Arecoline (ACL)

Arecoline is a natural product, an alkaloid found in the areca nut, the fruit of the areca palm (Areca catechu). It is an odourless oily liquid. Arecoline is a strong base, with pKa ~ 6.8. Arecoline is volatile in steam, miscible with most organic solvents and water, but extractable from the latter by ether in presence of dissolved salts. Being basic, arecoline forms salts with acids. Arecoline is the primary active ingredient responsible for the central nervous system effects of the areca nut. Arecoline has been compared to nicotine; however, nicotine acts primarily on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Arecoline is known to be a partial agonist of muscarinic acetylcholine M1, M2, M3 receptors and M4, which is believed to be the primary cause of its parasympathetic effects. Owing to its muscarinic and nicotinic agonist properties, arecoline has shown improvement in the learning ability of healthy volunteers.