SR9009 (Stenabolic): A Rev-ErbA Agonist for Circadian and Metabolic Research
SR9009 (Stenabolic) is a synthetic Rev-Erbα/β agonist developed at the Scripps Research Institute. By binding and activating the Rev-Erb nuclear receptors, SR9009 modulates the expression of genes involved in circadian rhythm regulation, lipid and glucose metabolism, and inflammatory signaling. In rodent studies, it produced dramatic improvements in endurance, reduced fat mass, lowered cholesterol, and improved anxiety and sleep metrics — generating enormous scientific interest despite a complete absence of human clinical data.
Mechanism: Rev-ErbA and the Circadian Metabolic Clock
Rev-Erbα and Rev-Erbβ are nuclear receptors that act as repressors of clock gene expression (specifically BMAL1) and metabolic gene expression in the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. By binding heme as a natural ligand and recruiting the NCoR/HDAC3 co-repressor complex, Rev-Erb receptors regulate circadian rhythm oscillation and lipogenic gene expression. SR9009 enhances this repressive activity, effectively silencing fat storage programs and upregulating mitochondrial biogenesis genes in skeletal muscle.
Key Research Findings in Animal Models
A landmark 2013 study by Woldt et al. in Nature Medicine demonstrated that SR9009 treatment in mice increased mitochondrial content in muscle, reduced body fat and plasma triglycerides, and dramatically improved exercise capacity — all without changes in food intake. [PMID: 23852339] Subsequent studies have explored SR9009 in metabolic disease models, cancer biology (Rev-Erb receptors regulate cell proliferation), and inflammatory conditions. SR9009 is also studied for circadian rhythm disruption, sleep disorder models, and anxiety.
SR9009 vs SR9011 vs Cardarine in Research Designs
SR9009 and its close analog SR9011 (which shows higher CNS penetration) are used to compare Rev-ErbA agonism across tissue compartments. For broader metabolic panel studies, researchers frequently include GW501516 (Cardarine) as a PPARδ-mechanism comparator. For studies combining metabolic and anabolic endpoints, RAD-140 or Ostarine are commonly added.
Chemyo SR9009 Products
For laboratory research use only.
