If you have been reading about WADA Prohibited List 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.
Last reviewed on 2025-08-23. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
The compound is typically described as a laboratory compound rather than a therapeutic product. Published reports have explored its role in lipid disorders, insulin sensitivity, and exercise metabolism, yet no major drug regulator has approved it for medical use. Commercial samples sold under the cardarine name may vary in purity and identity. Analytical confirmation is therefore necessary when the material is discussed in scientific or regulatory contexts. Its classification as a prohibited substance in sport further shapes how it is studied and reported.
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, a synthetic compound studied for its effects on lipid and glucose metabolism. It functions as an agonist at peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, or PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that influences gene expression. The molecule is not a steroid, nor is it a selective androgen receptor modulator. It is also known in research and sports literature as GW-501516 and endurobol. Early laboratory work examined its metabolic activity in cell cultures and animal models.
Activation of PPARδ changes transcription of genes involved in fatty acid transport, mitochondrial function, and skeletal muscle fuel preference. In rodent studies, pharmacological PPARδ activation was associated with increased endurance and altered body composition. These findings generated interest in performance enhancement, but species differences and study designs limit direct extrapolation to humans. Small human trials were conducted in the 2000s and later discontinued. The extent to which cardarine produces similar metabolic or performance effects in people remains an open question.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical class | Synthetic PPARδ agonist | Not a steroid or a selective androgen receptor modulator. |
| Common synonyms | Cardarine, GW501516, GW-501516, endurobol | Names vary by supplier and literature source. |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Consistent with many small-molecule research chemicals. |
| Solubility | Low in water; soluble in DMSO and ethanol | Often prepared in organic solvent for laboratory work. |
| Primary target | PPARδ (NR1C2) | Nuclear receptor involved in lipid and energy metabolism. |
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.
Cardarine is the common name for GW501516, a synthetic compound studied as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta agonist. Researchers developed it to explore treatments for lipid disorders and metabolic conditions. It is not an approved medicine in any country. Early clinical work examined changes in HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, but development was discontinued after animal studies raised concerns about cancer. The compound remains available as a research chemical and appears in discussions of performance enhancement.
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.
Regulatory treatment of cardarine differs by context and jurisdiction. In competitive sport, the World Anti-Doping Agency lists PPARδ agonists, including GW501516, as prohibited at all times. Outside sport, it lacks approval as a prescription medicine in major drug markets, and products sold for human consumption may be treated as unapproved drugs. Some countries also restrict importation or sale through general consumer protection and medicines laws. These classifications affect availability, testing, and legal risk without establishing therapeutic value.
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.
To produce the drug, genes coding for the chimeric mAbs were inserted into viral vectors, and tobacco plants are infected with the viral vector encoding for the antibodies, using Agrobacterium cultures. Subsequently, antibodies are extracted and purified from the plants. Once the genes encoding the chimeric mAbs are in hand, the entire tobacco production cycle is believed to take a few months. The development of these production methods was funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency as part of its bio-defense efforts following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
== General == The first sperm banks began as early as 1964 in Iowa, the United States, and Tokyo, Japan, and were established to support individuals who were infertile. As a result, over 1 million babies were born within 40 years. Sperm banks provide individuals who otherwise would not be able to conceive naturally the opportunity to have a child. This includes, but is not limited to, single women, same-sexed couples, and couples where one partner is infertile. In many parts of the world sperm banks are not allowed to be established or to operate. Where sperm banks are allowed to operate they are often controlled by local legislation which is primarily intended to protect the unborn child, but which may also provide a compromise between conflicting views which surround their operation. A particular example of this is the control which is often placed on the number of children which a single donor may father, which may be designed to protect against consanguinity. However, such legislation usually cannot prevent a sperm bank from supplying donor sperm outside the jurisdiction in which it operates, nor can it prevent sperm donors from donating elsewhere. There is a shortage of sperm donors in many parts of the world, and there is pressure from quarters for donor sperm from those willing and able to provide it to be made available as safely and as freely as possible.
===== MeSH D08.811.682.660 – oxidoreductases acting on ch-ch group donors ===== MeSH D08.811.682.660.150 – acyl-coa dehydrogenases MeSH D08.811.682.660.150.100 – acyl-coa dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.150.150 – acyl-coa dehydrogenase, long-chain MeSH D08.811.682.660.150.200 – acyl-CoA oxidase MeSH D08.811.682.660.150.300 – butyryl-coa dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.200 – cholestenone 5alpha-reductase MeSH D08.811.682.660.250 – coproporphyrinogen oxidase MeSH D08.811.682.660.275 – dihydrodipicolinate reductase MeSH D08.811.682.660.300 – dihydroorotate oxidase MeSH D08.811.682.660.325 – dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (nad+) MeSH D08.811.682.660.350 – dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (nadp) MeSH D08.811.682.660.385 – electron transport complex ii MeSH D08.811.682.660.385.500 – succinate dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.387 – enoyl-(acyl-carrier-protein) reductase (nadh) MeSH D08.811.682.660.390 – enoyl-(acyl-carrier protein) reductase (nadph, b-specific) MeSH D08.811.682.660.425 – Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.462 – isovaleryl-coa dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.490 – 15-oxoprostaglandin 13-reductase MeSH D08.811.682.660.500 – prephenate dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.600 – protoporphyrinogen oxidase MeSH D08.811.682.660.750 – succinate dehydrogenase MeSH D08.811.682.660.900 – testosterone 5-alpha-Reductase
NOESY-Based Strategy for Assignments of Backbone and Side Chain Resonances of Large Proteins without Deuteration (a protocol) relax Software for the analysis of NMR dynamics ProSA-web Archived 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine Web service for the recognition of errors in experimentally or theoretically determined protein structures Protein structure determination from sparse experimental data - an introductory presentation Protein NMR Protein NMR experiments
== Environmental issues == Light pollution: Because white LEDs emit more short wavelength light than sources such as high-pressure sodium vapor lamps, the increased blue and green sensitivity of scotopic vision means that white LEDs used in outdoor lighting cause substantially more sky glow. Impact on wildlife: LEDs are much more attractive to insects than sodium-vapor lights, so much so that there has been speculative concern about the possibility of disruption to food webs. LED lighting near beaches, particularly intense blue and white colors, can disorient turtle hatchlings and make them wander inland instead. The use of "turtle-safe lighting" LEDs that emit only at narrow portions of the visible spectrum is encouraged by conservancy groups in order to reduce harm. Use in winter conditions: Since they do not give off much heat in comparison to incandescent lights, LED lights used for traffic control can have snow obscuring them, leading to accidents.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Shwachman–Diamond syndrome === Shwachman–Diamond syndrome (SDS) is caused by bi-allelic mutations in the SBDS protein that affects its ability to couple GTP hydrolysis by the GTPase EFL1 to the release of eIF6 from the 60S subunit. Clinically, SDS affects multiple systems, causing bony abnormalities, and pancreatic and neurocognitive dysfunction. SBDS associates with the 60S subunit in human cells and has a role in subunit joining and translational activation in yeast models.
When atomic mass is shown, it is usually the weighted average of naturally occurring isotopes; but if no isotopes occur naturally in significant quantities, the mass of the most stable isotope usually appears, often in parentheses. In the standard periodic table, the elements are listed in order of increasing atomic number. A new row (period) is started when a new electron shell has its first electron. Columns (groups) are determined by the electron configuration of the atom; elements with the same number of electrons in a particular subshell fall into the same columns (e.g. oxygen, sulfur, and selenium are in the same column because they all have four electrons in the outermost p-subshell). Elements with similar chemical properties generally fall into the same group in the periodic table, although in the f-block, and to some respect in the d-block, the elements in the same period tend to have similar properties, as well. Thus, it is relatively easy to predict the chemical properties of an element if one knows the properties of the elements around it. Today, 118 elements are known, the first 94 of which are known to occur naturally on Earth. The remaining 24, americium to oganesson (95–118), occur only when synthesized in laboratories. Of the 94 naturally occurring elements, 83 are primordial and 11 occur only in decay chains of primordial elements.
Mental health problems in children and adolescents contributed to a global prevalence of 13% in 2015. In 2019, about one in seven of the world's 10–19 year olds experienced a mental health disorder, a total of about 165 million young people. Adolescence is a critical and unique phase of development in psychological growth. Children having mental health problems can have adverse outcomes, such as poor school performance, social difficulties, substance abuse, and poor physical health. The adverse effects even extend beyond the children themselves - increased reliance on public sector services and healthcare services, loss productivity among parents or care-givers, and burden to society. More than half of mental health conditions start before a child reaches 20 years of age, with onset occurring in adolescence much more frequently than it does in early childhood or adulthood. However, pre-school children with early mental health problems are increasing in prevalence in the 21st century. Many such cases go undetected and untreated. In the United States, in 2021, at least roughly 17.5% of the population (ages 18 and older) were recorded as having a mental illness. The comparison between reports and statistics of mental health issues in newer generations (18–25 years old to 26–49 years old) and the older generation (50 years or older) signifies an increase in mental health issues as only 15% of the older generation reported a mental health issue whereas the newer generations reported 33.7% (18–25) and 28.1% (26–49).
=== Medieval pharmacology === Al-Kindi's ninth century AD book, De Gradibus and Ibn Sina (Avicenna)'s The Canon of Medicine, covers a range of drugs known to the practice of medicine in the medieval Islamic world. Medieval medicine of Western Europe saw advances in surgery compared to previously, but few truly effective drugs existed, beyond opium (found in such extremely popular drugs as the "Great Rest" of the Antidotarium Nicolai at the time) and quinine. Folklore cures and potentially poisonous metal-based compounds were popular treatments. Theodoric Borgognoni, (1205–1296), one of the most significant surgeons of the medieval period, responsible for introducing and promoting important surgical advances including basic antiseptic practice and the use of anaesthetics. Garcia de Orta described some herbal treatments that were used.
== Detection == H–D exchange was measured originally by the father of hydrogen exchange Kaj Ulrik Linderstrøm-Lang using density gradient tubes. In modern times, H–D exchange has primarily been monitored by the methods: NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and neutron crystallography. Each of these methods have their advantages and drawbacks.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
== Related concepts == The concept of shelf life applies to other products besides food and drugs. Gasoline has a shelf life, although it is not normally necessary to display a sell-by date. Exceeding this time-frame will introduce harmful varnishes, etc. into equipment designed to operate with these products, i.e. a gasoline lawn mower that has not been properly winterized could incur damage that will prevent use in the spring, and require expensive servicing to the carburetor. Some glues and adhesives also have a limited storage life, and will stop working in a reliable and usable manner if their safe shelf life is exceeded. Rather different is the use of a time limit for the use of items like vouchers, gift certificates and pre-paid phone cards, so that after the displayed date the voucher etc. will no longer be valid. Bell Mobility and its parent company, BCE Inc. have been served with notice of a $100-million class-action lawsuit alleging that expiry dates on its pre-paid wireless services are illegal.
== Origin == The concept of promession was developed by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, deriving its name from the Italian word for "promise", promessa. She founded Promessa Organic AB in 1997 to commercially pursue her idea; however, the company suffered bankruptcy in 2015.
AM (amplitude modulation) – in AM, the amplitude (strength) of the radio carrier wave is varied by the audio signal. AM broadcasting, the oldest broadcasting technology, is allowed in the AM broadcast bands, between 148 and 283 kHz in the low frequency (LF) band for longwave broadcasts and between 526 and 1706 kHz in the medium frequency (MF) band for medium-wave broadcasts. Because waves in these bands travel as ground waves following the terrain, AM radio stations can be received beyond the horizon at hundreds of miles distance, but AM has lower fidelity than FM. Radiated power (ERP) of AM stations in the US is usually limited to a maximum of 10 kW, although a few (clear-channel stations) are allowed to transmit at 50 kW. AM stations broadcast in monaural audio; AM stereo broadcast standards exist in most countries, but the radio industry has failed to upgrade to them, due to lack of demand. Shortwave broadcasting – AM broadcasting is also allowed in the shortwave bands by legacy radio stations at 3 – 30 MHz. Since radio waves in these bands can travel intercontinental distances by reflecting off the ionosphere using skywave or "skip" propagation, shortwave is used by international stations, broadcasting to other countries.
=== Neuroscience's findings === Neuroscience and brain imaging have shown increasing potential for helping science understand happiness and sadness, as parts of the brain have been identified as having a role in the control of happiness, specifically with regard to research in the field of neurotransmitters. Though it may be impossible to achieve any comprehensive objective measure of happiness, some physiological correlates to happiness can be measured. Stefan Klein, in his book The Science of Happiness, links the dynamics of neurobiological systems (i.e., dopaminergic, opiate) to the concepts and findings of positive psychology and social psychology. Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel and researcher Cynthia Fu described very accurate diagnoses of depression just by looking at fMRI brain scans. By identifying neural correlates for emotions, scientists may be able to use methods like brain scans to tell us more about the different ways of being "happy". Richard Davidson has conducted research to determine which parts of the brain are involved in positive emotions. He found that the left prefrontal cortex is more activated when we are happy and is also associated with greater ability to recover from negative emotions as well as enhanced ability to suppress negative emotions. Davidson found that people can train themselves to increase activation in this area of their brains. It is thought that our brain can change throughout our lives as a result of our experiences; this is known as neuroplasticity.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, a synthetic PPARδ agonist. It is not a steroid or a selective androgen receptor modulator. It was developed and studied as a research compound for metabolic pathways.
It binds to and activates PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that regulates genes related to fatty acid oxidation and energy use. This activation alters transcription in tissues such as skeletal muscle and liver. The full range of downstream effects in humans is not fully established.
No, cardarine is not known to occur naturally in plants, animals, or humans. It is a synthetic molecule produced for laboratory research. Products labeled as cardarine should therefore be treated as manufactured chemicals with variable purity.
LC-MS/MS is common, often after sample cleanup. The assay targets GW501516 or its metabolites.