AICAR
Clinical reviewer: Jacob Moore, MD · Last checked September 22, 2026
What is AICAR?
AICAR is a small-molecule activator of an enzyme called AMPK, not a peptide, studied as a research compound for exercise metabolism. It is not FDA-approved. One small study measured its effect on muscle glucose uptake in healthy men, and a large surgical trial tested it under the name acadesine. It is prohibited at all times under the 2026 WADA list.
What does AICAR do, and is it a peptide?
AICAR activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme whose activation in rodent muscle by exercise, metformin or adiponectin increases glucose uptake [1]. Chemically it is a nucleoside analog, a small molecule rather than a chain of amino acids, so it is not a peptide.
What does the human and animal evidence show?
In a study of 29 healthy men, AICAR acutely stimulated muscle glucose uptake, with only a minor effect on whole-body glucose disposal, which increased by 7% [1]. In sedentary mice, four weeks of AICAR treatment alone induced metabolic genes and increased running endurance by 44%, without any exercise [2]. A separate randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the same compound, under the name acadesine, enrolled patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting at 300 sites in seven countries between May 2009 and July 2010 [4].
Is AICAR FDA-approved or legal to use?
No AICAR product is FDA-approved, and it does not appear on any of FDA's three compounding categories. In competitive sport, it is prohibited at all times under the 2026 WADA list, grouped there with other AMP-activated protein kinase activators [3].
Related terms
Sources
- Cuthbertson DJ et al. 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-beta-D-ribofuranoside acutely stimulates skeletal muscle 2-deoxyglucose uptake in healthy men. Diabetes, 2007.
- Narkar VA et al. AMPK and PPARdelta agonists are exercise mimetics. Cell, 2008.
- WADA 2026 Prohibited List, effective 1 January 2026.
- Newman MF et al. Effect of adenosine-regulating agent acadesine on morbidity and mortality associated with coronary artery bypass grafting, the RED-CABG randomized controlled trial. JAMA, 2012.
This entry is for education and is not medical advice. Talk with a licensed clinician about your own situation before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.
