Vesamicol

Vesamicol

Systematic (IUPAC) name
2-(4-phenyl-1-piperidyl)cyclohexan-1-ol
Clinical data
Pregnancy cat.	?
Legal status	?
Identifiers
CAS number	22232-64-0
ATC code	?
PubChem	CID 5662
ChemSpider	5460
ChEMBL	CHEMBL20730
Chemical data
Formula	C17H25NO
Mol. mass	259.39 g/mol
SMILES	eMolecules & PubChem

Vesamicol is an experimental drug, acting presynaptically by inhibiting acetylcholine (ACh) uptake and reducing its release.

Mechanism of action

Vesamicol can be broadly categorized as a cholinergic physiological antagonist, because it reduces the apparent activity of cholinergic neurons, but does not act at the post-synaptic ACh receptor. Vesamicol causes a non-competitive and reversible block of the intracellular transporter responsible for carrying newly synthesised ACh into storage vesicles in the pre-synaptic nerve terminal. This transport process is driven by a proton gradient between cell organelles and the cytoplasm. Blocking of acetylcholine loading leads to empty vesicles fusing with neuron membranes, decreasing Ach release.