AICAR

Buy AICAR at Pepcore: AICAR as lyophilized powder (50 mg), ≥99% HPLC purity, dispatched from the Netherlands the same business day. AICAR is a lab-made molecule that switches on AMPK, the enzyme cells use as their energy sensor. In research it is known as an exercise mimetic: it reproduces the signal muscle gets from training, which is why it is used in endurance, fat-oxidation and glucose-uptake models.

Buy AICAR: key facts

• Available amounts: 50 mg
• Purity: ≥99% by HPLC – certificate of analysis (HPLC and MS) on request
• Form: Lyophilized powder
• Price: from €79.00
• Dispatch: same business day from the Netherlands when paid before 14:00 CET (Mon–Sat)
• Shipping: tracked across Europe – free from €250
• Payment: SEPA bank transfer or crypto (USDC, USDT, Bitcoin)

AICAR at a glance

AICAR is studied for what AMPK activation does to muscle, liver and fat cells, with published work showing it raises running endurance and fatty-acid burning in laboratory models without any training (Narkar et al., 2008, Cell).

Research Applications

• Studied in endurance and exercise-mimetic models
• Relevant in research on fat oxidation and glucose uptake
• Examined in mitochondrial biogenesis and muscle-fibre studies
• Applied in AMPK and energy-metabolism signalling work

Supplied as a lyophilized powder for stability.

What is AICAR?

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the master energy sensor of the cell. When ATP falls and AMP rises, AMPK switches cells from storing energy to producing it, driving glucose uptake, fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial growth. Researchers needed a clean way to switch it on in the laboratory.

AICAR was established as that tool in the mid-1990s. Once inside the cell it is phosphorylated to ZMP, which mimics AMP and activates AMPK without changing the cell's ATP, ADP, or AMP levels, so observed effects can be attributed to the kinase itself.

This selectivity made AICAR a reference compound across metabolic, muscle, and exercise-physiology research. Studies with it helped map how AMPK reprograms skeletal muscle toward an oxidative, endurance-type profile, work that gave rise to the term exercise mimetic.

AICAR: structure and specifications

AICAR in laboratory research

Conversion to ZMP

AICAR crosses the cell membrane and is phosphorylated by adenosine kinase to ZMP (AICA ribotide). ZMP mimics AMP at the regulatory γ-subunit of AMPK, activating the kinase without altering cellular ATP or ADP levels in research models.

Glucose Uptake and Fatty Acid Oxidation

Active AMPK phosphorylates acetyl-CoA carboxylase, lowering malonyl-CoA and releasing the brake on fatty acid entry into mitochondria. In muscle models this is paired with increased GLUT4 translocation and insulin-independent glucose uptake.

Mitochondrial Biogenesis

Sustained AMPK activation raises PGC-1α and nuclear respiratory factor-1 activity, increasing mitochondrial enzymes such as citrate synthase and cytochrome c in skeletal-muscle studies.

Exercise-Mimetic Gene Programming

AMPK signaling, in concert with PPARδ, shifts muscle fibers toward an oxidative, endurance-type profile, which in laboratory models has translated into greater running endurance without training.

Conclusion

AICAR is a well-characterized nucleoside analogue that gives researchers direct pharmacological control over AMPK, the cell's central energy sensor. By linking a single, defined trigger to downstream changes in substrate use, mitochondrial content, and muscle gene expression, it provides a versatile tool for weight-management, metabolic, and exercise-physiology research.

Reconstitution and storage

AICAR is supplied as a lyophilized powder in a sealed glass vial. In the laboratory it is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water, added slowly down the inside of the vial and swirled gently until dissolved – never shaken. Our peptide calculator works out the concentration for your vial size, and the reconstitution guide explains each step.

Keep unopened vials cool, dry and away from light – frozen at −20 °C for long-term storage. Once reconstituted, keep the solution at 2–8 °C; our peptide stability guide lists typical shelf lives.

Buy AICAR from Pepcore: shipping and payment

Orders paid before 14:00 CET (Monday–Saturday) leave our Netherlands warehouse the same business day in discreet, tracked packaging. Delivery takes 1–2 business days to the Netherlands and Belgium, 2–7 to Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Luxembourg and 3–8 to the rest of the EU; the UK, Switzerland and Norway take 5–10 days plus customs. Shipping costs from €8.49 and is free from €250 – see our shipping policy.

When you buy AICAR at Pepcore you pay by SEPA bank transfer – we email you our bank details right after your order – or with crypto: USDC or USDT on Polygon, USDC on Base, or Bitcoin. No customer account and no card details are needed.

Frequently asked questions

Scientific references

• Corton JM et al. (1995). 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside. A specific method for activating AMP-activated protein kinase in intact cells? European Journal of Biochemistry. PubMed
• Merrill GF et al. (1997). AICA riboside increases AMP-activated protein kinase, fatty acid oxidation, and glucose uptake in rat muscle. American Journal of Physiology. PubMed
• Winder WW et al. (2000). Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase increases mitochondrial enzymes in skeletal muscle. Journal of Applied Physiology. PubMed
• Narkar VA et al. (2008). AMPK and PPARdelta agonists are exercise mimetics. Cell. PubMed

More studies: PubMed: AICAR

Ready to buy AICAR? Choose your amount above – orders paid before 14:00 CET ship the same day, and shipping is free from €250. For questions about AICAR or a larger research order, write to us at info@pepcore.net.