Anti-doping testing 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 2025-09-30 and is reviewed periodically as new material appears.
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.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| IUPAC name | {4-[({4-methyl-2-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-1,3-thiazol-5-yl}methyl)sulfanyl]phenoxy}acetic acid | Systematic name for GW501516 |
| CAS Registry Number | 317318-70-0 | Unique identifier for the parent compound |
| Molecular formula | C21H18F3NO3S2 | Includes carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur |
| Molecular weight | 453.5 g/mol | Approximate value for the neutral form |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder | Typical description for purified laboratory material |
Regulatory bodies treat GW501516 as a prohibited substance in competitive sport. The World Anti-Doping Agency added it to the prohibited list, and it falls under classes covering metabolic modulators and hormone-related agents. It is not approved by drug regulators for human use, and it is not a lawful dietary supplement. Products sold under the cardarine name may contain unlisted ingredients or different compounds. Because no approved product exists, quality and identity are not guaranteed by pharmaceutical manufacturing standards.
Cardarine is a common name for the investigational chemical GW501516, also written GW-1516. It was developed as a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta agonist for metabolic conditions such as dyslipidemia. Early research focused on lipid handling and energy use in skeletal muscle and other tissues. The compound was never approved as a medicine. In public discussion, it is often grouped with performance-enhancing substances, although its receptor target differs from that of anabolic steroids or selective androgen receptor modulators. Regulatory and health authorities have issued warnings about its use.
Analytical laboratories typically identify cardarine and its metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine is a common matrix in anti-doping testing, while blood and tissue may be used in research settings. Detection windows depend on the assay, the sample matrix, and the compound's metabolism. Because cardarine is extensively metabolized, laboratories often target specific metabolites to improve sensitivity and confirmation. Reference standards are required for reliable quantification. Method validation includes checks for selectivity, linearity, and carryover.
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.
Amplifications (or gene duplications) or repetition of a chromosomal segment or presence of extra piece of a chromosome broken piece of a chromosome may become attached to a homologous or non-homologous chromosome so that some of the genes are present in more than two doses leading to multiple copies of all chromosomal regions, increasing the dosage of the genes located within them. In some cases, only a fraction of a gene is duplicated, producing a gene shorter that the original. In others, the duplicated gene (or fraction of gene) is copied and inserted right after the original DNA sequence (a tandem duplication) resulting in a longer gene. In the long rung, such multiplicative phenomena dominate the distribution of gene lengths. Polyploidy, duplication of entire sets of chromosomes, potentially resulting in a separate breeding population and speciation. Deletions of large chromosomal regions, leading to loss of the genes within those regions. Mutations whose effect is to juxtapose previously separate pieces of DNA, potentially bringing together separate genes to form functionally distinct fusion genes (e.g., bcr-abl). Large scale changes to the structure of chromosomes called chromosomal rearrangement that can lead to a decrease of fitness but also to speciation in isolated, inbred populations. These include: Chromosomal translocations: interchange of genetic parts from nonhomologous chromosomes. Chromosomal inversions: reversing the orientation of a chromosomal segment. Non-homologous chromosomal crossover.
Just like the GT-X, the engine power of the European market GT-R was also lowered to produce 185 PS (136 kW; 182 hp). As per the first GT-X, 300 units special version of GT-R were produced known as GT-Ae. These shared the power output of the GT-R, but were 30 kg (66 lb) lighter, fitted with closer ratio gearboxes, and featured a larger top spoiler with a gap between the hatch and the spoiler to direct air to the new lower spoiler. The wiring for ABS, air conditioning, power mirrors, power windows, power locks, and sunroof was removed. Instead of using the GT-R's leather interior, the lighter cloth interior of the GT-X was used.
== Awards == 2009: BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship 2012: ERC Starting Grant 2014: Talented Young Italians Award (Research and Innovation) 2015: EFMC Prize for Young Medicinal Chemist in Academia 2015: ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award 2016: RSC Capps Green Zomaya Award 2016: MedChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship 2016: Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) 2022: Prous Institute-Overton and Meyer Award for New Technologies in Drug Discovery 2023: Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) 2025: Fellow of the Royal Society 2026: Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
An alternative method for removal of caffeine from coffee is the Swiss Water process. This process uses no organic solvents, and instead only water is used to decaffeinate beans. It is a technique first developed in Switzerland in 1933, and commercialized by Coffex S.A. in 1980. The Swiss Water process was then introduced by The Swiss Water Decaffeinated Coffee Company of Burnaby, British Columbia, in 1988. The process uses green coffee extract (GCE) for the caffeine extraction mechanism. Green coffee extract is a solution containing the water-soluble components of green coffee except for the caffeine, obtained by soaking green coffee beans in hot water, then filtering through an activated charcoal filter to remove the caffeine molecules. Fresh beans containing both caffeine and the other components are added to the GCE solution, where the gradient pressure difference between the GCE (which is caffeine-lean) and the green coffee (which is caffeine-rich) causes the caffeine molecules to migrate from the green coffee into the GCE. Because GCE is saturated with the other water-soluble components of green coffee, only the caffeine molecules migrate to the GCE; the other water-soluble coffee elements are retained in the green coffee. The newly caffeine-rich GCE solution is then passed through the activated carbon filters to remove the caffeine again, and the process is repeated. The continuous batch process takes 8–10 hours to meet the final residual decaffeinated target. Food engineer Torunn Atteraas Garin also developed a process to remove caffeine from coffee.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The Centre had a share of the odium attached to the so-called "Weimar Establishment" which was blamed, especially on the right, for the German defeat in World War I in the Stab-in-the-back myth, as well as for the humiliations of the Versailles Treaty and reparations. Erzberger himself, who had signed the armistice, was assassinated by right-wing extremists in 1921.
The class B metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are found largely in gram-negative bacteria and environmental bacteria. The subclasses of MBL enzymes are B1, B2, and B3. MBLs have diverse enzymatic functions and have the ability to hydrolyze β-lactam antibiotics. The class D β-lactamases (OXA), which hydrolyze oxacillin, provide a good example of the variety of mechanisms that can be used to transfer resistance. The blaOXA genes which encode OXA β-lactamases are found on both chromosomes and plasmids, and they have their natural reservoir in environmental bacteria and deep-sea microflora. Insertions in the vicinity of these genes have been shown to increase the strength of their promoters and increase resistance. Because of these characteristics, a wide geographic dissemination of OXA carbapenemase resistance in particular has occurred. The facilitated spread of carbapenem resistance appears to have multiple origins and repeated introduction into the UK of bacteria with the blaOXA-48 gene via horizontal transfer of similar plasmids to pOXA-48a.
Two polypeptides. A large subunit of 104 amino acids (sequence TMWGTKWCGSGNEATDISELGYWSNLDSCCRTHDHCDNIPSGQTKYGLTNEGKYTMMNCKCETAFEQCLRNVTGGMEGPAAGFVRKTYFDLYGNGCYNVQCPSQ) and a smaller one of 27 amino acids (sequence SEECPDGVATYTGEAGYGAWAINKLNG). Subunits are linked by a disulfide bond. Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity on the large subunit. The molecular weight of the toxin is 15 kDa. Like IpTxa, IpTxi acts on RyR. When an action potential reaches the muscle, RyR channels open and Ca2+ becomes available in the cell to induce contraction. The presence of Ca2+ induces the large subunit of IpTxi to hydrolyze the Sn2 fatty acyl bond from the membrane of the sarcoplasmatic reticulum. This process is executed by PLA2 activity. The freed fatty acids bind to the RyR itself or to a closely associated protein linked to gating. Binding of the RyR induces blocking of the channel. When the concentration of free fatty acids is low there will be an incomplete block of RyR; higher concentrations will give a complete block. Because IpTxi also works on the RyR channels of the heart muscles, it could potentially be used as a drug against arrhythmia. This has not yet been proven, and must be studied in vivo first.
=== Generic names === Anastrozole is the generic name of the drug and its INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name, USANTooltip United States Adopted Name, BANTooltip British Approved Name, and JANTooltip Japanese Accepted Name.
10 January – British Post Office scandal: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces that emergency legislation would be brought through Parliament to "swiftly exonerate and compensate victims" of the Post Office scandal in England and Wales. First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf confirms those in Scotland convicted because of the scandal would also be cleared, and that he would work with the UK government to bring this about. 11 January – The Liberal Democrats ask Ofcom to investigate GB News over alleged bias in its coverage of the Post Office scandal, including what the party's deputy leader, Daisy Cooper, describes as "a fictitious monologue" Nigel Farage delivered about Sir Ed Davey, which she says contained "a number of factual inaccuracies". First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf confirms that the Scottish Government would "in essence replicate" the law in England and Wales banning unlicensed ownership of American XL bully dogs. Sunak authorises joint UK–US air strikes against Houthi rebels following attacks against cargo shipping targets in the Red Sea. 12 January – The Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru call for a recall of parliament to enable a vote on RAF involvement in the air strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, since Parliament had already risen for the weekend when Sunak authorised the UK's participation. Sunak authorises talks between the Labour Party and the civil service ahead of a general election later in the year to ensure a smooth transition if Labour becomes the party of government.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
No. Major drug regulators have not approved GW501516 for treating any medical condition. Products sold as cardarine are typically unapproved research chemicals or supplements, so their contents and safety are not assured.
It is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a hormone and metabolic modulator. Athletes who test positive for GW501516 can face sanctions, including suspensions and loss of results.
Cardarine is a common or trade-style name, while GW501516 is the research code for the same chemical entity. Some sources also use Endurobol or GSK-516. The names refer to the same compound, not distinct drugs.
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.