AICAR vs Neuropeptide S
Head-to-head comparison of AICAR (5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide Ribonucleotide (Acadesine)) and Neuropeptide S (Neuropeptide S) — benefits, dosing, side effects, research data, and where to buy.
Research Score
| Property | AICAR | Neuropeptide S |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Performance | Cognitive Enhancement |
| Full Name | 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide Ribonucleotide (Acadesine) | Neuropeptide S |
| Molecular Weight | 338.21 g/mol | 2203 Da |
| Half-Life | ~2-3 hours | Minutes to <1 hour |
| Amino Acids | Nucleoside analog | 20 |
| Typical Dose | — | Research-only; no validated human dose |
| Route | — | Intracerebroventricular/Intranasal |
| Purity | >99% | ≥98% |
| Studies Count | 180 | 28 |
| Research Status | Active Research | Pre-clinical |
AICAR Benefits
- ✓Increases endurance capacity, enhances fatty acid oxidation, promotes mitochondrial biogenesis, improves glucose uptake, cardioprotective effects
Neuropeptide S Benefits
- ✓anxiolysis
- ✓stress resilience
- ✓attention support
- ✓arousal modulation
AICAR Dosing
Research doses: 50-150 mg subcutaneously. Typically administered 30-60 minutes before physical activity in research settings.
Neuropeptide S Dosing
0.1-1 nmol i.c.v. in animal studies|intranasal research-only exploration|no established human protocol
AICAR Side Effects
- ⚠Potential hypoglycemia, lactic acidosis at high doses, injection site reactions. Banned by WADA as a metabolic modulator.
Neuropeptide S Side Effects
- ⚠sleep disruption
- ⚠headache
- ⚠jitteriness
Research Overview
AICAR
Salk Institute researchers demonstrated AICAR could increase endurance in sedentary mice by 44% without exercise training. Activates AMPK, triggering PGC-1α expression, mitochondrial biogenesis, and enhanced fatty acid β-oxidation.
Neuropeptide S
Animal studies suggest NPS can reduce anxiety-like behavior while altering wakefulness and alertness through the NPS receptor system. Human cognitive data are very limited, and it has no approved clinical indication.
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