Investigational drug raises a handful of sensible questions. This page answers them in order, starting with the fundamentals and moving to applications.
Reviewed 2026-05-16. Anything still debated is marked as such rather than presented as settled.
At the molecular level, GW501516 binds and activates PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that regulates transcription. Activation shifts expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation, energy expenditure, and lipid transport in skeletal muscle and liver. Animal studies report increased endurance and altered lipid profiles after exposure. Human data are limited to small trials and do not establish long-term safety or efficacy. PPARδ also has roles in cell proliferation, so the relationship between activation and cancer risk remains an open question.
Published literature on cardarine includes in vitro assays, rodent experiments, and a small number of human studies. Reports describe effects on exercise capacity and lipid metabolism in animals, while human evidence is sparse. Many online descriptions present the compound as a proven endurance aid, a claim not supported by regulatory approval or large clinical trials. Analytical studies focus on identifying the parent compound and its metabolites in biological samples. Important uncertainties include species differences, dose-response relationships, and the relevance of rodent tumor findings to humans.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Common name | Cardarine | Also called GW501516 and endurobol. |
| Chemical formula | C21H18F3NO3S2 | Molecular weight about 453.5 g/mol. |
| Appearance | White to off-white solid | Form depends on synthesis and purity. |
| Solubility | Soluble in DMSO and ethanol | Low solubility in water. |
| Typical storage | -20 °C, desiccated, protected from light | Common for research chemicals. |
Regulatory treatment of cardarine differs by context and jurisdiction. In competitive sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency lists PPARδ agonists, including GW501516, as prohibited at all times. Outside sport, it lacks approval as a prescription medicine in major drug markets, and products sold for human consumption may be treated as unapproved drugs. Some countries also restrict importation or sale through general consumer protection and medicines laws. These classifications affect availability, testing, and legal risk without establishing therapeutic value.
Because cardarine is not an approved medicine, no pharmacopeial monograph defines its identity, purity, or storage requirements. Laboratories typically rely on in-house methods and reference standards when testing materials labeled as GW501516. Certificates of analysis may report purity and identity for a specific batch, but their scope varies and they do not guarantee safety or legal status. Independent verification can include high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, and elemental analysis. The distinction between research chemical labeling and human use is significant because quality standards and oversight differ.
Cardarine can be detected in biological samples and product materials using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method separates compounds by chromatography and identifies them by mass-to-charge transitions, allowing low-level detection in urine or blood. Sample preparation often involves enzymatic hydrolysis, solid-phase extraction, or protein precipitation. Certified reference materials and isotope-labeled internal standards improve quantification. Detection windows depend on metabolism, matrix, and assay sensitivity, so no single universal window applies.
Anti-doping laboratories identify GW501516 and its metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine is the usual matrix, and detection can occur after the parent compound has cleared from blood. The exact detection window depends on dose, formulation, individual metabolism, and assay sensitivity. Because the compound is prohibited at all times, athletes are subject to testing in and out of competition. Analytical methods continue to improve as new metabolites and designer analogs are characterized.
GW501516 acts as a ligand for PPAR delta, a nuclear receptor that regulates transcription of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation and energy use. Activation of this receptor in skeletal muscle shifts metabolism toward fat burning in animal models. The compound does not burn fat directly; it changes gene expression over hours to days. Researchers study it to understand metabolic flexibility and exercise adaptation. Effects observed in rodents are not automatically expected in humans.
Preclinical research reported that GW501516 increased running endurance in mice and improved lipid profiles in some animal species. Early human trials explored effects on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, and glucose handling, but the program was discontinued. Published human data are sparse and do not establish efficacy for any condition. Studies also examined PPAR delta in cancer biology, with conflicting findings across models. The relationship between receptor activation, tissue context, and disease risk remains an active area of investigation.
Early clinical research explored GW501516 for lipid disorders, obesity, and diabetes. Some short-term human studies reported changes in HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The development program was discontinued after rodent studies showed dose-dependent tumor formation in multiple tissues, including liver, bladder, stomach, and skin. These findings raised concerns about long-term cancer risk in humans. Because human exposure data are limited, the clinical significance of the rodent tumors remains uncertain.
Literature on cardarine often separates receptor pharmacology from toxicology. Mechanistic papers describe PPARδ activation and gene expression changes, while safety assessments focus on carcinogenicity and species differences. Questions remain about whether rodent tumors arise through PPARδ-dependent or off-target mechanisms. Another open area is how human metabolism and exposure compare with those in animal studies. Analytical methods such as liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry are used to confirm identity in biological and product samples.
=== Category:EC 1.17 (act on CH or CH2 groups) === Category:EC 1.17.1 Leucoanthocyanidin reductase EC 1.17.1.3 Xanthine dehydrogenase EC 1.17.1.4 Nicotinate dehydrogenase EC 1.17.1.5 4-hydroxy-tetrahydrodipicolinate reductase EC 1.17.1.8 Category:EC 1.17.2 Nicotinate dehydrogenase (cytochrome) EC 1.17.2.1 Category:EC 1.17.3 Xanthine oxidase EC 1.17.3.2 Category:EC 1.17.4 Ribonucleotide reductase EC 1.17.4.1 Ribonucleoside-triphosphate reductase EC 1.17.4.2 Vitamin K epoxide reductase Vitamin-K-epoxide reductase (warfarin-sensitive) EC 1.17.4.4 Vitamin-K-epoxide reductase (warfarin-insensitive) EC 1.17.4.5 RRM1 RRM2 RRM2B Category:EC 1.17.5 Caffeine dehydrogenase EC 1.17.5.2 Category:EC 1.17.7 Category:EC 1.17.99
Most bacterial species are either spherical, called cocci (singular coccus, from Greek kókkos, grain, seed), or rod-shaped, called bacilli (sing. bacillus, from Latin baculus, stick). Some bacteria, called vibrio, are shaped like slightly curved rods or comma-shaped; others can be spiral-shaped, called spirilla, or tightly coiled, called spirochaetes. A small number of other unusual shapes have been described, such as star-shaped bacteria. This wide variety of shapes is determined by the bacterial cell wall and cytoskeleton and is important because it can influence the ability of bacteria to acquire nutrients, attach to surfaces, swim through liquids and escape predators.
== See also == Analytical chemistry Chromatography Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry Gas chromatography-olfactometry High-performance liquid chromatography Inverse gas chromatography Proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry Secondary electrospray ionization Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry Standard addition Thin layer chromatography Unresolved complex mixture
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Etymology === The genus name Moringa derives from the Tamil word, murungai, meaning "twisted pod", alluding to the young fruit. The specific name oleifera is derived from the Latin words oleum "oil" and ferre "to bear". The plant has numerous common names across regions where it is cultivated, with drumstick tree, horseradish tree, or simply moringa used in English.
=== I-Port === The I-Port, manufactured and distributed by Patton Medical Devices, is a domed shaped device with a cannula inserted at a 90° angle. The i-port Advance combines an i-port with an insertion device.
The 82nd Airborne's 3rd Brigade, 505th Infantry Regiment, and the division's 319th Field Artillery Regiment along with supporting units deployed to support search-and-rescue / security operations in New Orleans, Louisiana after the city was flooded by Hurricane Katrina in September 2005. About 5,000 paratroopers commanded by Major General William B. Caldwell IV, operated out of New Orleans International Airport.
=== Employee sabotage === Now owned by Dow Chemical Company, Union Carbide maintains a website dedicated to the tragedy and claims that the accident was the result of sabotage, stating that sufficient safety systems were in place and operative to prevent the intrusion of water. The Union Carbide-commissioned Arthur D. Little report concluded that it was likely that a single employee secretly and deliberately introduced a large amount of water into the MIC tank by removing a meter and connecting a water hose directly to the tank through the metering port. UCC claims the plant staff falsified numerous records to distance themselves from the accident and absolve themselves of blame, and that the Indian government impeded its investigation and declined to prosecute the employee responsible, presumably because it would weaken its allegations of negligence by Union Carbide. The evidence advanced by UCC, alleged to support this hypothesis:
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Cardarine is a common name for the investigational compound GW501516. It acts as a PPARδ agonist and is not approved for human use. It is prohibited in sport.
It activates PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that influences gene expression related to lipid and energy metabolism. Animal studies show changes in endurance and lipid levels. Human effects and risks are not well established.
No, cardarine is not a steroid. It belongs to a different chemical class, the PPARδ agonists. It is also not a selective androgen receptor modulator.
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.