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Names | |||
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Preferred IUPAC name
(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid | |||
Other names
2-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid; 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid; 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzeneacetic acid
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Identifiers | |||
3D model (JSmol)
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ChEBI | |||
ChEMBL | |||
ChemSpider | |||
ECHA InfoCard | 100.005.616 | ||
KEGG | |||
MeSH | Homovanillic+acid | ||
PubChem CID
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UNII | |||
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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Properties | |||
C9H10O4 | |||
Molar mass | 182.175 g·mol−1 | ||
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Homovanillic acid (HVA) is a major catecholamine metabolite that is produced by a consecutive action of monoamine oxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase on dopamine.[1] Homovanillic acid is used as a reagent to detect oxidative enzymes, and is associated with dopamine levels in the brain.
In psychiatry and neuroscience, brain and cerebrospinal fluid levels of HVA are measured as a marker of metabolic stress caused by 2-deoxy-D-glucose.[2] HVA presence supports a diagnosis of neuroblastoma and malignant pheochromocytoma.
Fasting plasma levels of HVA are known to be higher in females than in males.[citation needed] This does not seem to be influenced by adult hormonal changes, as the pattern is retained in the elderly and post-menopausal as well as transgender people according to their genetic sex, both before and during cross-sex hormone administration.[3] Differences in HVA have also been correlated to tobacco usage, with smokers showing significantly lower amounts of plasma HVA.