As a quaternary ammonium salt closely related to acetylcholine, beta-methylcholine chloride's structure underlies its use as the reference/identity standard for methacholine chloride quality control. Methacholine itself acts as a direct-acting muscarinic receptor agonist administered via inhalation challenge testing to provoke controlled, reversible bronchoconstriction, helping clinicians assess airway responsiveness in patients with suspected asthma.
Beta-Methylcholine Chloride (2-hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium chloride) is a quaternary ammonium compound structurally related to choline, bearing a methyl substituent at the beta carbon. It is officially designated as the USP reference standard for Methacholine Chloride, the muscarinic agonist used in bronchial provocation testing for diagnosing asthma and airway hyperreactivity.
| Chemical Name | Beta-Methylcholine Chloride (2-Hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium Chloride) |
| CAS Number | 2382-43-6 |
| IUPAC Name | 2-Hydroxy-N,N,N-trimethylpropan-1-aminium chloride |
| Molecular Formula | C6H16ClNO |
| Molecular Weight | 153.65 g/mol g/mol |
USP-designated identity/quality control standard for methacholine chloride bronchial challenge test formulations.
Underpins analytical method validation for methacholine challenge test kits used in asthma diagnosis.
Used as a structural reference in muscarinic receptor agonist research and quaternary ammonium compound studies.
Applied in preparing chitosan-quaternized derivatives for anion exchange membrane fuel cell studies.
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.
Br. J. Pharmacol.
J. Membr. Sci.
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