AICAR
AICAR (acadesine)
Also known as: Acadesine, ZMP precursor
The original 'exercise in a pill' from a 2008 Cell paper, an AMPK activator banned by WADA since 2009; human programs in heart surgery and leukemia failed to produce an approved drug, and effective animal doses are impractically large.
Overview
AICAR is converted inside cells to ZMP, which mimics AMP and switches on AMPK. In sedentary mice it raised running endurance by about 44%. Human trials in cardiac surgery and chronic lymphocytic leukemia exist, but no endurance efficacy trial has been completed. The mouse dose of 500 mg/kg per day is far beyond what people use, and trials consistently showed raised uric acid and hypoglycemia when fasted.
Mechanism of action
Intracellular conversion to ZMP, an AMP analog that activates AMPK and downstream PGC-1alpha and PPARdelta programs.
Key studies & citations
- Animal2008
AMPK and PPARdelta agonists are exercise mimetics
AICAR raised endurance in untrained mice by about 44%.
Cell - Review2012
Acadesine in cardiac surgery: meta-analysis
No consistent clinical benefit; hyperuricemia noted.
PubMed search
Frequently asked questions
Does AICAR work without training?
In mice, yes, at doses nobody replicates in humans. In people, no endurance trial has ever been completed.