Ligandrol

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

Related by research scope · open each to compare

LGD-4033 has no FDA-approved indication and is not listed under the Controlled Substances Act. It is classified as an unapproved new drug; marketing or selling it for human use, including as a dietary supplement or performance enhancer, is unlawful under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The FDA has stated that LGD-4033 is not a legitimate dietary supplement ingredient. Research-use-only (RUO) supply to qualified laboratories occupies a grey area but does not confer any authorisation for clinical or human use.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Ligandrol

Origin

Synthetic small molecule developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the early 2000s as an investigational treatment for muscle wasting, cachexia, and osteoporosis. Development rights were later acquired by Viking Therapeutics, which has continued Phase 2 evaluation under the code VK5211 (LGD-4033 under an alternative trade name). The compound has never received regulatory approval for any indication.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

44137686

CAS

1165910-22-4

InChIKey

OPSIVAKKLQRWKC-VXGBXAGGSA-N

DrugBank

DB13934

ChEMBL

CHEMBL5170587

Molecular formula

C14H12F6N2O

Molar mass

338.25 g/mol

Monoisotopic

338.08538198 Da

InChIKey

OPSIVAKKLQRWKC-VXGBXAGGSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white crystalline powder

Solubility

Poorly soluble in water; soluble in DMSO (~10 mg/mL), ethanol, and PEG-based veh…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Stable as dry powder under recommended conditions; degrades under prolonged exposure to light, heat, and moisture. Reconstituted solutions should be used prompt

Vial sizes

null mg

Purity grades

≥98% / ≥99%

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• LGD-4033 binds the androgen receptor (AR) with high affinity (Ki ~0.9 nM) and acts as a full agonist in skeletal muscle and bone while exhibiting only partial agonistic activity in the prostate and sebaceous glands
• This tissue selectivity arises from its nonsteroidal pyrrolidinyl benzonitrile scaffold, which enables differential cofactor recruitment relative to endogenous androgens, activating AR-dependent anabolic gene programmes in muscle without equivalent androgenic stimulation in reproductive tissues
• The compound is orally bioavailable with linear, dose-proportional pharmacokinetics across a studied range of 0.1–1 mg/day; repeated administration leads to approximately threefold accumulation by day 21, consistent with its terminal half-life
• Emerging preclinical data suggest additional roles including androgen-receptor-mediated effects on pancreatic beta-cell function and glucose homeostasis, though these extend well beyond the primary anabolic mechanism

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

24–36 hours (human; Phase 1 data)

Clearance

Not formally published; dose-proportional AUC at day 21 ranged from 19 ng·day/mL (0.1 mg/day) to 238 ng·day/mL (1 mg/day) in healthy men

PK–PD note: Oral bioavailability is adequate for once-daily dosing. Accumulation factor ~3× at steady state (day 21 vs. day 1). Primary long-term urinary metabolite is a bishydroxylated species (LGD-LTM1) used as…

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• Vignali et al. 2023 — Systematic Review of Safety of SARMs in Healthy Adults (J Xenobiotics 13(2):17) — 33 studies (18 clinical trials + 15 case reports/series), N=2136 across four SARMs incl. LGD-4033 — the anchor for 'thin controlled-trial base vs a heavier DILI case-report literature.'
• Basaria et al. 2013 — Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of LGD-4033 in 76 healthy young men (J Gerontol A 68(1):87-95; PMID 22459616) — The one COMPLETED, peer-reviewed-published human RCT (68/76 completed). Reported by the trial: dose-dependent lean-body-mass gain (~1.21 kg at 1 mg/day over 21 days, p=.047), safe/well-tolerated with no drug-related serious adverse events, AST/ALT unchanged at trial doses (0.1–1 mg/day) — but reversible, dose-dependent suppression of total testosterone, SHBG and HDL. Attributed Layer-A trial finding, not a first-party efficacy/dosing claim.
• LiverTox (NIH/NIDDK) — Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators chapter — Assigns ligandrol a Category B hepatotoxicity likelihood ('likely cause of clinically apparent liver injury with jaundice'); notes self-sourced case doses of 4–30 mg/day vs 0.1–2.0 mg/day in the controlled trials. Last updated 2025-09-20.
• Barbara, Dhingra & Mindikoglu 2020 — Ligandrol (LGD-4033)-Induced Liver Injury (ACG Case Reports J; PMID 32637435) — Single-patient case report: biopsy-confirmed cholestatic hepatitis with jaundice in a previously healthy 32-year-old man after ~10 mg/day for ~2 weeks. A rare individual case report, not a population incidence.

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

In controlled Phase 1 conditions (1 mg/day, 21 days, pharmaceutical-grade compound), LGD-4033 was well-tolerated with no serious adverse events; minor reported effects included headache and dry mouth. Dose-dependent suppression of serum testosterone, FSH, SHBG, HDL cholesterol, a…

WADA status

Prohibited in-competition and out-of-competition under WADA Prohibited List Section S1.2 (Other Anabolic Agents). LGD-4033 is among six SARMs explicitly named o…

Dominant research route: Oral (PO) is the ONLY route used in both completed human trials — the Phase 1 study (Basaria et al. 2013; 76 healthy men, 21 days, 0.1–1 mg/day) and the Phase 2 VK5211/Viking Therapeutics study (108 hip-fracture patients, 12 weeks, 0.5–2 mg/day) — and the default route in preclinical efficacy work (oral gavage / medicated diet in rodents). A single published rat study used subcutaneous injection strictly as a laboratory dosing route in an endurance/hormonal model — not evidence LGD-4033 is developed or studied as a human injectable. No IM, IV, IP, intranasal, or topical study of LGD-4033 was found this pass.

The exclusive route in both completed human trials: Phase 1 RCT (Basaria et al. 2013; 76 healthy men 21–50, randomized to placebo or 0.1/0.3/1.0 mg/day for 21 days, dosed daily after an overnight fast) and Phase 2 RCT (VK5211/Viking Therapeutics; 108 patients recovering from hip fracture, 0.5/1.0/2.0 mg/day capsules each morning, 12 weeks). Also the route in rodent efficacy models (medicated diet; oral metabolic/glucose model 0.3–1 mg/kg/day).

Bioavailability: Basaria (2013) reports a prolonged elimination half-life of 24–36 h, linear/dose-proportional PK, and ~3-fold plasma accumulation by day 21 — but NO absolute oral bioavailability percentage (no IV comparator arm). The frequently-repeated 70% / 90% oral-bioavailability figures could not be confirmed from any primary source this pass.

Oral is the compound's sole clinically studied and developed route — an intrinsic property of the small-molecule scaffold, not a formulation workaround (unlike injectable/nasal peptides). Community/vendor material separately promotes holding the same oral liquid "sublingually"; no published PK study has tested this for LGD-4033 — an unverified Layer-B technique, not a distinct studied route. No human dosing implied.

Documented in one published rat study — an 8-week hormonal/endurance investigation that administered ligandrol by subcutaneous injection at 0.4 mg/kg (in DMSO/PEG-300), five times per week. Animal-only; no human SC study exists.

Bioavailability: No dedicated SC pharmacokinetic/bioavailability characterization — SC was the delivery route in an efficacy/endocrine study, not a PK study, so SC absorption/exposure kinetics are not established.

A laboratory-animal dosing route in a single peer-reviewed rat study, NOT evidence LGD-4033 is developed, approved, or clinically studied as a human injectable. Several US research-chemical vendors separately market an "injectable LGD-4033" liquid for laboratory research use only — a commercial-availability fact, not a studied route or a human-use endorsement.

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $0.110 · median $0.120 · p75 $0.200 · 12 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $0.100–$0.210/mg.

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$0

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Purity on the current market (researched)

Vendors marketing 'research use only' LGD-4033 typically advertise ≥97–99% HPLC purity with a COA (e.g. Sports Technology Labs 97.29% HPLC via MZ Biolabs; Iron Mountain Labz 99.8% HPLC first-party; Research Chemical ≥98% via MZ Biolabs) — vendor self-reported claims, not an independent percentile aggregate. The only independent analytical study found this pass (Van Wagoner et al. 2017, JAMA) chemically tested 44 online 'SARM'-labeled products and found only 52% (23/44) ACTUALLY contained any SARM (ostarine, LGD-4033, or andarine); no dedicated large-sample LGD-4033-only purity aggregate was located.

Independent labs cited for this compound

No FDA Class I/II/III product recall of an LGD-4033/Ligandrol product was found (2017–2026). As with other unapproved-drug research chemicals, FDA acts through warning letters, import detention, and criminal referral rather than formal recalls — reported honestly as an empty recall result, not invented.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Product marketed with human bodybuilding / 'mass builder' / 'physique enhancing' language on a site that also disclaims 'research use only' — the exact pattern behind the 2017 and 2025 FDA warning letters.
• Sold disguised as a 'dietary supplement' rather than labeled as an unapproved research chemical, masking regulatory status — the pattern in the Becker/Accelerated Genetix and Little/SARMTECH criminal cases.
• No batch-specific, lot-matched COA on request, or a COA/task-ID that doesn't resolve in the issuing lab's public database.
• Purity-only HPLC certificate with no LC-MS identity confirmation — cannot rule out an undeclared-substance substitution, the failure mode in roughly half of products in the 2017 JAMA SARM-category analysis.
• International shipments deliberately mislabeled as vitamins/supplements to evade customs detention — the stealth-shipping practice DOJ documented at SARMTECH.
• Price far below the finished-product market range for the advertised purity/mg (consistent with an underfilled or off-spec product).

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

Underdosing / mislabeling: Best available independent figure is SARM-CATEGORY, not Ligandrol-exclusive: Van Wagoner et al. 2017 (JAMA) found 48% (21/44) of purchased online 'SARM' products did NOT contain the labeled SARM (ostarine, LGD-4033, or andarine) — 9% had no active compound, others an undisclosed different substance; only 41% matched the labeled amount and 59% differed substantially from label (over- OR under-dosed). Treat 0.48 as a category-level authenticity upper bound, not an LGD-4033-only testing aggregate; no Finnrick/MZ-Biolabs-style LGD-4033-specific rollup was located this pass.

• FDA Import Alert 66-41 ('Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted in the U.S.') is the general unapproved-new-drug DWPE mechanism under which SARMs including LGD-4033 sold as research chemicals or bodybuilding products can fall. It operates via a firm/product-specific Red List (DWPE applies to marketers/products FDA places on the alert), not a categorical detention of the LGD-4033 molecule, and the alert does not name LGD-4033 by compound. An RUO label is not an import exemption — FDA/CBP judge actual intended use.66-41
• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

Prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under WADA's Prohibited List Section S1.2 'Other Anabolic Agents,' which names LGD-4033 (ligandrol) explicitly alongside other SARMs (andarine, enobosarm/ostarine, RAD140, S-23). No FDA-approved therapeutic use exists, so no Therapeutic Use Exemption pathway. Confirmed positive tests have drawn multi-year sanctions (e.g. a 3-year UCI suspension); a proven case of inadvertent non-doping contamination drew a 'No Fault or Negligence' finding with no suspension (ITA, Oct 2025) — a documented exception, not a change to the substance's prohibited status.

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• Survivorship / before-after bias — dramatic transformation photos over-shared vs quiet non-responders
• Peer-reviewed content-quality analysis found SARMs YouTube videos are frequently low-quality / low-reliability
• Documented influencer / social-media 'trickle-down' promotion effect drives interest independent of evidence
• Affiliate / vendor-incentive content dominates 'best SARM' and 'where to buy' guides
• Self-reported PCT/dosing threads assume the product taken was actually LGD-4033 at labeled dose — contamination studies show many 'SARM' products are mislabeled or substituted
• Platform-suppression effects (e.g. a mid-2021 TikTok hashtag ban on #SARMs / #Steroids, reported by Hahamyan et al.) push discussion toward less-moderated forums/YouTube rather than removing it

Manually researched from reddit, youtube— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

Toggle plain-language ↔ scientific in the header.

• How to read a COA
• Free base vs acetate
• Understanding evidence grades

Non-steroidal oral SARM (LGD-4033) with high androgen receptor affinity; investigational for muscle wasting and hip fracture; not approved; prohibited in sport. Approximately 24 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Not FDA-approved; not a scheduled controlled substance; sold only for research use. Research use only.

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