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Adenosine-regulating research small molecule · Fact sheet

AICAR

Also known as Acadesine · AICA riboside

AICAR, also called acadesine, is a research small molecule involved in cellular energy signaling. A large cardiac-surgery trial found no clinical benefit; that trial does not establish an exercise-mimetic or fat-loss treatment.

Not FDA approvedLimited or unclear evidence
Weight & metabolismMuscle & recoverySpecific conditions

What is AICAR?

AICAR in this context refers to the riboside acadesine, which is converted inside cells to an AMP-related nucleotide. It is not a peptide.

AMPK-related mechanisms and adenosine regulation are research rationales, not established athletic benefits.

Benefits & claims

Interest includes endurance, metabolism and protection from interrupted blood flow. Surgical cardiac outcomes are different from exercise performance.

What the evidence supports

  • In RED-CABG, the primary outcome occurred in 5.1% with acadesine and 5.0% with placebo.
  • The trial stopped after 3,080 participants because a prespecified analysis indicated a low likelihood of benefit.
  • Earlier surgical studies cannot override the larger negative trial or establish athletic enhancement.
Research areas
  • Cardiac-surgery ischemia protection
  • Cellular energy signaling
  • Preclinical metabolism

Dosage & frequency

Human study context

The published RED-CABG exposure was a monitored perioperative infusion, not a performance or weight-loss regimen.

RED-CABG randomized trial

Intermediate- to high-risk adults undergoing nonemergency on-pump coronary bypass surgery

Amount
0.1 mg/kg per minute
Frequency
Continuous infusion for seven hours beginning before anesthesia induction
Route studied or labeled
Intravenous; study drug was also included in cardioplegic solution

This describes only the principal infusion component. The surgical protocol included separate cardioplegia exposure and specialist monitoring. The trial did not improve its primary clinical endpoint.

RED-CABG randomized trial
How to read these amounts

An approved regimen belongs to a specific product, indication, and population. A study regimen describes what researchers tested; it does not establish a prescription or a safe self-use protocol. Products, routes, and formulations are not interchangeable. A prescriber uses the full label and individual clinical circumstances.

Personal accounts may describe amounts, schedules and outcomes beyond clinical research. They do not establish a regimen. Read the reported experiences

Formulations, interactions & practical context

Identity and pharmacology
AICAR in this context refers to the riboside acadesine, which is converted inside cells to an AMP-related nucleotide. It is not a peptide.
RED-CABG randomized trial Earlier multinational acadesine trial

Formulation differences

  • AMPK-related mechanisms and adenosine regulation are research rationales, not established athletic benefits.

Interactions & precautions

  • The reviewed sources do not establish a comprehensive human interaction profile for this exact substance or combination.

What is still unresolved

  • Human endurance or fat-loss benefit
  • Safety of repeated nonsurgical exposure
  • Interactions outside the studied surgical setting
RED-CABG randomized trial Earlier multinational acadesine trial Initial multicenter acadesine trial

Side effects & risks

  • Safety observations during monitored cardiac surgery cannot define chronic or unsupervised exposure risks.
  • Metabolic effects, co-medications and nonstandard formulations create unresolved interaction and product-quality questions.

This is a summary of the cited evidence, not a complete product label. A lack of human safety data does not establish safety.

Clinical research

Limited or unclear evidence

Human surgical trials exist, but the large RED-CABG trial did not reduce death, stroke or severe left-ventricular dysfunction. Evidence for community performance claims remains unestablished.

Studies

Personal experiences

Reports describe what someone noticed. They cannot establish cause, typical results, or how often a side effect happens. Amounts and schedules describe the individual account, not an effective or safe dose. Product identity and strength may be unverified, and missing details are left explicit.

No attributable personal accounts were found in the sources reviewed.

Approval status

AICAR has no FDA-approved exercise, weight-loss or recovery indication. RED-CABG was stopped for futility; this does not establish every research program has ended.

No FDA-approved product for this entry

Approval covers the labeled product, use and population. A trial phase does not establish success; a stopped program is not ongoing research.

Open questions

  • Human endurance or fat-loss benefit
  • Safety of repeated nonsurgical exposure
  • Interactions outside the studied surgical setting

Summary

Earlier surgical studies cannot override the larger negative trial or establish athletic enhancement.

Sources

Medical evidence and regulatory sources are listed here. Personal reports are linked separately in the experiences section.

  1. pubmedRED-CABG randomized trial

    Large trial stopped for futility; no reduction in the primary clinical outcome.

  2. pubmedEarlier multinational acadesine trial

    821-person cardiac-surgery trial; formulation and infusion context.

  3. pubmedInitial multicenter acadesine trial

    Historical cardiac-surgery study.

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