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AICAR (acadesine): dosage in studies

Updated 15 Oct 2026 Author: About 2 min read Drafted with the help of AI; sources and claims checked separately.

Not a recommendation, not treatment guidance. This page shows only what published human studies used, with sources. This site does not say how much anyone should use of any substance. Fimea warns against using injectable peptides bought online: Fimea warning.

AICAR, or acadesine, has no marketing authorisation in the EU [11]regulator, and WADA bans it at all times (S4.4.1) [12]regulator.

In humans, acadesine was given into a vein under study conditions per kilogram of body weight: in heart surgery as a seven-hour infusion [1, 2, 3]A, in leukaemia as a four-hour infusion [7]B and in metabolic experiments as an infusion of a few hours [8, 9]B.

Doses used in studies

Doses used in published human studies. Not a recommendation.
StudyParticipantsDoseFrequencyDurationSource and level
McSPI 1995 (randomised, placebo) 633 bypass surgery patients 0.05 or 0.1 mg/kg per minute into a vein; also in the heart's protective solution at 5 µg/ml Continuous infusion during surgery 7 hours [1]A
Menasché 1995 (randomised, placebo) 821 bypass surgery patients 0.1 mg/kg per minute into a vein; also in the heart's protective solution at 5 µg/ml Continuous infusion 7 hours [2]A
RED-CABG 2012 (randomised, placebo) 3,080 intermediate- to high-risk bypass surgery patients 0.1 mg/kg per minute into a vein; also in the heart's protective solution Continuous infusion, started just before anaesthesia 7 hours [3]A
Holdright 1994 (randomised, placebo, crossover) 12 patients with stable exercise-induced chest pain 6, 12, 24 and 48 mg/kg into a vein Single doses on separate study days Infusion started 30 minutes before the exercise test and continued through recovery [4]A
Dixon 1991 (placebo, randomisation not described) Healthy men; 4 on the substance and 2 on placebo per dose level 10, 25, 50 and 100 mg/kg into a vein and by mouth Single doses, one-week break between the vein and mouth doses Single dose [5]B
Dixon 1993 4 healthy men 25 mg/kg labelled acadesine into a vein as a 15-minute infusion Single dose 2 weeks of follow-up [6]B
Van Den Neste 2013 (phase 1/2, open) 24 patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 50-315 mg/kg into a vein as a four-hour infusion; maximum tolerated dose 210 mg/kg Single dose (18 patients); 210 mg/kg twice (3) or five times (3) Not reported in the abstract [7]B
Babraj 2009 22 men: 6 young, 8 older and 8 with type 2 diabetes 10 or 20 mg/kg per hour into a vein Continuous infusion 3 hours [8]B
Boon 2008 10 men with type 2 diabetes, age about 64 0.75 mg/kg per minute into a vein; saline as comparison Continuous infusion Not reported in the abstract [9]B

Evidence levels: regulator = a regulator's assessment or decision, not research evidence · A = randomised human trial or meta-analysis · B = observational human study or case series · C = animal study · D = cell or laboratory study · E = not peer-reviewed

Units: µg = microgram, written mcg in the calculator. A milligram (mg) is a thousand times larger.

Notes

The heart surgery dose of 0.1 mg/kg per minute was the same in five randomised trials whose 4,043 patients were pooled in a meta-analysis [10]A.

Less than 5% of a solution taken by mouth was absorbed, and the half-life after a dose into a vein was about 1.4 hours [5]B.

In the leukaemia study the single doses were larger than the seven-hour heart surgery infusion dose, and the rise in uric acid resolved with preventive allopurinol [7]B [1]A.

What points the other way or is uncertain

The largest trial, RED-CABG, was stopped for futility: the primary outcome occurred in 5.0% of the placebo group and 5.1% of the acadesine group at 0.1 mg/kg per minute [3]A.

At four doses of 6-48 mg/kg, exercise-induced chest pain did not change consistently compared with placebo [4]A.

In the leukaemia study the reported adverse events included kidney impairment and clinically significant low blood pressure during the infusion [7]B.

More on this

Read the research yourself: sources

  1. Multicenter Study of Perioperative Ischemia (McSPI) Research Group. Effects of acadesine on the incidence of myocardial infarction and adverse cardiac outcomes after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Anesthesiology. 1995;83(4):658-673. PMID 7574044
  2. Menasché P, Jamieson WR, Flameng W, Davies MK. Acadesine: a new drug that may improve myocardial protection in coronary artery bypass grafting. Results of the first international multicenter study. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1995;110(4 Pt 1):1096-1106. PMID 7475138
  3. 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):157-164. PMID 22782417
  4. Holdright DR, Sparrow JL, Wright CL, Steiner J, Fox KM. Effect of acadesine, a new metabolic agent, on exercise-induced myocardial ischemia in chronic stable angina. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther. 1994;8(2):193-197. PMID 7918131
  5. Dixon R, Gourzis J, McDermott D, et al. AICA-riboside: safety, tolerance, and pharmacokinetics of a novel adenosine-regulating agent. J Clin Pharmacol. 1991;31(4):342-347. PMID 2037706
  6. Dixon R, Fujitaki J, Sandoval T, Kisicki J. Acadesine (AICA-riboside): disposition and metabolism of an adenosine-regulating agent. J Clin Pharmacol. 1993;33(10):955-958. PMID 8227467
  7. Van Den Neste E, Cazin B, Janssens A, et al. Acadesine for patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): a multicenter phase I/II study. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2013;71(3):581-591. PMID 23228986
  8. Babraj JA, Mustard K, Sutherland C, et al. Blunting of AICAR-induced human skeletal muscle glucose uptake in type 2 diabetes is dependent on age rather than diabetic status. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2009;296(5):E1042-E1048. PMID 19190259
  9. Boon H, Bosselaar M, Praet SF, et al. Intravenous AICAR administration reduces hepatic glucose output and inhibits whole body lipolysis in type 2 diabetic patients. Diabetologia. 2008;51(10):1893-1900. PMID 18709353
  10. Mangano DT. Effects of acadesine on myocardial infarction, stroke, and death following surgery. A meta-analysis of the 5 international randomized trials. JAMA. 1997;277(4):325-332. PMID 9002496
  11. European Medicines Agency. Medicine data (centrally authorised medicines, data set generated 14 Oct 2026): no product with acadesine as active substance. EMA
  12. World Anti-Doping Agency. 2026 Prohibited List, section S4.4.1: activators of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), e.g. AICAR. WADA

Doses are from the PubMed abstracts of the sources, read 15 Oct 2026. The WADA 2026 list was read on 15 Sep 2026.

Content is general information about research, not medical advice. If you have symptoms, contact a healthcare professional.