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Identity And Regulatory Status — What the Evidence Shows

By Editorial Desk · published 2026-01-16 · last reviewed 2026-02-16 · Guide

PPARδ raises a handful of sensible questions. This page answers them in order, starting with the fundamentals and moving to applications.

This page was last updated on 2026-02-16 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.

Identity and Regulatory Status

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.

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.

Regulation and Detection

Cardarine is frequently described as a fat-burning or endurance-enhancing supplement, but these claims exceed the available evidence. The compound is not a hormone, steroid, or selective androgen receptor modulator. Research articles discuss it as a tool compound for studying PPARδ biology, while anti-doping literature focuses on its abuse and detection. Quality of unapproved products is uncertain, and independent analyses have found impurities or incorrect labeling. Open questions include whether human cancer risk resembles that seen in rodents and how often non-athletes use the substance.

Cardarine has no approved therapeutic indication and is not marketed as a medicine. The World Anti-Doping Agency lists GW501516 as a prohibited substance at all times, covering both in-competition and out-of-competition periods. National laws vary: some countries treat it as an unapproved drug subject to import controls, while others have specific restrictions on sale for human consumption. It is often sold as a research chemical, a label that does not imply safety or legality. Enforcement actions have targeted online vendors and shipments.

Cardarine at a glance

PropertyValueNotes
Common synonymsGW501516; GW-1516; endurobolGW501516 is the research code
Drug classPPARδ agonistNot a selective androgen receptor modulator
Molecular formulaC21H18F3NO3S2Established chemical formula
Molar mass453.5 g/molCalculated from the formula
Regulatory statusProhibited in sport; not approved as medicineStatus varies by country

Mechanism and Safety Research

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.

GW501516 acts as an agonist at the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, a nuclear receptor that regulates gene expression. Activation shifts transcription toward genes involved in fatty acid uptake, oxidation, and energy expenditure. The compound does not bind the androgen receptor and therefore differs from anabolic steroids and SARMs. In rodent models, this metabolic shift has been linked to increased running endurance and reduced fat accumulation. The exact downstream pathways in humans remain incompletely characterized.

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Background and Regulatory Status

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.

Detection, Stability, and Quality

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.

Identity and Pharmacological Classification

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, 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.

Further detail

== History == Ribosome profiling is based on the discovery that the mRNA within a ribosome can be isolated through the use of nucleases that degrade unprotected mRNA regions. This technique analyzes the regions of mRNAs being converted to protein, as well as the levels of translation of each region to provide insight into global gene expression. Prior to its development, efforts to measure translation in vivo included microarray analysis on the RNA isolated from polysomes, as well as translational profiling through the affinity purification of epitope tagged ribosomes. These are useful and complementary methods, but neither allows the sensitivity and positional information provided by ribosome profiling.

=== Copolymers === The copolymer Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) or PVDF-HFP is used as a co-polymer in the blades of artificial turf. Addition of organoclay to PVDF-HFP via melt compounding stabilizes the β piezoelectric phase. Copolymers of PVDF are also used in piezoelectric and electrostrictive applications. One of the most commonly used copolymers is P(VDF-trifluoroethylene), usually available in ratios of about 50:50 and 65:35 by mass (equivalent to about 56:44 and 70:30 molar fractions). Another one is P(VDF-tetrafluoroethylene). They improve the piezoelectric response by improving the crystallinity of the material. While the copolymers' unit structures are less polar than that of pure PVDF, the copolymers typically have a much higher crystallinity. This results in a larger piezoelectric response: d33 values for P(VDF-TFE) have been recorded to be as high as −38 p C/N compared to −33 pC/N in pure PVDF.

=== Memory effects === Both of these two types of mechanism can display enzyme memory, with very different causes and consequences in the two cases. In ternary complex mechanisms, these are possible if the mechanism includes slow processes and the binding steps are not at quasi-equilibrium, because the intermediates may be swept away very fast. This can generate cooperativity, even in monomeric enzymes. In a substituted-enzyme mechanism, slow steps are not needed to generate memory effects. Instead, for an enzyme with several alternative substrates, the kinetic properties of the second half reaction may vary with different substrates in the first half reaction, even though the same substituted enzyme seems to be transformed. Reversible catalysis and the Haldane equation

The definitive breakthrough came from the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. Although other chemists (including Meyer) had found some other versions of the periodic system at about the same time, Mendeleev was the most dedicated to developing and defending his system, and it was his system that most affected the scientific community. On 17 February 1869 (1 March 1869 in the Gregorian calendar), Mendeleev began arranging the elements and comparing them by their atomic weights. He began with a few elements, and over the course of the day his system grew until it encompassed most of the known elements. After he found a consistent arrangement, his printed table appeared in May 1869 in the journal of the Russian Chemical Society. When elements did not appear to fit in the system, he boldly predicted that either valencies or atomic weights had been measured incorrectly, or that there was a missing element yet to be discovered. In 1871, Mendeleev published a long article, including an updated form of his table, that made his predictions for unknown elements explicit. Mendeleev predicted the properties of three of these unknown elements in detail: then-missing heavier homologues of boron, aluminium, and silicon; he named them eka-boron, eka-aluminium, and eka-silicon ("eka" being Sanskrit for "one"). In 1875, the French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, working without knowledge of Mendeleev's prediction, discovered a new element in a sample of the mineral sphalerite, and named it gallium. He isolated the element and began determining its properties.

The first variety, a cracker similar to a cross between an unsalted saltine and hardtack, Crown Pilot Crackers. It was a popular item in much of New England and was manufactured by Nabisco until it was discontinued in the first quarter of 2008. It was discontinued once before, in 1996, but a small uprising by its supporters brought it back in 1997. This variety comes in two sub-varieties, Flaky and Barge biscuits. The second is Hard Bread, a traditional hardtack, and is the principal ingredient in fish and brewis, a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador meal. The third variety is Sweet Bread, which is slightly softer than regular hardtack due to a higher sugar and shortening content, and is eaten as a snack food.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Supporting material

Hyperinsulinemia is a condition in which there are excess levels of insulin circulating in the blood relative to the level of glucose. While it is often mistaken for diabetes or hyperglycaemia, hyperinsulinemia can result from a variety of metabolic diseases and conditions, as well as non-nutritive sugars in the diet. While hyperinsulinemia is often seen in people with early stage type 2 diabetes mellitus, it is not the cause of the condition and is only one symptom of the disease (for opposing view see review in ). Type 1 diabetes only occurs when pancreatic beta-cell function is impaired. Hyperinsulinemia can be seen in a variety of conditions including diabetes mellitus type 2, in neonates and in drug-induced hyperinsulinemia. It can also occur in congenital hyperinsulinism, including nesidioblastosis. Hyperinsulinemia is associated with hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and glucose intolerance. These conditions are collectively known as metabolic syndrome. This close association between hyperinsulinemia and conditions of metabolic syndrome suggest related or common mechanisms of pathogenicity. Hyperinsulinemia has been shown to "play a role in obese hypertension by increasing renal sodium retention". In type 2 diabetes, the cells of the body become resistant to the effects of insulin as the receptors which bind to the hormone become less sensitive to insulin concentrations resulting in hyperinsulinemia and disturbances in insulin release.

Peptidyl-glycine alpha-amidating monooxygenase, or PAM, is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of an n+1 residue long peptide with a C-terminal glycine into an n-residue peptide with a terminal amide group. In the process, one molecule of O2 is consumed and the glycine residue is removed from the peptide and converted to glyoxylic acid. The enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of many signaling peptides and some fatty acid amides. In humans, the enzyme is encoded by the PAM gene. This transformation is achieved by conversion of a prohormone to the corresponding amide (C(=O)NH2). This enzyme is the only known pathway for generating peptide amides. Replacing the carboxylic acid group with an amide group makes the peptide more hydrophobic and more likely to be neutrally charged at physiologic pH, and it is believed that these neutrally charged peptide amides can more easily bind to receptors.

=== Digital circuitry === One-hot encoding is often used for indicating the state of a state machine. When using binary, a decoder is needed to determine the state. A one-hot state machine, however, does not need a decoder as the state machine is in the nth state if, and only if, the nth bit is high. A ring counter with 15 sequentially ordered states is an example of a state machine. A 'one-hot' implementation would have 15 flip-flops chained in series with the Q output of each flip-flop connected to the D input of the next and the D input of the first flip-flop connected to the Q output of the 15th flip-flop. The first flip-flop in the chain represents the first state, the second represents the second state, and so on to the 15th flip-flop, which represents the last state. Upon reset of the state machine all of the flip-flops are reset to '0' except the first in the chain, which is set to '1'. The next clock edge arriving at the flip-flops advances the one 'hot' bit to the second flip-flop. The 'hot' bit advances in this way until the 15th state, after which the state machine returns to the first state. An address decoder converts from binary to one-hot representation. A priority encoder converts from one-hot representation to binary.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor and neuropeptide primarily involved in the regulation of growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of certain target neurons. It is perhaps the prototypical growth factor, in that it was one of the first to be described. Since it was first isolated by Nobel laureates Rita Levi-Montalcini and Stanley Cohen in 1954, numerous biological processes involving NGF have been identified, two of them being the survival of pancreatic beta cells and the regulation of the immune system.

=== Phase 2 === Acetylcysteine lysinate (L-lysine-N-acetyl-L-cysteinate; N-acetylcysteine lysinate; Nacystelyn) – antioxidant Aminolevulinic acid (ALA; BF-200 ALA) – photosensitizer Cannabidiol topical (CBD; BTX-1204; BTX-1308; BTX-1503; BTX-1702; BTX-1801; PBX-1308) – cannabinoid Dimethylcurcumin (ASCJ-9; AJ-101; ASC-J9) – androgen receptor degradation enhancer Imsidolimab (ANB-019) – monoclonal antibody against the interleukin-36 receptor Ivermectin topical (CD-5024; Soolantra) – non-mammalian chloride channel opener LYS-006 – leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) inhibitor Methyl aminolevulinate (MAL; CD06809-41; Luxerm; MAL-PDT; Metvix; Metvixia; P-1202; Visonac) – photosensitizer NAI Acne (BI-Acne; BI-K-0376; CB-06-01; CB-06-04; NAI-003; NAI-Acne; VIC-acne) – peptide elongation factor Tu inhibitor Omiganan (CLS-001; CPI-226; MBI-226; MBI-594AN; MX-226; MX-594AN; Omigard) – antiseptic/antibacterial Pyrilutamide (EX-A5504; HY-145451; KX–826) – antiandrogen (androgen receptor antagonist) Tretinoin topical – retinoid (retinoic acid receptor agonist) VB-1953 – antibiotic and toll-like receptor antagonist

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Notes from published material

On January 3, 2019, Hart stated that he was going to reconsider stepping down as host, after openly lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has hosted the Academy Awards multiple times, expressed support for him to do so and said she had contacted the Academy to ask if Hart would be able to reverse his decision if he wished and, according to DeGeneres, they said he would be able to do so. On January 8, following backlash for what was perceived as an insincere apology by critics, Hart confirmed that he would not be hosting the Academy Awards. That year's ceremony was ultimately held without a host. In September 2020, executives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced plans to relaunch their annual MDA telethon and make Hart its new host, taking over duties that had been held from 1966 to 2010 by comedian and former National MDA Chairman Jerry Lewis. Entitled The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, the two-hour telethon was held on October 24, 2020, and was seen exclusively through participating social media platforms. In 2024, Hart hosted the Netflix special The Roast of Tom Brady. In December 2025, Hart co-hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In 2026, Hart hosted Funny AF with Kevin Hart, a stand-up comedy competition on Netflix.

HCO−3 is known as the bicarbonate ion. Calcium bicarbonate is many times more soluble in water than calcium carbonate—indeed it exists only in solution. Some of the HCO−3 combines with H+ in solution according to

Internists often can perform and interpret diagnostic tests like EKGs and ultrasound imaging (Point-of-care Ultrasound – PoCUS). Internists who pursue sub-specialties have additional diagnostic tools, including those listed below.

On 19 June 2024, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge in recognition of her achievements in chemistry. In 2024, she was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors. She has been awarded 13 honorary doctorates including the Weizmann Institute of Science, Aarhus University Denmark, University of Kent, the University of York, and the University of Bristol. On 10 August 2025, Robinson appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

== Abstracting and indexing == Xenobiotica is abstracted and indexed in Biochemistry and Biophysics Citation Index, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts; Current Contents/Life Science, EBSCO, Science Citation Index, PASCAL, SciSearch, Scopus, and Index Medicus/MEDLINE/PubMed.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Frequently asked questions

Is cardarine a SARM?

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.

Is cardarine approved for human use?

No. It has no approved medical indication in any country. Regulatory agencies have not cleared it for treatment or prevention of any condition.

Why was its development discontinued?

Early clinical work stopped after rodent carcinogenicity findings. Those animal results raised concerns about long-term human risk, although direct human evidence is lacking. The human relevance of the tumors remains an open scientific question.

Is cardarine legal?

Legal status varies by country. It is not approved as a medicine, and it is prohibited in sport. Some jurisdictions restrict import, sale, or possession.

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