Primary entity: Cardarine (GW501516)Also known as: GW1516; “Endurobol” (folk)Class: Selective PPARδ agonist — not a peptideCluster: GLP-1 & metabolic
Cardarine is the common name for GW501516 (also written GW1516), a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) agonist developed historically for metabolic and lipid indications. Clinical development was discontinued after rodent carcinogenicity / multi-organ tumor signals in long-term preclinical toxicology (sponsor-reported; widely cited by anti-doping agencies). It is not FDA-approved, is not a peptide, is not a SARM, and is prohibited in sport under WADA’s metabolic-modulator rules.
Cardarine is not a peptide and not a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). Forums often shelve it next to SARMs and “research peptides” because of fat-loss / endurance marketing. Correct the PPARδ agonist class first.
Never approved as a medicine in major jurisdictions. Development terminated after serious preclinical toxicity signals. WADA: listed among PPARδ agonists (examples include GW1516 / GW501516) under Hormone and Metabolic Modulators — prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) as a non-Specified substance in typical list framing. Some jurisdictions treat supply/sale as especially restricted. Gray-market “research” and mislabeled supplements are a documented contamination/adulteration risk theme in anti-doping education.
Key takeaways
- Not a peptide and not a SARM — selective PPARδ agonist (GW501516 / GW1516).
- Never FDA-approved; clinical program stopped after rodent multi-organ tumor signals in long-term toxicology narratives.
- WADA-prohibited metabolic modulator — athletes: check GlobalDRO / current list, not forums.
- Early human lipid/metabolic trial history exists; it does not erase the toxicity-driven discontinuation story.
- No dosage chart and no buy links on this site.
Questions this page answers
- What is cardarine?
- Aliases / codes
- Classification — why it’s on a peptide site
- What it is NOT
- Mechanism (PPARδ)
- Evidence ladder
- What has been studied
- Safety / toxicity literacy
- Regulatory & WADA snapshot
- Why no dosages
- Related metabolic agents
- Who for / not for
Who is this profile for — and who is it not for?
For: readers who need accurate class literacy (not peptide / not SARM), evidence maturity, and sport/regulatory context for a compound heavily marketed in forums.
Not for: anyone seeking a buy link, an endurance “cycle,” a stacking protocol, or medical advice. This page is educational refusal territory for self-experimentation.
What is cardarine?
Cardarine refers to GW501516, a synthetic PPARδ agonist studied historically for dyslipidemia and metabolic disease. PPARδ is a nuclear receptor involved in fatty-acid oxidation, energy metabolism, and skeletal-muscle fiber-type gene programs in research models — which is why it acquired an “exercise mimetic / endurance” folk reputation.
| Chemistry class | Selective PPARδ (PPAR-delta) agonist |
|---|---|
| Peptide? | No |
| SARM? | No |
| Common codes | GW501516 · GW1516 |
| Development status | Discontinued (toxicity-driven) |
| U.S. approval | Never approved |
| Sport | WADA-prohibited (PPARδ agonist class) |
Also known as
- GW501516 / GW-501516 — primary research/development code.
- GW1516 — alternate code used widely in anti-doping materials.
- “Endurobol”
Online nickname— folk/vendor branding; not a scientific or approved drug name. - Mis-tags: “cardarine peptide,” “cardarine SARM,” “GW peptide” — category errors.
SARMs target the androgen receptor. Cardarine targets PPARδ. Bundling them in the same “research chem” shop aisle is marketing, not pharmacology.
How is cardarine classified?
Research / discontinued investigational small molecule — selective PPARδ agonist. On this site it sits in the glp1-metabolic cluster because of fat-loss and metabolic SERP adjacency with peptide drugs — with explicit not-a-peptide and WADA literacy.
It is not an approved drug, not a dietary supplement ingredient with an established safety monograph for human performance use, and not interchangeable with “natural PPAR support” supplement claims.
What is cardarine not?
| Cardarine is not… | Why that matters |
|---|---|
| A peptide | Different chemistry entirely |
| A SARM | Different receptor target (PPARδ ≠ AR) |
| FDA-approved | No label; development stopped |
| “Safe oral endurance drug” | Rodent carcinogenicity signals drove discontinuation |
| Something we dose or source | Refusal |
| Harmless because early human lipid trials existed | Toxicity story is separate and decisive for development |
How is cardarine thought to work?
PPARδ agonism in research models is associated with increased fatty-acid oxidation, shifts in muscle oxidative gene programs, and metabolic/lipid profile changes. That pharmacology underpins both the historical medical interest (dyslipidemia / metabolic disease) and the underground “endurance / fat-loss” marketing. Mechanism interest ≠ proven safe medicine.
What human vs animal vs label evidence exists?
| Evidence type | What exists (summary) | Maturity |
|---|---|---|
| Human early clinical | Historical Phase I/II-style lipid/metabolic studies (pre-discontinuation) | Human Historical / incomplete development |
| Animal efficacy | Metabolic / exercise-phenotype research models | Animal |
| Animal toxicology | Long-term rodent studies with multi-organ tumor signals (sponsor-reported; central to discontinuation narrative) | Animal Safety-critical |
| Approved U.S. label | None | None |
| Forum / vendor claims | Anecdote + marketing | None |
Do not invent tumor incidence percentages or “safe dose thresholds” in evergreen copy without locked primary toxicology sources.
What has cardarine been studied for?
Historical medical interest centered on dyslipidemia / metabolic disease. Preclinical work also explored endurance and substrate-utilization phenotypes. Studied ≠ approved. Anti-doping literature now treats it primarily as a prohibited metabolic modulator with a serious preclinical toxicity story.
What safety topics come up?
The decisive public safety literacy point is rodent carcinogenicity / multi-organ tumor findings associated with long-term exposure in toxicology programs — the reason clinical development was abandoned and the reason anti-doping agencies issued alerts. Human long-term safety as a performance agent was never established through completed Phase 3 / approval pathways. Unregulated products add unknown purity and adulteration risks (including co-contamination themes in supplement testing literature). Not medical advice; this is not a risk-minimization protocol.
What is cardarine's regulatory status?
- U.S. / major markets: Not approved as a medicine. It is not an FDA-approved medicine.
- WADA: PPARδ agonists including GW1516 / GW501516 appear as examples under metabolic modulators; prohibited at all times in standard list framing.
- Regional controls: Some jurisdictions may restrict sale or supply; check local law. This page does not treat a specific overseas scheduling claim as confirmed.
- Sport education: National anti-doping organizations publish athlete advisories; forum “PCT” folklore is not regulatory literacy.
Why doesn't this page include a dosage chart?
No approved labeled dose; discontinued development; “cardarine dosage” / “GW501516 cycle” queries overwhelmingly seek gray-market performance protocols. Publishing charts would amplify harm. Literacy refusal.
Related lab literacy
Peptide reconstitution pages are not applicable. For class literacy: What are peptides?
Related compounds and comparisons
- ATX-304 — investigational AMPK network activator (also not a peptide; different target and development status).
- SLU-PP-915 — pan-ERR agonist research tool (exercise-mimetic adjacency; different receptor family).
- Tesofensine — investigational monoamine reuptake inhibitor (not a peptide).
- Semaglutide / Tirzepatide — approved peptide incretin drugs (do not equate).
Frequently asked questions
Is cardarine a peptide?
No. It is a small-molecule selective PPARδ agonist (GW501516 / GW1516).
Is cardarine a SARM?
No. SARMs act at the androgen receptor. Cardarine acts at PPARδ. Shop “stacks” that mix them are marketing clusters, not shared pharmacology.
Is cardarine FDA approved?
No. It was never approved, and clinical development was discontinued after serious rodent toxicity signals.
Why do people still talk about it for fat loss or endurance?
Because PPARδ biology intersects fatty-acid oxidation and muscle oxidative programs in research models, and because gray-market marketing filled the gap after development stopped. Popularity is not approval or safety.
Is cardarine banned in sports?
WADA lists PPARδ agonists such as GW1516/GW501516 among prohibited metabolic modulators. Athletes should verify the current list and GlobalDRO — — and assume enforcement risk is real.
Didn’t some human trials show lipid benefits?
Early clinical work existed before discontinuation. Those exploratory findings do not override the toxicology-driven stop or create an approved risk/benefit label.
Why is this on a peptide tutorials site?
Search and forum demand cluster cardarine with peptides and SARMs. We publish a literacy profile that corrects the chemistry class and refuses protocols.
Why no dosage information?
YMYL policy, discontinued development, and WADA/toxicity context. We will not invent a “cycle chart.”
Cardarine is not a peptide, not FDA-approved, and is WADA-relevant. Educational only — no protocols. Disclaimer.
Sources
The sources below were checked against PubMed, DailyMed, or the official agency page on November 10, 2026 (America/Phoenix). Links go to the publisher, PubMed, or the agency record.
- Primary — human Olson EJ, Pearce GL, Jones NP, Sprecher DL. Lipid effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ agonist GW501516 in subjects with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: characteristics of metabolic syndrome. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2012. doi:10.1161/ATVBAHA.112.247890. PMID: 22814748. This is pharmacology/lipid data, not an approval for performance or fat-loss use.
- Anti-doping World Anti-Doping Agency. The World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026. Accessed November 10, 2026. Confirm the current list and GlobalDRO before relying on sport status. The 2026 list names GW1516/GW501516 as PPARδ agonist examples among metabolic modulators (S4.4).
- Written by
- Peptide Tutorials Staff — a group of independent researchers & writers (not clinicians)
- Published · Updated
- Oct 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026 · Regulatory and sport-status wording checked November 10, 2026 against current FDA labels and the 2026 WADA Prohibited List · How we source & update
Educational disclaimer: Educational only. Cardarine (GW501516) is not a peptide and is not FDA-approved. Includes WADA and toxicity literacy. No dosing or buy links. We don’t sell peptides. Read our full disclaimers.