrillar myopathy 10, dimethylglycine dehydrogenase deficiency, erythrocyte lactate transporter defect, and myopathy with myalgia, increased serum creatine kinase, with or without episodic rhabdomyolysis (MMCKR) also include muscle fatigue. X-linked episodic muscle weakness (EMWX) includes general muscle weakness, ptosis, and fluctuations in strength. In some individuals, fatiguability was demonstrable, the phenotype having features comparable to congenital myasthenic syndromes and channelopathies. Signs and symptoms of myasthenia presenting from infancy or childhood may be one of the congenital myasthenic syndromes, which can be inherited in either an autosomal dominant or recessive manner. There are currently over two dozen types of congenital myasthenic syndromes. Limb–girdle myasthenia gravis is a distinct condition from myasthenia gravis. It is an adult-onset, autoimmune condition affecting the neuromuscular junction. However, it lacks eye abnormalities and is associated with autoimmune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and thymoma. Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) is an autoimmune condition that attacks the neuromuscular junction, either as a paraneoplastic syndrome (typically older people) or associated with a non-cancerous primary autoimmune condition (typically younger people). It usually involves lower limb weakness and exercise-induced fatiguability, although the upper limbs and eyes may also be involved.
==== 900–999 ==== Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session Amendment No. 2) (Fees of Solicitors) 1993 (S.I. 1993/900) Further Education (Exclusion of Land from Transfer) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/901) Greater Manchester and Lancashire (County and Metropolitan Borough Boundaries) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/902) Dyfed-Powys Police (Amalgamation) (Amendment) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/909) National Rivers Authority (Anglian Region) (Reconstitution of the Witham Third District Internal Drainage Board) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/910) Plymouth Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/911) Electricity (Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976) (Exemption) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/912) Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1993 (S.I. 1993/913) Act of Sederunt (Child Support Act 1991) (Amendment of Ordinary Cause and Summary Cause Rules) 1993 (S.I. 1993/919) Act of Sederunt (Child Support Rules) 1993 (S.I. 1993/920) Act of Sederunt (Bankruptcy Rules) 1993 (S.I. 1993/921) Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 (Commencement No. 7) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/922) Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 1993 (S.I. 1993/923) Education (Dissolution of the Council for National Academic Awards) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/924) Child Support (Maintenance Assessments and Special Cases) Amendment Regulations 1993 (S.I. 1993/925) Greater Manchester and Lancashire (County and District Boundaries) Order 1993 (S.I. 1993/926) Secure Tenancies (Designated Courses) (Amendment) Regulations 1993 (S.I.
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.
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.