If you have been reading about GW501516 and want a single page that covers the useful parts, this is it: definitions, context, how it is studied, and the questions that come up repeatedly.
Updated 2026-07-06. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
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.
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.
Published human data are sparse and mostly come from early-phase trials. Those studies examined short-term changes in lipids, glucose, and exercise capacity, but they were not large enough to establish efficacy or long-term safety. Some animal experiments reported increased running endurance, yet such findings do not prove a performance benefit in people. Anti-doping laboratories detect GW501516 and its metabolites in urine or blood using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Detection windows depend on dose, sample type, and individual metabolism. The method is sensitive enough to identify trace residues in tested samples.
Laboratory handling focuses on identity, purity, and stability. Reference standards are typically stored cold and dry, protected from light, because solutions can degrade over time. Analytical checks may use high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection or mass spectrometry. Impurities and related substances can be separated chromatographically and compared with a known standard. Because cardarine is not an approved drug, compendial monographs are absent, and laboratories often rely on in-house methods. Reported purity varies among unregulated products and should not be assumed from a label.
| 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. |
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.
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.
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.
=== Basic transport equations === Drug distribution into a tissue can be rate-limited by either perfusion or permeability. Perfusion-rate-limited kinetics apply when the tissue membranes present no barrier to diffusion. Blood flow, assuming that the drug is transported mainly by blood, as is often the case, is then the limiting factor to distribution in the various cells of the body. That is usually true for small lipophilic drugs. Under perfusion limitation, the instantaneous rate of entry for the quantity of drug in a compartment is simply equal to (blood) volumetric flow rate through the organ times the incoming blood concentration. In that case; for a generic compartment i, the differential equation for the quantity Qi of substance, which defines the rate of change in this quantity, is:
HON=NOH + 2 NADH + 2 H+ This systematic name of this enzyme class hydroxylamine:NAD+ oxidoreductase. It is also called NADH2:hyponitrite oxidoreductase. This enzyme belongs to the family of oxidoreductases, specifically those acting on other nitrogenous compounds as donors with NAD+ or NADP+ as acceptor. It employs one cofactor, metal.
== Treatment == Treatment is by surgical excision (complete removal) of the fibrous tissue overgrowth and addressing the causative factor to prevent recurrence of the lesion. Other sources suggest that surgical excision may not be required in all cases. Common techniques for removal of the excess tissue include traditional removal with a surgical scalpel, electrical scalpel, or laser excision with a laser scalpel, e.g. a carbon dioxide laser, erbium:YAG laser, Neodymium-YAG laser, or diode laser. The poorly fitting denture can be adapted to fit better (a "reline") or a new denture constructed. Alternatively, the section of flange that is sharp/over-extended can be smoothed and reduced with a drill.
=== Biomimetic mineralization === Biomolecules can be incorporated during the MOF crystallization process. Biomolecules including proteins, DNA, and antibodies could be encapsulated within ZIF-8. Enzymes encapsulated in this way were stable and active even after being exposed to harsh conditions (e.g. aggressive solvents and high temperature). ZIF-8, MIL-88A, HKUST-1, and several luminescent MOFs containing lanthanide metals were used for the biomimetic mineralization process. In addition, individual living cells were encapsulated within MOF shells via single-cell nanoencapsulation (SCNE).
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Classification === The vast majority of chronic wounds can be classified into three categories: venous ulcers, diabetic, and pressure ulcers. A small number of wounds that do not fall into these categories may be due to causes such as radiation poisoning or ischemia.
== Pharmacokinetics == Absorption: Once consumed, cefuroxime axetil is converted to the active compound cefuroxime by esterases of mucosal cells in the gastrointestinal tract. Cefuroxime is then released for systematic circulation. If cefuroxime axetil is given with food, absorption values can increase from 37% in fasting patients to 52% in fed patients. Distribution: It has been reported that after cefuroxime axetil administration, it can be found in tonsil tissue, sinus tissue, bronchial tissue and middle ear effusion. Elimination: After cefuroxime production, the body is unable to metabolize the drug, and is eliminated unchanged in the urine.
== Awards and honors == 2023- Women's Empowerment Influencer Award Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai 2017 – Elected Fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology 2015 – Senior Leadership Award of the Women in Cell Biology of the American Society for Cell Biology, named the Sandra K. Masur Leadership Award 2008 – Jacobi Medallion, Mount Sinai Alumni Association 2007 – Rosalind Franklin Society Invited Member of Founding Board 2001 Women in Medicine Silver Achievement Award, Association of American Medical Colleges 1997 Outstanding Woman Scientist – Association for Women in Science, Metropolitan New York Chapter 1997 Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award 1996 Outstanding Faculty Achievement Award 1978 Brotherhood Education Award, Conference of Christians and Jews
=== Mechanism === Younes and Loveland define fission as, "...a collective motion of the protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus, and as such it is distinguishable from other phenomena that break up the nucleus. Nuclear fission is an extreme example of large-amplitude collective motion that results in the division of a parent nucleus into two or more fragment nuclei. The fission process can occur spontaneously, or it can be induced by an incident particle." The energy from a fission reaction is produced by its fission products, though a large majority of it, about 85 percent, is found in fragment kinetic energy, while about 6 percent each comes from initial neutrons and gamma rays and those emitted after beta decay, plus about 3 percent from neutrinos as the product of such decay.
Leumorphin, also known as dynorphin B1–29, is a naturally occurring endogenous opioid peptide. Derived as a proteolytic cleavage product of residues 226-254 of prodynorphin (preproenkephalin B), leumorphin is a nonacosapeptide (29 amino acids in length) and has the sequence Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-Arg-Arg-Gln-Phe-Lys-Val-Val-Thr-Arg-Ser-Gln-Glu-Asp-Pro-Asn-Ala-Tyr-Ser-Gly-Glu-Leu-Phe-Asp-Ala. It can be further reduced to dynorphin B (dynorphin B-13) and dynorphin B-14 by pitrilysin metallopeptidase 1 (formerly referred to as "dynorphin-converting enzyme"), an enzyme of the endopeptidase family. Leumorphin behaves as a potent and selective κ-opioid receptor agonist, similarly to other endogenous opioid peptide derivatives of prodynorphin.
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.
Anti-doping and clinical laboratories commonly use liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method can identify GW501516 and its metabolites in urine or blood. Detection depends on sample timing and the amount present.