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 RAD-140 and YK-11 — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
RAD-140 (testolone) is a non-steroidal small-molecule selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) — not a peptide — developed by Radius Health. It is NOT FDA-approved for any indication. Grey-market use for bodybuilding is associated with documented drug-induced liver injury (hepatotoxicity), testosterone suppression, and adverse cardiovascular effects. It is a WADA-prohibited substance. It is tracked in peptide-research spaces because of overlapping grey-market performance use.
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.
RAD-140
YK-11
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Half-life
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
RAD-140
No pricing data yet.
Check RAD-140 prices →YK-11
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
RAD-140
No COA data yet.
Submit testing data →YK-11
3
COAs
99.2%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Miller et al. (2010, ACS Med Chem Lett) first described the design, synthesis, and preclinical characterization of RAD140 as a high-affinity tissue-selective AR agonist. Jayaraman et al. (2014, Endocrinology) demonstrated neuroprotection in cultured neurons and kainate-lesioned rats. LoRusso et al. (2022, Clinical Breast Cancer) reported the first-in-human Phase 1 dose-escalation in ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer (MTD 100 mg/day); efficacy was modest and hepatic AEs were frequent (AST 59%, ALT 46%, bilirubin 27%), and development did not progress to approval. Leung et al. (2022, Ochsner Journal) and subsequent case series document severe cholestatic drug-induced liver injury from grey-market RAD-140 use. Van Wagoner et al. (2017, JAMA) showed that only ~52% of internet-marketed SARM products contained the labeled compound, compounding grey-market risk. FDA has issued public warnings that SARMs are not safe for human consumption, and RAD-140 is banned by WADA. No FDA approval pathway is currently established.
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.
RAD-140 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