Pharmacological properties of ββ-dimethylacryloylcholine and some other β-substituted acryloylcholines

The mammalian pharmacology of a new naturally occurring ester of choline, ββ-dimethylacryloylcholine (DMAC), has been studied, mainly in the cat, together with that of two synthetic β-substituted acryloylcholines, crotonoylcholine and pent-2-enoylcholine. Comparisons have been made with the reduced form of DMAC, isovalerylcholine, with another naturally ocurring β-substituted acryloylcholine, murexine (urocanoylcholine), and with suxamethonium. DMAC has been shown to be a ganglion stimulating and neuromuscular blocking agent generally similar, in potency and properties, to murexine. It is also a powerful respiratory stimulant. The other unsaturated esters behaved similarly but were less potent.