History

SR9009 was first described by Solt et al. (Nature, 2012) as a pyrrole-derivative synthetic agonist of the REV-ERB nuclear receptors (alongside its analog SR9011), developed as a research tool and candidate for circadian and metabolic disorders. Cell-based assays reported EC50 values in roughly the 670–800 nM range with selectivity over LXR. In diet-induced obese mice given the compound by intraperitoneal injection, it altered metabolic activity and reduced fat mass. Later work (Dierickx, PNAS 2019) showed substantial REV-ERB–independent effects, complicating the original mechanistic story.

Stenabolic (SR9009) is a synthetic REV-ERB agonist sold online as an “exercise mimetic” or “cardio in a bottle.” Despite being marketed alongside SARMs, it is not a peptide, not a hormone, not an androgen, and does not bind the androgen receptor. Its reputation rests almost entirely on mouse studies — and even those are confounded by poor oral bioavailability and off-target activity. There are no completed human trials establishing that it works or that it is safe.

What it is

SR9009 is a synthetic small-molecule agonist of the REV-ERB nuclear receptors (REV-ERBα/NR1D1 and REV-ERBβ/NR1D2), heme-binding transcriptional repressors central to the circadian clock and metabolic gene regulation. It is not a peptide, not a hormone, and not an androgen, and it is not a true SARM — it does not bind the androgen receptor — despite being sold in the same channels. It was first described by Solt et al. (Nature, 2012) as a pyrrole-derivative REV-ERB agonist, with cell-based EC50 values in the ~670–800 nM range and selectivity over LXR. Agonizing REV-ERB suppresses target genes such as the clock gene Bmal1 and genes in lipid/glucose handling, which in mice was associated with increased energy expenditure and reduced fat mass.

The claims

Marketers promote SR9009 as an “exercise mimetic” or “cardio in a bottle” for increased endurance and exercise capacity, plus fat loss, improved metabolic rate, better lipids, and improved glucose handling — frequently with a “non-hormonal / no side effects” pitch. These claims are largely extrapolated from mouse data and the original 2012 framing, not from human results.

What the evidence actually shows

No published, completed human clinical trials establish efficacy or safety of SR9009 for endurance, fat loss, or any indication. Human data are essentially absent.
Animal/preclinical only: the metabolic and circadian effects (Solt 2012) were seen in mice dosed by intraperitoneal injection — used precisely because oral exposure is very low. This directly undercuts oral “Stenabolic” capsules and liquids sold to consumers.
Off-target effects undermine the mechanism: Dierickx et al. (PNAS, 2019) found SR9009 retains substantial effects on cell proliferation and metabolism even in cells genetically lacking REV-ERBα/β. It is therefore not a clean REV-ERB probe, and some observed effects are not mediated by its named target.
A substantial oncology literature uses SR9009 in cancer cell lines (e.g., glioblastoma; Sulli 2018), but that is laboratory anticancer research — not evidence for fitness use.

Bottom line: weak-to-absent translational human evidence; promising mouse data that does not establish human benefit and is confounded by off-target activity and poor oral exposure.

Legal and regulatory status

SR9009 is an unapproved investigational drug with no FDA approval for any use.
SARMs and SARM-marketed compounds are not lawful dietary-supplement ingredients. The FDA has publicly warned that bodybuilding products containing SARMs are unapproved drugs (not legal supplements), citing risk of liver damage and increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and has issued warning letters to companies selling them.
DEA scheduling: SR9009 is not a DEA-controlled substance / not scheduled — it is not an anabolic steroid under the Controlled Substances Act. Federal “SARMs Control Act” efforts have targeted true androgen-receptor SARMs; no scheduling of SR9009 is asserted here.
For contrast: oxandrolone (Anavar) IS a controlled anabolic steroid (Schedule III) under the Anabolic Steroid Control Act and an FDA-approved prescription drug. SR9009 is categorically different — non-androgenic, unapproved, and unscheduled.

Anti-doping (WADA): SR9009 is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition), classified among Hormone and Metabolic Modulators (Section S4) as a metabolic modulator / REV-ERBα agonist. WADA’s exact sub-numbering has shifted across annual editions; recent lists group REV-ERB agonists, PPARδ agonists, and AMPK activators together under the metabolic-modulator subsection, and the substance has been banned since the mid-2010s. For context, GW-501516 (Cardarine), a PPARδ agonist often mis-marketed as a SARM, is also prohibited under S4; true SARMs (ostarine, andarine, LGD-4033, RAD-140) fall under S1.2 “Other Anabolic Agents.”

Safety

SR9009 specifically: human safety data are essentially nonexistent, so its long-term human risk is unknown rather than proven safe. The “no side effects” claim is unsupported. Combined with poor oral bioavailability and product adulteration, consumers often cannot know what they are actually ingesting.
GW-501516 (Cardarine) — a real, consequential finding about a different compound: long-term rodent carcinogenicity studies found it induced cancers in multiple organs, leading GlaxoSmithKline (with Ligand Pharmaceuticals) to halt development (~2007); WADA/USADA have issued explicit health warnings. GW-501516 is frequently stacked with or confused for SR9009, but this does not establish that SR9009 itself is carcinogenic.
True SARMs — class signals reported in humans/case reports (relevant because SR9009 is sold and “stacked” in the same channel): testosterone/HPG-axis suppression, hepatotoxicity (drug-induced liver injury, including cholestatic injury), and adverse lipid changes, notably HDL reductions. The FDA cites liver-damage risk and potential increased risk of heart attack and stroke for SARM-containing products.
Andarine (S-4) — a specific signal, distinct from SR9009: reversible vision/visual disturbances (yellowish tint, difficulty with night/light adaptation) are a recognized, frequently reported effect.
No robust human data tie SR9009 itself to QT prolongation or blindness; those are not asserted for SR9009. (Vision effects belong to andarine; carcinogenicity belongs to GW-501516.)

Bottom line

SR9009 is a non-peptide, non-androgenic REV-ERB agonist with intriguing mouse metabolic data but no credible human efficacy or safety evidence, poor oral bioavailability, and documented off-target activity that undermines the original mechanistic story. It is an unapproved drug, not a legal supplement, and is banned in sport at all times. The dramatic carcinogenicity story circulating in this space is real but belongs to a different compound (GW-501516); SR9009’s own human risk is uncharacterized.

Evidence grade: Animal only.