Fusaric acid is a picolinic acid

Picolinic acid

Picolinic acid is a pyridine compound with a carboxyl side chain at the 2-position. It is an isomer of nicotinic acid, which has the carboxyl side chain at the 3-position. It is a catabolite of the amino acid tryptophan.- Chelating properties :...

 derivative

Derivative (chemistry)

In chemistry, a derivative is a compound that is derived from a similar compound by some chemical or physical process. In the past it was also used to mean a compound that can be imagined to arise from another compound, if one atom is replaced with another atom or group of atoms, but modern...

. It is typically isolated from various Fusarium

Fusarium

Fusarium is a large genus of filamentous fungi widely distributed in soil and in association with plants. Most species are harmless saprobes, and are relatively abundant members of the soil microbial community. Some species produce mycotoxins in cereal crops that can affect human and animal health...

 species, and has been proposed for a various therapeutic applications. However, it is primarily used as a research tool.

Its mechanism of action is not well understood. It likely inhibits Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (the enzyme

Enzyme

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates...

 that converts dopamine

Dopamine

Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...

 to norepinephrine

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...

). It may also have other actions, such as the inhibition of cell proliferation and DNA synthesis

DNA synthesis

DNA synthesis commonly refers to:*DNA replication - DNA biosynthesis *Polymerase chain reaction - enzymatic DNA synthesis *Oligonucleotide synthesis - chemical synthesis of nucleic acids...

.