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AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes
Machine-readable facts for this Lab article. The full page is https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar.
TL;DR
AICAR is an AMP-mimetic nucleoside and AMPK activator, not a peptide. Reference overview, handling and reconstitution notes, and WADA S4.5 status since 2009.
Facts Index
| Fact ID | Category | Entity | Attribute | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aicar:title | identity | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | title | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:published | identity | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | published | 2026-08-18 | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:author | identity | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | author | Preppin' Peppers Editorial Team | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:topics | identity | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | topics | reference, research | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:summary | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | summary | AICAR is an AMP-mimetic nucleoside and AMPK activator, not a peptide. Reference overview, handling and reconstitution notes, and WADA S4.5 status since 2009. | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-1 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | What it is | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-2 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | What it is | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-3 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | Research context | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-4 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | Status | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-5 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | Reconstitution and handling | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-6 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | Status in sport | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-7 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | Related reading | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:section-9 | content | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | section | What the research community gets wrong about AICAR | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:source-www-wada-ama-org | source | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | cites | WADA : The Prohibited List - www.wada-ama.org | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:source-www-usada-org | source | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | cites | USADA : What Athletes Should Know About AICAR and Other Prohibited AMPK Activators - www.usada.org | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:source-pubchem-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov | source | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | cites | NCBI PubChem CID 17513: Acadesine (C9H14N4O5) - pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:source-pmc-ncbi-nlm-nih-gov | source | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | cites | Ahmad et al., Eur Respir J 2021: AICAR decreases acute lung injury by phosphorylating AMPK and upregulating heme oxygenase-1 - pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:source-www-uniprot-org | source | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | cites | UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot Q13131: 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha-1 (PRKAA1, Homo sapiens), UniProt release 2026-03 - www.uniprot.org | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
| aicar:source-clinicaltrials-gov | source | AICAR: Reference Overview and Reconstitution Notes | cites | ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00168519 (n/a, completed, first posted 2005-09-15): Contraction (Exercise) Mediated Glucose Uptake as a Therapeutic Target in Type 2 Diabetes - clinicaltrials.gov | Lab article (https://www.preppinpeppers.com/blogs/the-lab/aicar) (evidence) |
FAQ
- Is AICAR banned in sport?
- Yes. AICAR is prohibited at all times under WADA category S4.5 (hormone and metabolic modulators, AMPK activators), in and out of competition, and has been since 2009. WADA tests for AICAR and its metabolites.
- Is AICAR a peptide?
- No. AICAR is a nucleoside analogue that mimics AMP inside the cell. It is included in this reference library as a related research compound, not as a peptide.
- What does AICAR act on?
- It activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a cellular energy sensor that responds to low energy states.