WADA Prohibited List comes up often in conversation and rarely with the context attached. Here we lay out the basics in order, then work through the practical considerations.
Updated 2025-10-12. Numbers and descriptions here follow the published literature rather than marketing material.
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.
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.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common name | Cardarine | Also called GW501516 and endurobol. |
| Chemical formula | C21H18F3NO3S2 | Molecular weight about 453.5 g/mol. |
| Appearance | White to off-white solid | Form depends on synthesis and purity. |
| Solubility | Soluble in DMSO and ethanol | Low solubility in water. |
| Typical storage | -20 °C, desiccated, protected from light | Common for research chemicals. |
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.
Early clinical research explored GW501516 for lipid disorders, obesity, and diabetes. Some short-term human studies reported changes in HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. The development program was discontinued after rodent studies showed dose-dependent tumor formation in multiple tissues, including liver, bladder, stomach, and skin. These findings raised concerns about long-term cancer risk in humans. Because human exposure data are limited, the clinical significance of the rodent tumors remains uncertain.
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.
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.
GW501516 acts as an agonist at peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, a nuclear receptor involved in transcription of genes related to lipid handling and energy use. Activation of PPARδ can shift skeletal muscle toward greater fatty acid oxidation in animal models, which is one reason it drew interest for metabolic disease and exercise research. The exact downstream effects depend on tissue, species, dose, and duration. Human data are sparse, so many proposed benefits remain hypotheses rather than established clinical outcomes.
Laboratory studies have examined GW501516 in cell cultures and rodents for conditions such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and obesity. Some trials in humans were initiated, but development was discontinued after preclinical findings raised concerns about cancer in certain models. Those findings do not prove that the compound causes cancer in people, but they contributed to regulatory caution. Later reviews often describe the evidence as preliminary and insufficient for assessing long-term safety.
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.
Serotonin ist in der Natur weit verbreitet. Bereits einzellige Organismen wie Amöben können Serotonin produzieren. Als Produzenten gelten ebenso Pflanzen und höhere Pilze. In den Brennhaaren der Brennnessel ist Serotonin für deren bekannte Wirkung mitverantwortlich. Zu den serotoninreichsten pflanzlichen Lebensmitteln zählen Walnüsse, die über 300 µg/g Serotonin enthalten können. Aber auch Kochbananen, Ananas, Bananen, Kiwis, Pflaumen, Tomaten, Kakao und daraus hergestellte Produkte wie beispielsweise Schokolade enthalten mehr als 1 µg/g Serotonin. Der ungewöhnlich hohe Serotoningehalt, speziell bei Walnüssen, wird mit einem spezifischen Abbaumechanismus von entstehendem Ammoniak zu erklären versucht. Serotonin-Derivate treten gelegentlich auch als Nebeninhaltsstoff in psychoaktiven pflanzlichen Drogen auf, wie z. B. DMT, 5-MeO-DMT und Bufotenin, einem psychoaktiven Rauschmittel aus der Pflanze Yopo (Anadenanthera peregrina). Für weitere Abkömmlinge des Serotonins, wie Feruloylserotonin und 4-Cumaroylserotonin, wird eine Funktion als Phytoalexin zum Schutz vor Mikroorganismen angenommen. Im Tierreich ist Serotonin in nahezu allen Spezies anzutreffen. Es ist hier einer der phylogenetisch ältesten Neurotransmitter und kommt, wie auch seine Rezeptoren, im Nervensystem bereits so einfacher Vertreter wie dem Fadenwurm C. elegans vor. Es wird vermutet, dass das Serotoninsystem, bestehend aus Serotonin und seinen Rezeptoren, bereits im Präkambrium vor über 700 Millionen Jahren entstand.
Im menschlichen Organismus kommt die größte Menge an Serotonin im Magen-Darm-Trakt vor. Hier werden etwa 95 % der gesamten Serotoninmenge des Körpers, die auf 10 mg geschätzt wird, gespeichert. Etwa 90 % des Serotonins des Magen-Darm-Trakts werden in den enterochromaffinen Zellen gespeichert, die übrigen 10 % sind in den Nervenzellen (Neuronen) des Darmnervensystems zu finden. Das Serotonin des Bluts ist fast ausschließlich auf die Thrombozyten (Blutplättchen) verteilt. Dieses Serotonin wird von den enterochromaffinen Zellen des Magen-Darm-Trakts produziert und nach Abgabe in das Blut von den Thrombozyten aufgenommen. Auch basophile Granulozyten und Mastzellen können, zumindest bei Nagetieren, Serotonin speichern und freisetzen. Im Zentralnervensystem befindet sich Serotonin insbesondere in den Neuronen der Raphe-Kerne. Eine pathologisch vermehrte Produktion, Speicherung und Freisetzung von Serotonin kann häufig bei neuroendokrinen Tumoren des Magen-Darm-Trakts, den Karzinoiden, beobachtet werden und ist für deren charakteristische Begleitsymptomatik verantwortlich.
=== Chemische Eigenschaften === Serotonin gehört – wie auch das Tryptamin – zur Gruppe der Indolamine bzw. Tryptamine. Serotonin ist wegen seiner primären aliphatischen Aminogruppe eine schwache Base. Seine Säurekonstante pKS von 10,4 ist mit der des Tryptamins vergleichbar. Daher liegt Serotonin unter physiologischen Bedingungen in überwiegend protonierter Form vor. In seiner protonierten Form ist Serotonin zur Fluoreszenz befähigt. Diese Eigenschaft wird auch zu seinem Nachweis genutzt. Das Absorptionsmaximum liegt bei 309 nm und das Emissionsmaximum bei 336 nm.
=== Synthese === Für die synthetische Herstellung von Serotonin sind zahlreiche Wege beschrieben. Zu den grundlegenden Strategien der Serotoninsynthese zählen insbesondere die Ergänzung des Indolkörpers um die β-Ethylamin-Komponente, die Hydroxylierung von Tryptamin und die Synthese eines Indolgrundgerüsts aus verschiedenen möglichen Vorläufersystemen. Synthesewege, die auf der Einführung der β-Ethylamin-Komponente basieren, beginnen mit 5-Hydroxyindol, dessen Hydroxygruppe entweder vorzugsweise mit einer Benzyl-Gruppe oder seltener mit einer Methyl-Gruppe geschützt ist. Das Erstere wird hydrogenolytisch gespalten, das Letztere bevorzugt mit Bortribromid. Die erste Laborsynthese, im Jahr 1951 von K. E. Hamlin und F. E. Fischer durchgeführt, bedient sich der Mannich-Reaktion zur Herstellung des entsprechenden Gramins in einem ersten Syntheseschritt. Dieses wird dann zur Kettenverlängerung mit Cyanid in wässrigem Alkohol und anschließender Hydrolyse zu 5-Benzyloxyindol-3-acetamid umgesetzt. Nach Reduktion des Amids und anschließender Etherspaltung lässt sich das Serotonin isolieren.
Sources: de.wikipedia.org
Cardarine is a common name for the investigational compound GW501516. It acts as a PPARδ agonist and is not approved for human use. It is prohibited in sport.
It activates PPARδ, a nuclear receptor that influences gene expression related to lipid and energy metabolism. Animal studies show changes in endurance and lipid levels. Human effects and risks are not well established.
No, cardarine is not a steroid. It belongs to a different chemical class, the PPARδ agonists. It is also not a selective androgen receptor modulator.
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.