Cardarine is one of those subjects where the details matter more than the headlines. This page pulls together the background, the mechanisms, and the practical points readers ask about most.
Updated 2026-07-14. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
Cardarine is not approved for human therapeutic use in any major jurisdiction. It appears on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List as a PPARδ agonist within the hormone and metabolic modulators category. Sports organizations test for it because it has been detected in athlete samples and seized products. Regulatory actions against marketed research chemical versions have occurred in several countries, though enforcement varies. Availability through unregulated channels complicates oversight.
Analytical laboratories typically identify cardarine and its metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine is a common matrix in anti-doping testing, while blood and tissue may be used in research settings. Detection windows depend on the assay, the sample matrix, and the compound's metabolism. Because cardarine is extensively metabolized, laboratories often target specific metabolites to improve sensitivity and confirmation. Reference standards are required for reliable quantification. Method validation includes checks for selectivity, linearity, and carryover.
A persistent misconception is that cardarine is a fat-burning drug or a safe alternative to anabolic steroids. No approved therapeutic product exists, and human safety data are limited. The tumor findings in rodents remain a central concern in scientific reviews. Products sold online may contain inaccurate labels, impurities, or different compounds entirely, which complicates any assessment of effects. Independent testing of such products has reported frequent mislabeling. For these reasons, discussions in the literature emphasize risks and unknowns rather than benefits.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory status | Not approved for human therapeutic use | No marketing authorization identified in major jurisdictions. |
| Anti-doping class | PPARδ agonist; hormone and metabolic modulators | Listed on the WADA Prohibited List. |
| Common test matrix | Urine | Also blood and tissue in research settings. |
| Typical analytical method | LC-MS/MS | Targets parent compound and metabolites. |
| Major safety signal | Tumor findings in rodents | Human relevance not established; limited human data. |
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.
Laboratory detection of GW501516 commonly uses liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The method can identify the parent compound or its metabolites in urine and blood after sample cleanup. Protein precipitation, solid-phase extraction, or enzymatic hydrolysis may precede analysis, depending on the matrix. Reference standards are required for accurate quantification and confirmation. Because the compound is not approved, testing often occurs in anti-doping, forensic, or research settings rather than routine clinical care. Results are reported with limits of detection and quantification.
Stability of GW501516 depends on form, temperature, light exposure, and moisture. Solid reference material is typically stored frozen or refrigerated in a desiccator and protected from light. Solutions in organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide are often kept frozen in aliquots to reduce freeze-thaw cycling. Aqueous solubility is low, so aqueous stock solutions can be difficult to prepare without cosolvents. Degradation may appear as changes in chromatographic purity or mass spectral signal. Stability studies are needed to establish shelf life for any specific preparation.
Quality assessment for cardarine samples usually combines identity, purity, and impurity testing. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry can confirm molecular structure, while high-performance liquid chromatography estimates purity. Certificates of analysis from testing laboratories may list these results, but they do not establish safety or legality. In the absence of approved manufacturing, products sold online may contain the wrong compound, variable amounts, or unlisted contaminants. Independent verification is therefore central to analytical work and to interpreting any reported biological activity.
24195Am + 42He → 24397Bk + 2 10n After the irradiation, the coating was dissolved with nitric acid and then precipitated as the hydroxide using concentrated aqueous ammonia solution. The product was centrifugated and re-dissolved in nitric acid. To separate berkelium from the unreacted americium, this solution was added to a mixture of aqueous ammonia and ammonium sulfate and heated in the presence of atmospheric oxygen to convert all the dissolved americium into the oxidation state +6. Unoxidized residual americium was precipitated by the addition of hydrofluoric acid as americium(III) fluoride (AmF3). This step yielded a mixture of the accompanying product curium and the expected element 97 in form of trifluorides. The mixture was converted to the corresponding hydroxides by treating it with potassium hydroxide, and after centrifugation, was dissolved in perchloric acid.
== Medical uses == Dalbavancin is considered a long-lasting antibiotic due to its prolonged half-life (14.4 d), high protein binding capacity, and intense tissue penetration. It binds reversibly to plasma proteins at approximately 93%, allowing for sustained drug concentrations over time. Dalbavancin demonstrates good tissue distribution, reaching therapeutic levels in skin structures, synovial fluid (found in joints), and bone tissue within 24 hours after administration. The benefits of this long-lasting nature are less frequent dosing requirements while maintaining efficacy. Dalbavancin is an antibiotic used to treat acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI) in adults caused by susceptible Gram-positive organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA infections have become problematic in the community and in healthcare settings due to resistance to many available antibiotics. Because dalbavancin has demonstrated efficacy against MRSA and other microorganisms to treat serious or life-threatening infections, it was the first drug approved as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product under the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) act, which is part of the FDA Safety and Innovation Act. It has strong activity against many Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus intermedius, and Streptococcus constellatus.
==== Second Sino-Japanese War ==== Liu played on patriotic sentiment during the War of Resistance against Japan. In 1937, he attended a meeting of the Ya'an Anti-Japanese National Salvation Association, admitting his past "mistakes" in fighting other Chinese. He also donated a sum of 500,000 yuan to the war effort. However, while other Sichuan warlords such as Liu Xiang, Yang Sen, Li Jiayu, and Wang Mingzhang sent troops to fight the Japanese, Liu Wenhui refrained from doing the same, citing the need to defend the Tibetan frontier and a lack of equipment. Therefore, Liu Wenhui's 24th Army did not directly participate in the war. Instead, Liu's policy was that of "resisting Japan by building Xikang." According to the state-run New Xikang Post (新康報), the province complied with the wartime orders of the central government regarding resource and population mobilization. After the flight of the Nationalist government to Chongqing, Chiang became interested in establishing a presence in Xikang, proposing in either late 1938 or early 1939 to establish the "Xichang Headquarters" if ever Chongqing were to fall. To prepare for this task, he appointed Zhang Dulun, another of Liu's Baoding classmates, to lead the headquarters and moved the 36th (German-trained) division to Xichang. A power struggle developed in Xichang between Zhang and Liu, with Zhang attempting various measures to undermine Liu's control over Xichang.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
In Somaliland, the Isaaq Sultanate was established in 1750. The Isaaq Sultanate was a Somali kingdom that ruled parts of the Horn of Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries. It spanned the territories of the Isaaq clan, descendants of the Banu Hashim clan, in modern-day Somaliland and Ethiopia. The sultanate was governed by the Rer Guled branch established by the first sultan, Sultan Guled Abdi, of the Eidagale clan. According to oral tradition, prior to the Guled dynasty the Isaaq clan-family were ruled by a dynasty of the Tolje'lo branch starting from, descendants of Ahmed nicknamed Tol Je'lo, the eldest son of Sheikh Ishaaq's Harari wife. There were eight Tolje'lo rulers in total, starting with Boqor Harun (Somali: Boqor Haaruun) who ruled the Isaaq Sultanate for centuries starting from the 13th century. The last Tolje'lo ruler Garad Dhuh Barar (Somali: Dhuux Baraar) was overthrown by a coalition of Isaaq clans. The once strong Tolje'lo clan were scattered and took refuge amongst the Habr Awal with whom they still mostly live. In the late 19th century, after the Berlin Conference of 1884, European powers began the Scramble for Africa. In that year, a British protectorate was declared over part of Somalia, on the African coast opposite South Yemen. Initially, this region was under the control of the Indian Office, and so administered as part of the Indian Empire; in 1898 it was transferred to control by London.
A group of South American species formerly placed in the genus Datura are now placed in the distinct genus Brugmansia (Brugmansia differs from Datura in that it is woody (the species being shrubs or small trees) and has indehiscent fruits.) The solanaceous tribe Datureae, to which Datura and Brugmansia belong, has recently acquired a new, monotypic genus Trompettia J. Dupin, featuring the species Trompettia cardenasiana, which had hitherto been misclassified as belonging to the genus Iochroma. Datura specialists Ulrike Preissel and Hans-Georg Preissel accept only nine species of Datura, but Kew's Plants of the World Online lists the following 14 (out of which its related The Plant List does not include D. arenicola, D. lanosa and D. pruinosa as accepted spp.):
==== Substance dependence ==== Modafinil has been studied as a potential treatment for stimulant dependence and cocaine addiction, but clinical trials have failed to show that it helps reduce drug use or maintain abstinence; 2024 reviews found it ineffective for amphetamine-type stimulant use disorder, methamphetamine use disorder, and cocaine dependence.
Nucleic acids consist of a chain of linked units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three subunits: a phosphate group and a sugar (ribose in the case of RNA, deoxyribose in DNA) make up the backbone of the nucleic acid strand, and attached to the sugar is one of a set of nucleobases. The nucleobases are important in base pairing of strands to form higher-level secondary and tertiary structures such as the famed double helix. The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide bases of a DNA strand – adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine – covalently linked to a phosphodiester backbone. In the typical case, the sequences are printed abutting one another without gaps, as in the sequence AAAGTCTGAC, read left to right in the 5' to 3' direction. With regards to transcription, a sequence is on the coding strand if it has the same order as the transcribed RNA. One sequence can be complementary to another sequence, meaning that they have the base on each position in the complementary (i.e., A to T, C to G) and in the reverse order. For example, the complementary sequence to TTAC is GTAA. If one strand of the double-stranded DNA is considered the sense strand, then the other strand, considered the antisense strand, will have the complementary sequence to the sense strand.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No. Cardarine has not received approval for human therapeutic use in major jurisdictions. It remains an investigational compound.
It is classified as a PPARδ agonist on the WADA Prohibited List. Anti-doping laboratories can detect it and its metabolites in urine. Its use is banned in competition and usually out of competition.
Rodent studies reported increased tumor incidence at multiple sites. The human relevance remains uncertain, but the findings contributed to discontinuation of development. No long-term human cancer data are available.
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.