AICAR

Status

No approved product. No FDA-approved labeling exists. Not an approved medicine for any indication.

What it is

An AMPK-activating molecule studied for endurance in animals.

What published research measured

An AMP analogue that activates AMP-activated protein kinase, mimicking part of the cellular signal generated by exercise. The 2008 Cell paper reporting that sedentary mice given AICAR improved endurance running capacity is the origin of the exercise-in-a-pill framing, and it made the compound an early doping concern — it was added to the WADA prohibited list on that basis. Human use as an endurance agent is not supported by trials. Its practical problems are substantial and well documented: poor oral bioavailability meaning the effective route is intravenous, a very short half-life, and the large quantities required. It has been studied clinically in narrow settings including cardiac ischaemia protection. Prohibited at all times in sport under the 2026 WADA Prohibited List (S4.4.1, metabolic modulators).

Source

Narkar et al. 2008, Cell — AMPK agonist and endurance in sedentary mice · WADA 2026 Prohibited List, class S4.4.1 (metabolic modulators)

Sources

No linked primary source is on file for this entry yet.

Educational use only, never medical advice. No doses.