Homovanillic Acid (HVA)

Homovanillic acid (HOC₆H₃(OCH₃)CH₂COOH; synonyms: 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid; HVA; 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzeneacetic acid; 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid) is a major catecholamine metabolite. It is used as a reagent to detect oxidative enzymes, and is associated with dopamine levels in the brain.

In psychiatry and neuroscience, brain and cerebrospinal fluid levels of HVA are measured as a marker of metabolic stress caused by 2-deoxy-D-glucose. HVA presence supports a diagnosis of neuroblastoma and malignant pheochromocytoma. An acid that is produced by the normal metabolism of dopamine and that may occur at an elevated level in urine in association with tumors of the adrenal gland. Its normal accumulation in a 24-hour collection urine sample is 15 mg.