Description
PrymaLab · Research use only
AICAR 50MG
Acadesine, a 258.2 Da nucleoside that cells turn into the AMP mimic ZMP, 50 mg vial
AICAR, also called acadesine or AICA riboside, is a nucleoside rather than a peptide: an imidazole carboxamide base joined to ribose, with a theoretical mass of 258.2 Da. This listing is a sealed vial holding 50 mg of the compound as dry powder. Research on AICAR centres on what cells make of it, the AMP mimic ZMP, which switches on AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and runs from perfused rat muscle and mice to leukaemia cells and heart surgery trials.
Specifications
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Compound | AICAR Acadesine; 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside; nucleoside, not a peptide |
| CAS number | 2627-69-2 |
| Molecular formula | C9H14N4O5 |
| Theoretical mass | 258.2 Da |
| Sequence / structure | Purine-precursor nucleoside (AMPK activator); phosphorylated intracellularly to ZMP. |
| Label claim | 50 mg/vial |
| Form | Lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder or cake in a sealed glass vial with a rubber stopper and aluminium crimp cap |
| Storage, sealed | −20 °C, desiccated, dark |
| Purity specification | 99.0% or higher by RP-HPLC |
| Lot certificate | Results for the lot now shipping are in the certificate panel on this page |
| Safety data sheet | PL-SDS-009 |
A nucleoside, not a peptide
AICAR contains no amino acids and no peptide bonds. The lot certificate identifies it as 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside, C9H14N4O5: a ribose sugar attached to an imidazole ring of the kind cells build as an intermediate on the way to purines. It is stored much like a freeze-dried peptide, cold, dry and dark, but its chemistry belongs with the nucleosides.
The name causes its own confusion. Read strictly, AICAR stands for the ribonucleotide, the phosphorylated form that biochemists call ZMP, while the compound in the vial is the unphosphorylated riboside that cells convert into it. The AICAR (acadesine) guide explains how the acronym drifted. With a theoretical mass of 258.2 Da, 50 mg works out to about 194 µmol, a little less once the residual water reported on the certificate is allowed for. The same compound is sold already dissolved as the AICAR preloaded pen.
What the research covers
From AICAR to ZMP to AMPK
AMPK is a kinase made of a catalytic alpha subunit and two further subunits, beta and gamma, and it is switched on by high AMP and low ATP1. Hardie and Carling described it in 1997 as a fuel gauge for the cell: on sensing low energy it turns off ATP-consuming pathways such as fatty acid and sterol synthesis and turns on ATP-producing ones such as fatty acid oxidation1. A 1995 study in rat hepatocytes proposed AICAR as a way to activate the kinase in intact cells2. The hepatocytes accumulated the monophosphate, ZMP, which reproduced both activating effects of AMP on AMPK, and unlike earlier methods the treatment left cellular ATP, ADP and AMP unchanged2. Activation was followed by inactivation of HMG-CoA reductase and an almost complete halt to fatty acid and sterol synthesis, and in isolated fat cells AICAR opposed lipolysis set off by isoprenaline2.
Muscle and endurance in rodents
Merrill and colleagues perfused rat hindlimbs with AICAR in 19973. AMPK in the muscle was activated, acetyl-CoA carboxylase was inactivated and malonyl-CoA fell, and fatty acid oxidation rose 2.8-fold with a significant increase in glucose uptake, while oxygen uptake did not change3. The paper that made AICAR known outside biochemistry came eleven years later. Narkar and colleagues reported that in sedentary mice, AICAR on its own induced metabolic genes and raised treadmill running endurance by 44%4. The same study found that a PPAR-delta agonist combined with exercise training increased oxidative muscle fibres and endurance4. PPAR-delta agonists such as GW501516 are covered in the Cardarine (GW501516) guide.
Leukaemia cells and heart surgery
In cells from 70 patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, acadesine induced apoptosis in every sample, through a caspase-dependent route that appeared not to depend on p535. Blocking nucleoside transport or adenosine kinase prevented both the apoptosis and the phosphorylation of AMPK, so the compound had to enter the cell and be converted to ZMP to act5. Normal B lymphocytes were as sensitive as the leukaemic cells, while T cells were only slightly affected5. Acadesine was first developed as a drug for heart surgery. RED-CABG, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial run at 300 sites in 7 countries, tested it in intermediate- to high-risk patients having on-pump coronary bypass surgery, with death, stroke or severe left ventricular dysfunction within 28 days as the main outcome6. The AICAR guide reports that the trial enrolled 3,080 patients and failed, and that acadesine has never been approved for any indication.
What is not established
Corton’s 1995 paper put a question mark after the word specific in its title2, and the question has not gone away: the guide reviews knockout studies in which some effects of AICAR persisted without AMPK. Most of the findings above come from perfused tissue, isolated cells and mice. The human record consists of hospital trials in surgery and leukaemia, none of which led to an approval, and no human endurance or performance study of AICAR has been published. None of the studies used PrymaLab material.
The AICAR (Acadesine) guide covers the literature in more depth.
How each lot is tested
Every lot is tested in PrymaLab’s own laboratory in Ashland, Kentucky before release: RP-HPLC for purity, LC-MS for identity, Karl Fischer titration for water, LAL for endotoxin and USP <71> for sterility. The results for the lot now shipping are in the certificate panel on this page, and the certificate number, key and QR code can be checked on the verify page. These are in-house results from PrymaLab Analytical, not an independent test, and the lab is not accredited to ISO 17025. The third-party testing guarantee on this page still applies: if any independent laboratory finds the wrong compound, or less than the stated purity or amount, the order is refunded and the cost of the test is reimbursed.
Frequently asked questions
Is AICAR a peptide?
No. AICAR (acadesine) is a nucleoside, a ribose sugar joined to an imidazole base, with a theoretical mass of 258.2 Da, and it contains no amino acids. It is sold alongside peptides and handled much like a freeze-dried peptide, but its chemistry is that of a nucleoside.
What does the lot certificate show for this vial?
The certificate panel on this page covers the lot now shipping: RP-HPLC purity, an LC-MS mass to compare with the theoretical 258.2 Da, water content, endotoxin and sterility. Match the lot number on the vial to the certificate, then confirm the certificate by number and key on the verify page.
How should the vial be stored?
Keep the sealed vial at −20 °C, desiccated and away from light, as the certificate states. Let it reach room temperature before opening so moisture does not condense on the powder. Once dissolved, keep the solution at 2 to 8 °C, protected from light, for a period your laboratory has established.
How is this vial different from the AICAR pen?
Both contain 50 mg of the same compound. The vial holds dry powder that stays frozen until the lab dissolves it at a concentration of its choosing. The pen holds 3 mL of ready-made solution in bacteriostatic water, kept at 2 to 8 °C and never frozen.
What does the research show, and what is missing?
Cell and rodent studies show AICAR being converted to ZMP and activating AMPK, shifting muscle towards fatty acid oxidation, and a 2008 mouse study reported longer running endurance. Human trials in heart surgery and leukaemia produced no approval, and no human performance study exists.
Can AICAR be used in people or animals?
No. It is sold for laboratory research only, is not approved by the FDA or any other authority for any use, and must not be given to people or animals. AICAR is also on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list.
References
- Hardie DG, Carling D. The AMP-activated protein kinase–fuel gauge of the mammalian cell?. Eur J Biochem. 1997;246(2):259-73. DOI · PubMed
- Corton JM, Gillespie JG, Hawley SA, et al. 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside. A specific method for activating AMP-activated protein kinase in intact cells?. Eur J Biochem. 1995;229(2):558-65. DOI · PubMed
- Merrill GF, Kurth EJ, Hardie DG, et al. AICA riboside increases AMP-activated protein kinase, fatty acid oxidation, and glucose uptake in rat muscle. Am J Physiol. 1997;273(6):E1107-12. DOI · PubMed
- Narkar VA, Downes M, Yu RT, et al. AMPK and PPARdelta agonists are exercise mimetics. Cell. 2008;134(3):405-15. DOI · PubMed
- Campàs C, Lopez JM, Santidrián AF, et al. Acadesine activates AMPK and induces apoptosis in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells but not in T lymphocytes. Blood. 2003;101(9):3674-80. DOI · PubMed
- Newman MF, Ferguson TB, White JA, 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;308(2):157-64. DOI · PubMed
Research use only
For laboratory research use only. AICAR 50MG is not a drug, food, cosmetic or dietary supplement, is not approved by the FDA or any comparable authority for human or veterinary use, and must not be given to people or animals. It is sold to qualified researchers and institutions, and the buyer is responsible for lawful handling and disposal.
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