Chemical substance record

Huperzine A

102518-79-6C₁₅H₁₈N₂O242.322 g/mol

Organic/Inorganic Small MoleculeChEBI source record

A sesquiterpene alkaloid isolated from a club moss Huperzia serrata that has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective activity. It is also an effective inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase and has attracted interest as a therapeutic candidate for Alzheimer's disease. — ChEBI

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Identity & molecular properties

Source-linked values

CAS number	102518-79-6	ChEBI ↗
Molecular formula	C₁₅H₁₈N₂O	ChEBI ↗
Molar mass	242.322 g/mol	ChEBI ↗
Monoisotopic mass	242.14191 Da	ChEBI ↗
Formal charge	0	ChEBI ↗
ChEBI identifier	CHEBI:78330	ChEBI ↗

Names & structural identifiers

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Source preferred name

huperzine A

IUPAC name

(5R,9R,11E)-5-amino-11-ethylidene-7-methyl-5,6,9,10-tetrahydro-5,9-methanocycloocta[b]pyridin-2(1H)-one

InChIKey

ZRJBHWIHUMBLCN-YQEJDHNASA-N

SMILES

[H][C@@]12C=C(C)C[C@@](N)(/C1=C/C)c1ccc(=O)nc1C2

InChI

InChI=1S/C15H18N2O/c1-3-11-10-6-9(2)8-15(11,16)12-4-5-14(18)17-13(12)7-10/h3-6,10H,7-8,16H2,1-2H3,(H,17,18)/b11-3+/t10-,15+/m0/s1

Names & synonyms

(5R,9R,11E)-5-amino-11-ethylidene-7-methyl-5,6,9,10-tetrahydro-5,9-methanocycloocta[b]pyridin-2(1H)-one

Names are supplied by ChEBI. Trade names and related synonyms may describe a broader product context.

Classification & relationships

ChEBI ontology

sesquiterpene alkaloidChEBI parent class · 26657 ↗organic heterotricyclic compoundChEBI parent class · 26979 ↗pyridoneChEBI parent class · 38183 ↗primary amino compoundChEBI parent class · 50994 ↗

lipid organic heterocyclic compound organic molecular entity

Roles recorded in ChEBI

EC 3.1.1.7 (acetylcholinesterase) inhibitorneuroprotective agentnootropic agentplant metabolite

Database role annotations describe reported biological or chemical roles; they are not product approvals or recommendations for use.

Mass ↔ amount of substance

Calculated from sourced mass

Amount

Input unit

Equivalent amount

0.00412674 mol

Uses 242.322 g/mol from ChEBI. Assumes the substance described by this record; no purity or concentration correction is applied.

Elemental composition

Theoretical mass fractions

C

Carbon · 15 atoms

74.35%

N

Nitrogen · 2 atoms

11.56%

H

Hydrogen · 18 atoms

7.49%

O

Oxygen · 1 atom

6.60%

Calculated theoretical mass fractions from the reported formula and PubChem periodic-table atomic masses. These are not assay or purity results.

Research & patent references

Selected source associations

The psychopharmacology of huperzine A: an alkaloid with cognitive enhancing and neuroprotective properties of interest in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. ↗Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2003 Jun · PMID 12895686

Production of huperzine A and other Lycopodium alkaloids in Huperzia species grown under controlled conditions and in vitro. ↗Phytochemistry · 2013 Jul · PMID 23306162

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Sources & record history

Checked 27 Sep 2026

Identity, formula, mass, synonyms & ontologyEMBL-EBI ChEBI · CHEBI:78330

Release 255, 9 September 2026. ChEBI three-star (manually annotated) source entry. View original record ↗ · CC BY 4.0

PubCAS formats source data, connects references and computes explicitly labelled conversions. CAS cross-references are supplied by ChEBI; they do not constitute CAS verification or endorsement.

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