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Bioalmanac

AICAR

Acadesine · AICA riboside · 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside · AICA-riboside

Early human trials

Status reviewed 1 Sept 2026

A nucleoside, not a peptide. About fifteen hundred people have been given it intravenously in a heart surgery trial, where it did nothing. Banned in sport since 2009 on the strength of a mouse study.

Storage

Freeze-dried powder
Refrigerated, protected from light.
After mixing
Refrigerated. A small molecule rather than a peptide, so the usual peptide stability rules do not transfer.
Long-term, frozen
Stable frozen as a dry powder.

Dose ranges reported in sources

Descriptions of what sources report, not recommendations.

GoalRangeFrequencySource
Commonly described community protocol50000–100000 mcgDailyCommunity practice

When to stop

  • Joint pain or swelling suggesting gout.
  • Persistent unexplained fatigue or muscle weakness.
  • Any allergic response: rash, hives, facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent care.

Not approved for any indication. Developed as acadesine and abandoned after a phase 3 trial was stopped for futility. Prohibited in sport at all times by WADA as an AMPK activator, and detectable. Material sold as a research chemical is not the clinical infusion product.

Arithmetic on values you enter. Not medical advice. Not reviewed by a clinician. · bioalmanac.com/peptides/aicar

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