{"id":71431,"date":"2026-05-20T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medsbase.com\/aicar-acadesine\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T07:14:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T07:14:08","slug":"aicar-acadesine","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/medsbase.com\/el\/aicar-acadesine\/","title":{"rendered":"AICAR (Acadesine \/ AICA-Riboside)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Quick Answer \u2014 What is AICAR?<\/h3>\n

AICAR<\/strong> (Acadesine \/ AICA-Riboside \/ 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-\u03b2-D-ribofuranoside, CAS 2627-69-2) is the canonical small-molecule AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) activator<\/strong> used in metabolic, exercise-physiology, muscle, and cancer research. AICAR is the cell-permeable riboside; once inside cells it is phosphorylated by adenosine kinase to the active nucleotide ZMP<\/strong> (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide), an AMP-mimetic that allosterically activates AMPK. Activated AMPK drives insulin-independent glucose uptake into skeletal muscle, increases fatty-acid oxidation, suppresses hepatic gluconeogenesis and de-novo lipogenesis, and inhibits mTORC1 \u2014 the canonical “exercise-in-a-pill” pharmacology. Supplied as lyophilized powder (\u226599% HPLC) for laboratory research use only. Not a peptide.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u0391\u03c5\u03c4\u03cc \u03c0\u03bf\u03c5 \u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03b2\u03ac\u03bd\u03b5\u03c4\u03b5 \u03bc\u03b5 \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd MedsBase:<\/strong> Lyophilized \u226599% HPLC-verified powder \u00b7 COA available on request \u00b7 Discreet temperature-stable packaging \u00b7 Worldwide research-supply courier \u00b7 1,400+ verified \u03ba\u03c1\u03b9\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ad\u03c2 \u03c0\u03b5\u03bb\u03b1\u03c4\u03ce\u03bd<\/a><\/div>\n

\ud83d\udce6 \u039a\u03ac\u03b8\u03b5 \u03c0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03b3\u03b5\u03bb\u03af\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u03bb\u03cd\u03c0\u03c4\u03b5\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9 \u03b1\u03c0\u03cc \u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u03a0\u03bf\u03bb\u03b9\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae \u0395\u03b3\u03b3\u03cd\u03b7\u03c3\u03b7\u03c2 \u0395\u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03b1\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03bb\u03ae\u03c2<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 \u03b5\u03ac\u03bd \u03c4\u03bf \u03b4\u03ad\u03bc\u03b1 \u03c3\u03b1\u03c2 \u03b4\u03b5\u03bd \u03c6\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b5\u03bd\u03c4\u03cc\u03c2 20 \u03b5\u03c1\u03b3\u03ac\u03c3\u03b9\u03bc\u03c9\u03bd \u03b7\u03bc\u03b5\u03c1\u03ce\u03bd, \u03c4\u03bf \u03b5\u03c0\u03b1\u03bd\u03b1\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03ad\u03bb\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03bc\u03b5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u03a0\u03c1\u03bf\u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03ae<\/th>\n\u039b\u03b5\u03c0\u03c4\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9\u03b1<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Compound Class<\/strong><\/td>\nSmall-molecule purine-nucleoside analogue; cell-permeable AMP-mimetic; AMPK activator; not a peptide<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chemical Name<\/strong><\/td>\n5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-\u03b2-D-ribofuranoside (synonyms: Acadesine, AICA-Riboside, NSC 105823, Z-Riboside)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0391\u03c1\u03b9\u03b8\u03bc\u03cc\u03c2 CAS<\/strong><\/td>\n2627-69-2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u039c\u03bf\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03cc\u03c2 \u03a4\u03cd\u03c0\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong><\/td>\nC9<\/sub>H14<\/sub>N4<\/sub>O5<\/sub><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u039c\u03bf\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03cc \u0392\u03ac\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2<\/strong><\/td>\n258.23 g\/mol<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mechanism<\/strong><\/td>\nCell-permeable AICA riboside is taken up via adenosine transporters and phosphorylated by adenosine kinase to the active intracellular monophosphate ZMP<\/strong> (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide). ZMP mimics AMP at the AMPK \u03b3-subunit Bateman domain, producing allosteric activation of AMPK independently of changes in the cellular AMP:ATP ratio. Activated AMPK then drives the downstream metabolic-switch programme (catabolic \u2191, anabolic \u2193).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0391\u03ba\u03bf\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5\u03b8\u03af\u03b1<\/strong><\/td>\nn\/a (small-molecule purine ribonucleoside \u2014 not a peptide)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u039c\u03bf\u03c1\u03c6\u03ae<\/strong><\/td>\nLyophilized white-to-off-white crystalline powder; single-use research vials<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u039a\u03b1\u03b8\u03b1\u03c1\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1<\/strong><\/td>\n\u226599% (HPLC \u03b5\u03c0\u03b1\u03bb\u03b7\u03b8\u03b5\u03c5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf, COA \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03cc\u03c0\u03b9\u03bd \u03b1\u03b9\u03c4\u03ae\u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0394\u03b9\u03b1\u03bb\u03c5\u03c4\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1<\/strong><\/td>\nSoluble in water (~50\u00a0mg\/mL with gentle warming and swirling), PBS, and DMSO (\u2265100\u00a0mM stock). Aqueous solutions may require brief warming to 37 \u00b0C to fully dissolve. Working solutions for cell culture are typically prepared at 0.5\u20132\u00a0mM in growth medium.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0391\u03c0\u03bf\u03b8\u03ae\u03ba\u03b5\u03c5\u03c3\u03b7<\/strong><\/td>\nLyophilized: 2\u20138 \u00b0C for short-term working stock; \u221220 \u00b0C for long-term storage of unopened vials (stable \u226536 months at \u221220 \u00b0C). Reconstituted aqueous solutions: 2\u20138 \u00b0C, use within ~30 days. DMSO stocks: \u221220 \u00b0C, single-thaw use. Protect from prolonged light exposure. Avoid repeated freeze\u2013thaw of working solutions.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u0395\u03c1\u03b5\u03c5\u03bd\u03b7\u03c4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae \u03a7\u03c1\u03ae\u03c3\u03b7<\/strong><\/td>\nFor laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary diagnostic or therapeutic use. AICAR \/ Acadesine is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List (class S4.5, Metabolic Modulators) and is prohibited in sport at all times \u2014 researchers in human-subject contexts should be aware of this regulatory status.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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What Is AICAR?<\/h2>\n

AICAR<\/strong> (5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-\u03b2-D-ribofuranoside, also known as Acadesine, AICA-Riboside, NSC 105823, or Z-Riboside; CAS 2627-69-2) is a small-molecule purine ribonucleoside analogue and the most-cited pharmacological tool for activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)<\/strong> in cell-culture, primary-cell, and rodent in-vivo research. It is not a peptide<\/em> \u2014 it is a synthetic ribonucleoside with the molecular formula C9<\/sub>H14<\/sub>N4<\/sub>O5<\/sub> and a molecular weight of 258.23 g\/mol. MedsBase stocks it in the same lyophilized-vial format as our research peptide catalogue for convenience of reconstitution and dosing in mixed-protocol AMPK \/ metabolic \/ mitochondrial research.<\/p>\n

AICAR was originally developed in the 1990s by Acadesine Inc. (later Schering-Plough) as a candidate cardioprotective agent for coronary artery bypass surgery \u2014 the compound completed Phase III trials but did not gain regulatory approval. Its pharmacological utility, however, has only expanded since: AICAR is now the standard reference compound for AMPK activation in published research, and the AMPK pathway it engages has been implicated in nearly every major area of metabolic biology \u2014 insulin sensitivity, type-2 diabetes, fatty-acid oxidation, exercise physiology, muscle hypertrophy \/ atrophy, mitochondrial biogenesis, cancer metabolism, autophagy, and ageing.<\/p>\n

In published research AICAR is described as an “exercise mimetic” because chronic administration in sedentary mice has been reported to drive a skeletal-muscle gene-expression signature, mitochondrial-biogenesis programme, and endurance-performance phenotype that broadly mimics the effects of voluntary wheel running \u2014 the original 2008 Narkar et\u00a0al. publication in Cell<\/em> (“AMPK and PPAR\u03b4 Agonists Are Exercise Mimetics”) is the most-cited paper in this area. AICAR is also on the WADA Prohibited List (class S4.5, Metabolic Modulators) and is prohibited in sport at all times due to this performance-enhancing potential.<\/p>\n

Mechanism of Action \u2014 Cellular Activation of AMPK via ZMP<\/h2>\n

AICAR’s mechanism is the most-characterised of any pharmacological AMPK activator:<\/p>\n