Higenamine is a chemical compound found in a variety of plants. In animal models, higenamine has been demonstrated to be a beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonist. Adrenergic receptors, or adrenoceptors, belong to the class of G-protein coupled receptors, and are the most prominent receptors in the adipose membrane, besides also being expressed in skeletal muscle tissue. These adipose-membrane receptors are classified as either alpha- or beta-adrenoceptors. Although these adrenoceptors share the same messenger, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), the specific transduction pathway depends on the receptor type (alpha or beta). Higenamine partly exerts its actions by the activation of an enzyme, adenylate cyclase, responsible for boosting the cellular concentrations of the adrenergic second messenger, cAMP.
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