This is a working overview of Cardarine, written for readers who want more than a one-paragraph summary but less than a textbook.
This page was last updated on 2026-08-01 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
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.
Laboratory detection of cardarine typically involves sample preparation followed by chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric identification. Urine is the most common matrix for anti-doping tests, though blood and hair have also been explored. Methods can target the parent compound or its metabolites, depending on the expected window of detection. Reference standards are required for accurate quantification. Matrix effects and dilution can influence results, so laboratories use internal standards and validation protocols. The exact detection window varies with dose, route, and individual metabolism.
A common misconception is that cardarine has been proven safe for human use. In reality, human clinical data are limited, and long-term animal studies have raised concerns about cancer. Another misconception is that it is a supplement or vitamin-like compound. It is a synthetic research chemical with no approved medical indication. Scientific discussion often focuses on its mechanism and detection rather than therapeutic use. Regulatory and anti-doping literature treats it primarily as a prohibited substance.
Cardarine is explicitly prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency under the class of PPARδ agonists. Its presence in urine or blood samples can be detected using mass spectrometry-based methods, often liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Athletes who test positive may face sanctions, including bans from competition. The compound is also regulated as a prescription-only or unapproved drug in many countries. Enforcement varies by jurisdiction, and some regions treat it as a controlled substance. Online sales may occur despite these restrictions, creating quality and legal risks.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory status | Prohibited in sport | Listed by WADA as a metabolic modulator. |
| Approved medical use | None in major jurisdictions | Not a registered drug. |
| Common test matrix | Urine | Most anti-doping samples use urine. |
| Typical detection method | LC-MS/MS | Detects parent compound and metabolites. |
| Reference standard storage | -20 °C, desiccated | Typical for analytical standards. |
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.
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.
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.
doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aaf1059. PMC 5505565. PMID 27225182. Park, J; Wetzel, I; Marriott, I; Dréau, D; D'Avanzo, C; Kim, D-Y; Tanzi, RE; Cho, H (2018). "Neuron-Glia Interactions Recapitulated in a 3D Organotypic Human Alzheimer's Disease Brain Model". Nature Neuroscience. 21 (7): 941–951. doi:10.1038/s41593-018-0175-4. PMC 6800152. PMID 29950669. Eimer, WA; Kumar, D; Kumar, N; Breakefield, XO; Tanzi, RE; Moir, RD (2018). "Alzheimer's Disease-Associated b-Amyloid Is Rapidly Seeded by Herpesviridae to Protect against Brain Infection". Neuron. 99 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2018.06.030. PMC 6075814. PMID 30001512.
The Battle of Marengo, which largely ended the War of the Second Coalition, was fought with fewer than 60,000 men on both sides. The Battle of Austerlitz which ended the War of the Third Coalition involved fewer than 160,000 men. The Battle of Friedland which led to peace with Russia in 1807 involved about 150,000 men. After these defeats, the continental powers developed various forms of mass conscription to allow them to face France on even terms, and the size of field armies increased rapidly. The Battle of Wagram of 1809 involved 300,000 men, and 500,000 fought at Leipzig in 1813, of whom 150,000 were killed or wounded. About a million French soldiers became casualties (wounded, invalided or killed), a higher proportion than in the First World War. The European total may have reached 5,000,000 military deaths, including disease. France had the second-largest population in Europe by the end of the 18th century (28 million, as compared to Britain's 12 million and Russia's 35 to 40 million). It was well poised to take advantage of the levée en masse. Before Napoleon's efforts, Lazare Carnot played a large part in the reorganization of the French Revolutionary Army from 1793 to 1794—a time which saw previous French misfortunes reversed, with Republican armies advancing on all fronts.
== Clinical significance == LOX expression is regulated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), and, hence, LOX expression is often upregulated in hypoxic breast and head and neck tumors. Patients with high LOX-expressing tumors have poor overall survival. In fact, recent research has shown overexpression of LOX as crucial to promoting tumor growth and metastasis in several cancers, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. LOX expression was also detected in megakaryocytes, or bone marrow cells responsible for the production of platelets. Data derived from a mouse model of myelofibrosis implicated LOX in bone marrow fibrosis. In a rodent model of breast cancer, a small-molecule or antibody inhibitors of LOX abolished metastasis. LOX secreted by hypoxic breast tumor cells crosslinks collagen in the basement membrane and is essential for CD11b+ myeloid cell recruitment. CD11b+ cells in turn adhere to crosslinked collagen and produce matrix metalloproteinase-2, which cleaves collagen, enhancing the invasion of metastasizing tumor cells. In contrast, LOX inhibition prevents CD11b+ cell recruitment and metastatic growth. In cells lacking TGF-β receptors, a deficiency that is characteristic of lung cancer, lysyl oxidase is found in high concentrations. LOX immunostaining has revealed that high LOX expression is associated with high extent of carcinoma invasion in samples obtained from surgically removed lung adenocarcinomas.
In science and technology, an arbitrary unit (abbreviated arb. unit, see below) or procedure defined unit (p.d.u.) is a relative unit of measurement to show the ratio of amount of substance, intensity, or other quantities, to a predetermined reference measurement. The reference measurement is typically defined by the local laboratories or dependent on individual measurement apparatus. It is therefore impossible to compare "1 arb. unit" by one measurer and "1000 arb. unit" by another measurer without detailed prior knowledge on how the respective "arbitrary units" were defined; thus, the unit is sometimes called an unknown unit. The unit only serves to compare multiple measurements performed in similar environment, since the ratio between the measurement and the reference is a consistent and dimensionless quantity independent of what actual units are used. Units of such kind are commonly used in fields such as physiology to indicate substance concentration, and spectroscopy to express spectral intensity. When the reference measurement is precisely defined and internationally agreed upon, arbitrary units can also be a unit capable of public comparison. One example of a publicly defined arbitrary unit is the WHO International Unit.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Systemic antifungal === Ketoconazole has activity against many kinds of fungi that may cause human disease, such as Candida, Histoplasma, Coccidioides, and Blastomyces (although it is not active against Aspergillus), chromomycosis and paracoccidioidomycosis. First made in 1977, ketoconazole was the first orally-active azole antifungal medication. However, ketoconazole has largely been replaced as a first-line systemic antifungal medication by other azole antifungal agents, such as fluconazole and/or itraconazole, because of ketoconazole's greater toxicity, poorer absorption, and more limited spectrum of activity. Ketoconazole is used orally in dosages of 200 to 400 mg per day in the treatment of superficial and deep fungal infections.
=== Singles series and Full Cold Moon (2012–present) === In September 2012, Eisold announced Cold Cave would be touring the US later in the year, he would be recording a new album, and that the new live lineup included: Hunter Burgan (AFI), London May (Samhain), Jessie Nelson, and Cody Votolato (The Blood Brothers). This lineup was exclusive to this two-and-a-half-week tour and Eisold said performing with a full band was something that failed to materialize during Cherish the Light Years tours. While continuing to work on a follow-up to Cherish the Light Years and not under contract with a label, Eisold began independently releasing a series of stand-alone singles. Eisold wrote and recorded these new songs by himself similar to how songs on Cremations and Love Comes Close were crafted. He said they were created "by myself, at a desk in my apartment. It was freeing and exciting in a way because I didn't owe anyone an album. I got to just make them to make them. The songs were minimal, honest, electronic and without help." The first single in the series was "A Little Death to Laugh." The single was released in October 2012 through Heartworm and a music video for the song was released in March 2013. In 2013, Eisold released "Oceans with No End" (through Jacob Bannon's Deathwish Inc.), "God Made the World" and "Black Boots", for which Slava Tsukerman, known for his 1982 film Liquid Sky, directed a music video. In October 2013, Cold Cave released a digital-only, fifth stand-alone single titled "Nausea, The Earth and Me."
One should expect that, within a few thousand years of its entering the stage of industrial development, any intelligent species should be found occupying an artificial biosphere which surrounds its parent star. Dyson conceived that such structures would be clouds of asteroid-sized space habitats, though science fiction writers have preferred a solid structure: either way, such an artifact is often called a Dyson sphere, although Dyson used the term "shell". Dyson said that he used the term "artificial biosphere" in the article to mean a habitat, not a shape. The general concept of such an energy-transferring shell had been created decades earlier by science fiction writer Olaf Stapledon in his 1937 novel Star Maker, a source which Dyson credited publicly. Freeman Dyson was interviewed by Robert Wright in 2003 and the Dyson Sphere topic was broached. In response he stated that the paper he wrote on this concept was intended to be a joke and had nothing to do with work. He added that it amused him that he had become famous only for the things he didn't think were serious.
=== Matrix application === The matrix must absorb at the laser wavelength and ionize the analyte. Matrix selection and solvent system relies heavily upon the analyte class desired in imaging. The analyte must be soluble in the solvent in order to mix and recrystallize the matrix. The matrix must have a homogeneous coating in order to increase sensitivity, intensity, and shot-to-shot reproducibility. Minimal solvent is used when applying the matrix in order to avoid delocalization. One technique is spraying. The matrix is sprayed, as very small droplets, onto the surface of the sample, allowed to dry, and re-coated until there is enough matrix to analyze the sample. The size of the crystals depend on the solvent system used. Sublimation can also be used to make uniform matrix coatings with very small crystals. The matrix is placed in a sublimation chamber with the mounted tissue sample inverted above it. Heat is applied to the matrix, causing it to sublime and condense onto the surface of the sample. Controlling the heating time controls the thickness of the matrix on the sample and the size of the crystals formed. Automated spotters are also used by regularly spacing droplets throughout the tissue sample. The image resolution relies on the spacing of the droplets.
== Early life and education == Cameron was born in Champaign, Illinois. The oldest of three brothers, he grew up in the Chicago suburb, Westchester, and graduated in 1975 from Proviso West High School, Hillside, Illinois. Cameron graduated from Duke University (1979) with a B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering. In May 1979 he joined Advanced Harvesting Systems, a start-up company focused on large-scale plant protein purification, as the first non-founding member of the company. He was married in August 1979 to Sally Jo Clark. Cameron started graduate school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in July 1981 and graduated with a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering in December 1986. His Ph.D. advisor was Charles L. Cooney. His Ph.D. thesis was titled “The Production of R-1,2-Propanediol by Clostridium thermosaccharolyticum.”
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Legal status varies by country, but cardarine is not approved as a medicine in major jurisdictions. It is often sold as a research chemical, a category that may not be lawful for human use. Buyers should check local laws and product labels carefully.
Anti-doping laboratories use LC-MS/MS to detect GW501516 and its metabolites, usually in urine. The method can identify the parent compound at low concentrations. Detection windows vary with dose and individual factors.
No, cardarine has no approved medical uses in major jurisdictions. Early research explored metabolic conditions, but those programs were discontinued. It is not a registered treatment for any disease.
Yes, WADA prohibits cardarine as a PPARδ agonist. It appears on the prohibited list and can be detected in urine or blood. Athletes using it risk sanctions.