Ligandrol

ID: ligandrol

Aliases: LGD-4033, VK5211, Anabolicum

Type: compound

Route/form: oral investigational drug in published studies

Status: investigational_or_research

Evidence level: early human

Best data tier: early human + case-report/safety

Support scope: human, non-human/mechanistic, review/regulatory

Source types: case_report, early_human, preclinical, safety_review

Linked sources: 7

Broad outcomes: Fat loss / metabolic health, Muscle growth / performance / recovery, PEDs / AAS / thermogenics, Safety / regulatory

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• androgen receptor modulator
• nonsteroidal SARM

Optimization domains

• SARM
• muscle wasting
• body composition
• bone
• doping

Research basis

• A placebo-controlled 21-day study in healthy men found dose-dependent lean-mass increases, making LGD-4033 one of the few SARMs with direct healthy-human body-composition data.
• Ovariectomized-rat muscle data provide adjacent tissue-effect support, and the entry is useful for comparing high-dose forum claims with studied exposure windows.
• Because it is common in gray-market cycles, it needs both the lean-mass signal and the liver/endocrine counter-evidence on the same page.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• The human study was short and surrogate-focused; it did not establish long-term performance, fertility, cardiovascular, liver, or recovery safety.
• Recent male-rat data report endurance, lipid, and hormonal downsides, and case reports link LGD-4033/off-label SARM exposure to drug-induced liver injury.
• Dose escalation and stacking with MK-677, RAD140, AAS, SERMs, or stimulants move far outside the controlled evidence.

Risk flags

• investigational
• sarm class risk
• endocrine suppression possible
• liver injury reports
• lipid risk
• doping
• short surrogate trial

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects of LGD-4033 in healthy young men
   early_human / pubmed_lgd4033_healthy_men_2013
   Placebo-controlled 21-day ascending-dose study in healthy men.
2. LGD-4033 and MK-677 use impacts body composition and circulating biomarkers
   case_report / pubmed_lgd_mk677_case_report_2022
   Self-administration case report with body composition, lipid, liver enzyme, and hormone changes.
3. LiverTox: Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators
   safety_review / ncbi_livertox_sarms_2025
   NCBI LiverTox overview of SARM-associated liver injury and case literature.
4. Ostarine and Ligandrol Improve Muscle Tissue in an Ovariectomized Rat Model
   preclinical / pubmed_ostarine_ligandrol_ovx_rat_2020
   Ovariectomized-rat muscle source for ostarine and ligandrol; supports tissue effect biology but not healthy male cycle outcomes.
5. Ligandrol lowers endurance and negatively affects lipid and hormonal profile of male rats
   preclinical / pubmed_ligandrol_endurance_lipids_hormones_rat_2025
   Male-rat study reporting endurance, lipid, and hormonal downsides; useful counterweight to lean-mass-only SARM claims.
6. LGD-4033 and a Case of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Exploring the Clinical Implications of Off-Label Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator Use in Healthy Adults
   case_report / pubmed_ligandrol_dili_case_2024
   Healthy-adult LGD-4033 DILI case report; supports liver-risk caution in off-label SARM use.
7. Drug-Induced Liver Injury Associated With Alpha Bolic (RAD-140) and Alpha Elite (RAD-140 and LGD-4033)
   case_report / pubmed_rad_lgd_dili_case_2020
   Case report involving RAD-140 and RAD-140/LGD-4033 product exposure; useful for SARM liver-risk context.