A cell- permeable activator of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a metabolic sensor involved in both cellular and whole body energy homeostasis. In vivo, pharmacologic activation of AMPK with AICAR mimics exercise and triggers insulin-independent glucose uptake by skeletal muscle. AICAR is able to activate the molecular circuitry of pluripotency in mESC and to induce the expression of several key regulators of pluripotency in somatic cells.