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File:Acetylcholine-skeletal-formula.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ180623· pop 64· linked from 2,072 articles

acetylcholine

Also known as ACh, E1001, O-acetylcholine, choline acetate, 2-acetoxyethyl(trimethyl)ammonium, 2-acetyloxyethyl(trimethyl)ammonium, 2-acetyloxyethyl(trimethyl)azanium, [2-(acetyloxy)ethyl]trimethylazanium

Acetylcholine (ACh) is an organic compound that functions in the brain and body of many types of animals (including humans) as a neurotransmitter. Its name is derived from its chemical structure: it is an ester of acetic acid and choline. Parts in the body that use or are affected by acetylcholine are referred to as cholinergic.

AI overview

Acetylcholine is a chemical messenger in the brain and body that transmits signals between nerve cells and other tissues across many types of animals, including humans. It plays a crucial role in how your nervous system communicates and coordinates bodily functions.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Drug.image: Acetylcholine-skeletal-formula.svg
Drug.image_class: skin-invert-image
Drug.source_tissues: motor neurons, parasympathetic nervous system, brain
Drug.target_tissues: smooth muscles, brain, many other organs
Drug.receptors: nicotinic, muscarinic
Drug.agonists: nicotine, muscarine, cholinesterase inhibitors
Drug.antagonists: tubocurarine, atropine
Drug.precursor: choline, acetyl-CoA
Drug.biosynthesis: choline acetyltransferase
Drug.metabolism: acetylcholinesterase
Drug.DailyMedID: Acetylcholine
Drug.ATC_prefix: S01
Drug.ATC_suffix: EB09
Drug.CAS_number: 51-84-3
Drug.PubChem: 187
Drug.IUPHAR_ligand: 294
Drug.DrugBank: EXPT00412
Drug.ChemSpiderID: 182

via Wikipedia infobox

Chemical data

Formula: C7H16NO2+
Molecular weight: 146.21 g/mol
IUPAC name: 2-acetyloxyethyl(trimethyl)azanium
SMILES: CC(=O)OCC[N+](C)(C)C
InChIKey: OIPILFWXSMYKGL-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: 0.2
Polar surface area: 26.3 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 2
Formal charge: 1

via PubChem

Research

106,770 papers

Acetylcholine and muscarinic receptor targeting in bipolar disorder: does xanomeline-trospium chloride and other investigational muscarinic agonists hold promise as mechanistically informed treatments for manic episodes, mixed features and cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder?ReviewExpert opinion on investigational drugs · 2025McIntyre RSDOI: 10.1080/13543784.2025.2522885
[Endothelial acetylcholine].ReviewRevue medicale de Liege · 2002Damas J
[A perspective on acetylcholine].ReviewBrain and nerve = Shinkei kenkyu no shinpo · 2014Mori H
Acetylcholine deficit causes dysfunctional inhibitory control in an aging-dependent manner.Scientific reports · 2022Sabandal PR, Saldes EB, Han KADOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25402-z
Detecting acetylcholine.Nature methods · 2018Vogt NDOI: 10.1038/s41592-018-0131-y
Acetylcholine: cognitive and brain functions.Neurobiology of learning and memory · 2003Gold PEDOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2003.07.002
Acetylcholine--current status in physiology, pharmacology and medicine.ReviewThe New England journal of medicine · 1972Koelle GBDOI: 10.1056/NEJM197205182862006
[Acetylcholine].Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny raekke · 1952

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Mass: 146.118

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Acetylcholine
chemical formula: C₇NH₁₆O₂⁺
canonical SMILES: CC(=O)OCC[N+](C)(C)C

Sources (7)

via Wikidata · CC0

~23 min read

Article

23 sections

Contents

Chemistry
Biochemistry
Functions
Cellular effects
Neuromuscular junction
Autonomic nervous system
Direct vascular effects
Central nervous system
Memory
Diseases and disorders
Myasthenia gravis
Pharmacology
Nicotinic receptors
Muscarinic receptors
Cholinesterase inhibitors
Synthesis inhibitors
Release inhibitors
Photopharmacological agents
Comparative biology and evolution
History
References
Further reading
External links

Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter used at the neuromuscular junction. In other words, it is the chemical that motor neurons of the nervous system release in order to activate muscles. This property means that drugs that affect cholinergic systems can have very dangerous effects ranging from paralysis to convulsions. Acetylcholine is also a neurotransmitter in the autonomic nervous system, both as an internal transmitter for both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system, and as the final product released by the parasympathetic nervous system. Acetylcholine is the primary neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system.