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 2025-10-20 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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 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, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, a synthetic compound developed in the 1990s through research collaborations involving GlaxoSmithKline. It belongs to a class of molecules known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta agonists. Early studies explored its effects on lipid metabolism and energy expenditure in animal models. The compound was never approved as a human medicine, and clinical development was discontinued. In the years since, it has appeared in fitness and bodybuilding communities as a performance-enhancing substance. Regulatory agencies classify it as an unapproved drug.
PPARδ is a nuclear receptor that regulates gene expression related to fatty acid oxidation, glucose homeostasis, and mitochondrial function. GW501516 binds to this receptor with high affinity and activates downstream signaling in skeletal muscle and other tissues. Animal studies reported increased endurance and altered fuel preference, but human data remain limited and inconsistent. The precise relationship between receptor activation and observed physiological changes is still an area of active investigation. Researchers have also examined whether the compound affects inflammation or cell proliferation. No approved therapeutic indication exists for cardarine.
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.
=== Pharmacodynamics === AM-1235 is a cannabinoid receptor agonist with Ki of 1.5 nM at CB1 compared to 20.4 nM at CB2. While the 6-nitro substitution on the indole ring reduces affinity for both CB1 and CB2 relative to the unsubstituted parent compound AM-2201, CB2 affinity is reduced much more, resulting in a CB1 selectivity of around 13 times. This is in contrast to other related compounds such as AM-1221 where a 6-nitro substitution instead confers significant selectivity for CB2.
He later co-founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network with Paul and Jan Crouch, but left after a short partnership due to disagreements, eventually establishing his own ministry, PTL (Praise The Lord), and the PTL Satellite Network. Returning to televangelism in 2003, Bakker now hosts The Jim Bakker Show with a focus on apocalyptic themes and survivalist products, while distancing himself from his earlier prosperity gospel teachings. His later years have included controversial claims, such as predicting major events and promoting unproven supplements, which drew legal action and criticism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bakker has written several books, including I Was Wrong and Time Has Come: How to Prepare Now for Epic Events Ahead.
=== Large-scale analysis === One example of this is a study by Washburn, Wolters, and Yates in which they used shotgun proteomics on the proteome of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain grown to mid-log phase. They were able to detect and identify 1,484 proteins as well as identify proteins rarely seen in proteome analysis, including low-abundance proteins like transcription factors and protein kinases. They were also able to identify 131 proteins with three or more predicted transmembrane domains.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Here birds rest on ant nests, or pick and drop ants onto their wings and feathers; this may be a means to remove ectoparasites from the birds. Myrmecophagous mammals such as Anteaters, aardvarks, pangolins, echidnas and numbats have special adaptations for living on a diet of ants. These adaptations include long, sticky tongues to capture ants and strong claws to break into ant nests. They also have gut microbiomes that appear to be similar. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) have been found to feed on ants. About 12%, 16%, and 4% of their faecal volume in spring, summer and autumn, respectively, is composed of ants. Some lacertid lizards are specialist ant-feeders. Assassin bugs in the subfamily Holoptilinae secrete attractants that stupefy ants on which they prey. Several spiders such as in the genera Zodarion, Oecobius, Amyciaea and Aphantochilus are specialist ant predators.
=== Alzheimer's disease === The "amyloid hypothesis" — that Aβ, either already in plaques, or as oligomers that may act outside of plaques, is responsible for the pathology of Alzheimer's disease — has been the dominant hypothesis for around thirty years as of 2025, but is not conclusively established, especially because over time it has become clear that there are many causes of Alzheimer's (outside of people who develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease which is clearly driven by Aβ), and because many people who have plaques never develop Alzheimer's. Scientists in the field have wondered if plaques may be a response to the disease process, rather than the cause of it. Research suggests that soluble oligomeric forms of the amyloid beta may be causative agents in the development of Alzheimer's disease. It is generally believed that Aβ oligomers are the most toxic. Several genetic, cell biology, biochemical and animal studies using experimental models support the concept that Aβ plays a central role in the development of Alzheimer's disease pathology. Brain Aβ is elevated in people with sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Aβ is the main constituent of brain parenchymal and vascular amyloid; it contributes to cerebrovascular lesions and is neurotoxic. It is unresolved how Aβ accumulates in the central nervous system and subsequently initiates the disease of cells.
In 1997, the Asian financial crisis threatened to devastate Malaysia's economy. The value of the ringgit plummeted due to currency speculation, foreign investment fled, and the main stock exchange index fell by over 75 per cent. At the urging of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government cut government spending. It raised interest rates, which only served to exacerbate the economic situation. In 1998, Mahathir defied the IMF's recommendations and implemented bold measures to stabilize the economy. These included pegging the ringgit at RM3.80 to the US dollar, banning offshore trading of the ringgit to curb speculation, and introducing capital controls. Mahathir also launched domestic policies, such as establishing the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) to provide education loans during the crisis. He argued that relying on a floating exchange rate would exacerbate financial speculation and increase the burden of repaying foreign-denominated loans. Concurrently, Mahathir authorized the repatriation of Malaysian assets from abroad. Malaysia recovered from the crisis faster than its Southeast Asian neighbours, aided by an unorthodox capital control policy. The IMF's 1999 Article IV consultation report acknowledged that Malaysia's capital controls and exchange rate peg, initially met with scepticism, had produced more positive results than expected. The report also recognized that Mahathir's policies had helped stabilize the economy, allowing Malaysia to recover faster than many had anticipated.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Activity == Given its half-life, the radioactive activity of a gram of 60Co is close to 42 TBq (1,100 Ci). The absorbed dose constant, used in calculations of gamma-ray exposure, is related to the decay energy and time. For 60Co it is equal to 0.35 mSv/(GBq h) at one meter from the source. This allows calculation of the equivalent dose, which depends on distance and activity - for example, 2.8 GBq or 60 μg of 60Co, generates a dose of 1 mSv at 1 meter away, within an hour. Test sources, such as those used for school experiments, have an activity of <100 kBq. Devices for nondestructive material testing use sources with activities of 1 TBq and more. The decay energy of cobalt-60 amounts to about 26 watts per gram, about 40 times larger (by mass) than that of e.g. 238Pu but still not very significant for practical sources.
λ indicates the radioactivity decay constant in nuclear physics and radioactivity. This constant is very simply related (by a multiplicative constant) to the half-life of any radioactive material. In evolutionary algorithms, λ indicates the number of offspring that would be generated from μ current population in each generation. The terms μ and λ are originated from evolution strategy notation.
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A 2021 review found that people with FM had suicide ideation OR 9.12, suicide attempt OR 3.12, suicide risk OR 36.77 and suicide events HR 1.38, but commented that FM impact could not be separated from the effects of comorbidities and sleep deprivation. A 2020 review found that FM was associated with significantly higher risks for suicidal ideations, suicide attempts and death by suicide compared to the general population. A meta-analysis found that FM people were at a standardized mortality ratio of 1.95 (95% CI 0.97 to 3.92) due to accidents, and 1.66 (95% CI 1.15 to 2.38) due to infections. SMR due to cancer was a decreased rate of 0.82 (95% CI 0.69 to 0.97), perhaps because greater interaction with the health systems of people with FM leads to earlier cancer detection. The studies showed significant heterogeneity. A 2020 review found that many of the core clinical symptoms of FM were more strongly associated with suicidal ideation than with suicidal behaviours.
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.
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.