Hemicholinium-3
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| Other names | 2-[4-[4-(2-hydroxy-4,4-dimethylmorpholin-4-ium-2-yl)phenyl]phenyl]-4,4-dimethylmorpholin-4-ium-2-ol |
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| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.005.663 |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C24H34N2O42+ |
| Molar mass | 414.546 g·mol−1 |
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Hemicholinium-3 (HC3), also known as hemicholine, is a drug which blocks the reuptake of choline by the high-affinity choline transporter (ChT; encoded in humans by the gene SLC5A7) at the presynapse. The reuptake of choline is the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of acetylcholine; hence, hemicholinium-3 decreases the synthesis of acetylcholine. It is therefore classified as an indirect acetylcholine antagonist.
Acetylcholine is synthesized from choline and a donated acetyl group from acetyl-CoA, by the action of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). Thus, decreasing the amount of choline available to a neuron will decrease the amount of acetylcholine produced. Neurons affected by hemicholinium-3 must rely on the transport of choline from the soma (cell body), rather than relying on reuptake of choline from the synaptic cleft.