Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of Ligandrol (LGD-4033) and YK-11 — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033) is a nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) of the substituted pyrrolidinyl-benzonitrile chemotype. It has been tested in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials for muscle wasting and hip-fracture recovery but has no FDA-approved medical use anywhere. LGD-4033 is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under WADA Prohibited List section S1.2, “Other Anabolic Agents” (SARMs class). It is sold online as an unregulated “research chemical” of unverified purity and dose.
YK-11 is a synthetic steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) — a 19-nor DHT-derived analog with a spiro-dioxolane modification at C-17, structurally distinct from non-steroidal SARMs. It is not FDA-approved for any human use and is prohibited in competitive sport; anti-doping laboratories actively screen for YK-11 metabolites. No human safety, tolerability, or efficacy trials exist; the only published human study administered deuterated YK-11 solely to identify urinary metabolites for doping-control method development.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
YK-11
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
No pricing data yet.
Check Ligandrol (LGD-4033) prices →YK-11
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
2
COAs
99.4%
Avg purity
1
Labs
YK-11
3
COAs
99.2%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Human data are limited to investigational trials and case reports; no approved medical use exists. A Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Basaria et al. 2013, N=76 healthy men aged 21–50) tested 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/day for 21 days and found dose-dependent increases in lean body mass, with dose-dependent suppression of testosterone, SHBG, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides that normalized after stopping. A Phase 2 trial (VK5211, N=108 hip-fracture-recovery patients, 0.5–2.0 mg/day for 12 weeks) reported via press release placebo-adjusted lean-mass increases of 4.8–9.1% with no drug-related serious adverse events; this result has not been peer-reviewed. Published case reports document severe cholestatic hepatitis (total bilirubin 35.0 mg/dL) in a 32-year-old male after ∼10 mg/day for ∼2 weeks—a dose 10–100× higher than trial doses—and marked testosterone suppression (−62.3%), elevated liver enzymes (ALT +205%, AST +96%), and adverse lipid changes in a 25-year-old male using 10 mg/day for 5 weeks; both cases involved unsupervised gray-market product. In ovariectomized rats (osteoporosis model), oral LGD-4033 at 0.04–4 mg/kg/day for 5 weeks increased muscle capillary density at all doses, elevated oxidative enzymes at intermediate doses, and increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area at the highest dose, but also increased intramuscular fat and uterine weight at 4 mg/kg, indicating loss of tissue selectivity at high exposure.
Key references
No human safety, tolerability, or efficacy trials exist for YK-11. The only published human study administered six-fold deuterated YK-11 to volunteers solely to identify urinary metabolites for anti-doping method development; no intact parent compound was recovered in urine, and 14 metabolites (unconjugated, glucuronidated, sulfated) were characterized. In vitro (mouse C2C12 myoblasts), YK-11 (1–500 nM) increased myosin heavy chain and myogenic regulatory factor expression more strongly than equimolar DHT and uniquely induced follistatin, a pathway necessary for its pro-differentiation effect. In vivo (mouse model of gram-negative bacterial sepsis), YK-11 reduced circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines and organ-damage markers, decreased sepsis mortality, and was associated with protection against sepsis-induced muscle wasting.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033) and YK-11 are both in the Performance category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs