N-Acetylaspartylglutamic Acid

N-Acetylaspartylglutamic Acid

N-Acetylaspartylglutamic acid (N-acetylaspartylglutamate or NAAG) is a neuropeptide that is the third-most-prevalent neurotransmitter in the mammalian nervous system. NAAG consists of N-acetylaspartic acid (NAA) and glutamic acid coupled via a peptide bond. NAAG was discovered as a nervous system-specific peptide in 1965 by Curatolo and colleagues but was not extensively studied. It meets the criteria for a neurotransmitter, including being concentrated in neurons, packed in synaptic vesicles, released in a calcium-dependent manner, and hydrolyzed in the synaptic space by enzymatic activity. NAAG activates a specific receptor, the metabotropic glutamate receptor type 3. It is synthesized enzymatically from its two precursors and catabolized by NAAG peptidases in the synapse. The inhibition of the latter enzymes has potentially important therapeutic effects in animal models of several neurologic conditions and disorders.

Under the INN spaglumic acid, NAAG is used as an antiallergic medication in eye drops and nasal preparations.