What is the difference between AICAR and Glutathione?

AICAR: AICAR (acadesine / AICA riboside) is a purine nucleoside analog and AMP-mimetic — not a peptide — that activates AMPK. Studied in registered human trials under the name acadesine (for cardioprotection... Glutathione: Glutathione is an endogenous tripeptide (gamma-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine) that serves as the principal intracellular antioxidant in mammalian cells. It is not FDA-approved as a drug in the US; pa...

What does the research say about AICAR vs Glutathione?

AICAR: As acadesine, AICAR was tested in registered human trials by IV infusion: the large RED-CABG cardioprotection trial (JAMA 2012) was stopped for futility, and a Phase I/II study in relapsed/refractory CLL established 210 mg/kg IV as the optimal dose. No human trial evaluated AICAR for exercise, fat loss, or longevity, and no validated non-IV dosing… Glutathione: A randomized, double-blind pilot trial (Hauser et al., Movement Disorders, 2009, PMID 19230029) tested IV glutathione 1,400 mg three times weekly for 4 weeks in Parkinson's disease (n=21); it was well tolerated but did NOT show a statistically significant effect on UPDRS scores. A large randomized trial of inhaled glutathione (646 mg every 12 hours…

AICAR vs Glutathione

Q: Can you stack AICAR and Glutathione?

AICAR (metabolic) and Glutathione (immune) are in different categories and are sometimes researched together in combined protocols. Consult a licensed provider before combining any compounds.

Head-to-head comparison of AICAR and Glutathione — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.

AICAR

AICAR (acadesine / AICA riboside) is a purine nucleoside analog and AMP-mimetic — not a peptide — that activates AMPK. Studied in registered human trials under the name acadesine (for cardioprotection and leukemia, not performance), it is not FDA-approved for any indication and is WADA-prohibited at all times. It is sold on the gray market as an "exercise mimetic."

Profile Prices Testing

Glutathione

Glutathione is an endogenous tripeptide (gamma-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine) that serves as the principal intracellular antioxidant in mammalian cells. It is not FDA-approved as a drug in the US; parenteral glutathione is used off-label (and in some compounding settings) for oxidative stress, hepatic support, and — controversially — skin lightening. The FDA has warned against injectable glutathione for skin lightening (2019) due to reports of serious adverse events.

Profile Prices Testing

AICAR

Glutathione

Category

Metabolic

Immune

Legal Status

Research Only

Mechanism

AICAR is taken into cells and phosphorylated to ZMP, an AMP-mimetic that allosterically activates AMPK (binding the γ-subunit CBS domains and protecting Thr172 from dephosphorylation). Because ZMP can reach millimolar levels, AICAR also has substantial AMPK-independent effects on other AMP-sensitive enzymes and nucleotide metabolism (Visnjic et al., 2021). In sedentary mice, 4 weeks of AICAR increased treadmill endurance ~44% (Narkar et al., Cell 2008).

Glutathione cycles between reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) forms, donating electrons to reactive oxygen species via glutathione peroxidase. It serves as a cofactor for glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) in Phase II detoxification, maintains reduced protein thiols, supports T-cell proliferation and NK cell cytotoxicity, and regenerates vitamins C and E. Proposed skin-lightening activity is attributed to inhibition of tyrosinase and a shift from eumelanin toward phaeomelanin synthesis, though clinical evidence is limited and largely from small Asian dermatology trials.

Side Effects

In supervised IV trials: hyperuricemia (managed with allopurinol), transient creatinine elevation, infusion-related hypotension, mild transient anemia/thrombocytopenia
The large RED-CABG cardioprotection trial was stopped for futility — no demonstrated benefit

Where Researchers Are Buying

Live · updated daily

COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower

AICAR

Best $/mg

$0.800/mg

Kimera ChemsC

2 trusted vendors listing

Compare all 2 vendors

Glutathione

Best $/mg

$0.023/mg

Peptide Supply Co.B

11 trusted vendors listing

Compare all 11 vendors

Lab Verification

COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.

AICAR

COAs

99.3%

Avg purity

Labs

Full testing data

Glutathione

COAs

99.5%

Avg purity

Labs

Full testing data

AICAR Research Summary

As acadesine, AICAR was tested in registered human trials by IV infusion: the large RED-CABG cardioprotection trial (JAMA 2012) was stopped for futility, and a Phase I/II study in relapsed/refractory CLL established 210 mg/kg IV as the optimal dose. No human trial evaluated AICAR for exercise, fat loss, or longevity, and no validated non-IV dosing exists. Not FDA-approved; not a peptide.

Key references

Glutathione Research Summary

A randomized, double-blind pilot trial (Hauser et al., Movement Disorders, 2009, PMID 19230029) tested IV glutathione 1,400 mg three times weekly for 4 weeks in Parkinson's disease (n=21); it was well tolerated but did NOT show a statistically significant effect on UPDRS scores. A large randomized trial of inhaled glutathione (646 mg every 12 hours for 6 months) in cystic fibrosis (Griese et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2013, PMID 23631796) did not demonstrate clinically relevant improvements in lung function, exacerbations, or quality of life. Oral glutathione has poor bioavailability due to GI degradation, driving investigation of IV, nebulized, liposomal, and sublingual delivery. The FDA issued a 2019 warning about compounded sterile injectable glutathione made from dietary-grade ingredient, citing adverse-event reports (including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and kidney dysfunction) particularly in the context of unregulated IV skin-lightening use.

Key references

Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson's disease (Hauser et al., Movement Disorders) (2009)

Can you stack AICAR and Glutathione?

AICAR (Metabolic) and Glutathione (Immune) are in different categories and target different biological pathways. This is a common pattern in multi-compound research protocols. Researchers should monitor the biomarkers from both profiles and watch for interactions listed in each compound’s contraindications. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before combining any research compounds.

Other comparisons

Glutathione vs MOTS-c AICAR vs MOTS-c AOD-9604 vs Glutathione AICAR vs AOD-9604 5-Amino-1MQ vs Glutathione 5-Amino-1MQ vs AICAR Glutathione vs NAD+AICAR vs NAD+

This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.