If you have been reading about Certificate of analysis 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 2025-11-14. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
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 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.
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.
| 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. |
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.
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.
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 studies indicate that GW501516 activates PPARδ, a nuclear receptor involved in fatty acid oxidation and energy metabolism. In rodent experiments, treated animals often showed increased endurance and reduced fat mass. These effects were observed under controlled conditions and do not establish safe or effective use in humans. The exact dose-response relationship in humans remains poorly characterized. Species differences in metabolism can affect how results translate across animals and people.
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.
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.
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.
=== All Stars game === The biennial All Star game played in the Northern Territory, featuring an AFL team and the Indigenous All Stars team, made up of some of the best Indigenous players in the game, returned for the 2013 pre-season. Richmond were selected as the AFL team to partake in the game, which was played at Traeger Park in Alice Springs.
=== Role in cancer independent of skin color === MC1R signalling stimulates antioxidant and DNA repair pathways, as reviewed. There are single nucleotide polymorphisms in MC1R that are associated with predisposition to nonmelanoma skin cancer. It has been reported that variants of MC1R, even in heterozygotes and independent of their effects on pigmentation, are risk factors for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. A review has discussed the role of some MC1R variants in melanoma and basal and squamous cell carcinomas independent of pigment production.
== Awards and distinctions == Turner was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine in 2021, and is a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP). In 2020, Turner was a finalist for the Green Cross Health award for outstanding contribution to health at the inaugural New Zealand Primary Healthcare Awards. Turner was the principal investigator leading the Vaccine Effectiveness arm for The Southern Hemisphere Influenza and Vaccine Effectiveness Research and Surveillance (SHIVERS) project (2012–2016) designed to measure the effectiveness of vaccination for influenza and other respiratory infectious diseases. In 2019, in recognition of their major contribution to influenza research, the SHIVERS team, including Turner, received the New Zealand Association of Scientists' Shorland Medal.
In 1995, the largest sperm bank in New York State was ordered to close (and no longer operate semen banks and blood banks), over the objections of its owner the Daxor Corporation and its president, CEO, and majority shareholder Joseph Feldschuh, by New York State Supreme Court Justice Harold Tompkins. The Justice found that Daxor had repeatedly endangered the public health over several years. A 1993 inspection had documented 517 violations by the sperm bank, including its failure to screen sperm donors properly for sexually transmitted diseases. Rather, the inspection showed that Daxor had, in fact, made available semen from men who had tested positive for hepatitis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Daxor employees told government investigators that Feldschuh had instructed them to make false entries on business records and to lie to investigators. Feldschuh claimed New York State Health Department officials were conspiring to shut down his business, sued them three times, appealed three times, and lost each of the six times. The Daxor sperm bank was sued for negligence by customers. In one case, a White mother sued the sperm bank because though her White terminally ill husband's sperm had been stored at the sperm bank, when she asked for the sperm and used it to artificially inseminate her, she ended up giving birth to a Black baby. In 2007 another mother settled her own claims against Daxor for $250,000, which she said was a fraction of the estimated $7 million in care that will be needed for both of her children.
For those with neuroendocrine cancers the number alive after five years is much better at 65%, varying considerably with type. A solid pseudopapillary tumour is a low-grade malignant tumour of the pancreas of papillary architecture that typically afflicts young women.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
==== Females ==== Androgens may modulate the physiology of vaginal tissue and contribute to female genital sexual arousal. Women's level of testosterone is higher when measured pre-intercourse vs. pre-cuddling, as well as post-intercourse vs. post-cuddling. There is a time lag effect when testosterone is administered, on genital arousal in women. In addition, a continuous increase in vaginal sexual arousal may result in higher genital sensations and sexual appetitive behaviors. Testosterone may prove to be an effective treatment in female sexual arousal disorders, and is available as a dermal patch. There is no FDA-approved androgen preparation for the treatment of androgen insufficiency; however, it has been used as an off-label use to treat low libido and sexual dysfunction in older women. Testosterone may be a treatment for postmenopausal women as long as they are effectively estrogenized.
== Detection in biological fluids == Sildenafil and/or N-desmethylsildenafil, its major active metabolite, may be quantified in plasma, serum, or whole blood to assess pharmacokinetic status in those receiving the drug therapeutically, to confirm the diagnosis in potential poisoning victims, or to assist in the forensic investigation in a case of fatal overdose.
Buffers and chain couplers (or couplings) – also known as "buffers and screw", "screw", and "screwlink" – are the de facto International Union of Railways (UIC) standard railway coupling used in the EU and UK, and on some railways in other parts of the world, such as in South America and India, on older rolling stock. Buffers and chain couplers are an assembly of several devices: buffers, hooks and links, or turnbuckle screws. On the modern version of the couplers, rail vehicles are mated by manually connecting the end link of one chain which incorporates a turnbuckle screw into the towing hook of the other wagon, drawing together and slightly compressing the buffer pairs, one left and one right on each headstock. That limits slack, and lessens shunting shocks in moving trains. By contrast, vehicles fitted with the semi-automatic Janney Type E coupler can experience significant jarring during mating and shunting. Very early rolling stock had "dummy buffers", which were simple rigid extensions of the frame, but they were improved with the use of rubber pads behind the buffer face and later by enclosed mechanical, then hydraulic, springs to damp possible jarring. Each chain incorporates both a hook and a turnbuckle.
It has local production plants in Bologna and Florence in Italy along with other manufacturing sites in Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, United Kingdom, U.S.A., India, Malaysia and China. More than 5,000 are employed in the company, 2,600 of those work abroad. Its annual turnover in 2016 was €1.310,55 million. Its employees number more than 5,000 (with about 2,600 outside of Italy) in 41 manufacturing sites in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, the UK, the US, India, Malaysia, China and Argentina. Its sales network covers more than 80 countries. The Group has around 6,000 employees, of which over 2,800 overseas, and has 45 production plants in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, India, Malaysia, China and Argentina. IMA has an extensive commercial network, which consists of 29 branches with sales and assistance services in Italy, France, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Israel, Russia, United States, India, China, Malaysia, Thailand and Brazil, representative offices in Central and Eastern European countries and more than 50 agencies covering a total of about 80 countries. In addition, in 2019, it had a turnover of 1,595.5 million euros, of which about 90% outside Italy.
== Selected publications == Kiessling, Laura L.; Pohl, Nicola L. (1996-02-01). "Strength in numbers: non-natural polyvalent carbohydrate derivatives". Chemistry & Biology. 3 (2): 71–77. doi:10.1016/S1074-5521(96)90280-X. ISSN 1074-5521. PMID 8807830. Ko, Kwang-Seuk; Jaipuri, Firoz A.; Pohl, Nicola L. (2005-09-28). "Fluorous-Based Carbohydrate Microarrays". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 127 (38): 13162–13163. Bibcode:2005JAChS.12713162K. doi:10.1021/ja054811k. ISSN 0002-7863. PMID 16173741. Wacker, Michael; Feldman, Mario F.; Callewaert, Nico; Kowarik, Michael; Clarke, Bradley R.; Pohl, Nicola L.; Hernandez, Marcela; Vines, Enrique D.; Valvano, Miguel A.; Whitfield, Chris; Aebi, Markus (2006-05-02). "Substrate specificity of bacterial oligosaccharyltransferase suggests a common transfer mechanism for the bacterial and eukaryotic systems". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 103 (18): 7088–7093. Bibcode:2006PNAS..103.7088W. doi:10.1073/pnas.0509207103. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 1459022. PMID 16641107.
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.
Anti-doping laboratories typically use LC-MS/MS to detect GW501516 and its metabolites in urine. The method is sensitive and can identify the compound at low concentrations. Detection depends on sample timing, metabolism, and the specific assay.