Name: AICAR
Brand: Lilipeptide
SKU: LILI-aicar
Price: 63.00 USD
Availability: InStock

AICAR at a glance

AICAR is a small molecule, not a peptide. The acronym strictly refers to 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide, an intermediate in purine biosynthesis, but in research catalogues it almost always denotes the cell-permeable nucleoside, also called AICA riboside or acadesine. That compound has the formula C9H14N4O5 and a molecular weight of about 258.2 g/mol. It is usually supplied as a white crystalline or lyophilized powder, and its literature spans several decades of metabolic research.

Price and availability

This is Lilipeptide‘s listing, dispatched from China. It is listed at $63.00. As with every order here, the brand is paid only after you confirm delivery.

This listing: Lilipeptide AICAR

Brand: Lilipeptide
Also sold by: TFC Peptides 50mg $65.00

Lab testing

There is no public lab report for this listing yet. We can ask the brand for the batch COA before you order. Many buyers also split an independent HPLC test with others who bought the same batch.

Request the batch COA · How group testing works

Bought through escrow: the brand is only paid after you confirm delivery. If the parcel never arrives, or an independent test shows the wrong compound or a significant under-fill, open a claim before releasing payment.

What it is studied for

Once inside cells, taken up through adenosine transporters, AICA riboside is phosphorylated by adenosine kinase to ZMP. ZMP mimics AMP and activates AMP-activated protein kinase, the cellular energy sensor, without changing the cell's actual energy status. AMPK activation in muscle and liver is associated with increased glucose uptake and fatty-acid oxidation and reduced lipid synthesis. Because ZMP also affects other AMP-sensitive enzymes and purine metabolism, a number of effects once attributed to AMPK have since been observed in AMPK-deficient cells, so results using AICAR alone are interpreted cautiously.

Research and regulatory status

AICAR has been a workhorse laboratory tool for decades. A much-cited mouse study described it as an exercise mimetic after reporting greater running endurance in sedentary animals, which drew attention from sport. As acadesine, it was tested clinically for heart protection during coronary bypass surgery and later in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, without gaining approval. It is prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Code as a metabolic modulator.

Checking the lab data

As a small molecule, AICAR calls for chemical rather than peptide-style checks. HPLC purity should be stated, and mass spectrometry should match the riboside's expected mass near 258 Da. A thorough report specifies whether the material is the riboside or the phosphorylated ribotide, which differ in mass and cell permeability. NMR or comparison with a reference standard strengthens identity. Expect a white powder, with batch number and test date.

This listing has no third-party report on file yet. The lab reports directory and the marketplace show which brands do publish testing.

Listing details

Compound: AICAR
Sold by: Lilipeptide
Ships from: China
Lab report: Not yet published

Storage and preparation

Keep it sealed, at the temperature printed on the label and out of direct light; anything with a damaged seal or cloudy contents should be discarded.

Buyer questions

Why is AICAR listed alongside peptides if it is not one?

Research marketplaces group compounds by the kind of studies they appear in rather than by chemical class. AICAR is frequently discussed in metabolic and exercise-physiology research alongside peptides, so it sits in the same catalogue. Its analysis, storage behavior and literature are those of a nucleoside, not a peptide.

Is AICAR a specific AMPK activator?

Not entirely. Its active metabolite ZMP binds AMPK but also influences other AMP-regulated enzymes and purine pathways. Studies using AMPK-knockout cells have shown that some AICAR effects persist without the kinase. Researchers therefore often pair it with more selective direct activators or genetic models before attributing a finding to AMPK.

When does Lilipeptide get paid?

Only after you confirm delivery. Until then the payment is held in escrow, and you can open a claim if anything is wrong with the order.

Supplied for laboratory research only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not a substitute for any prescription medicine. Nothing on this page is medical advice.