Glutamic Acid

Summary

Glutamic Acid (CHEMBL575060) is an approved small-molecule neurotransmitter targeting GRM1, GRM2, and GRM3; indicated across 1 condition including sleep disorder.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• Targets: 8 (GRM1, GRM2, GRM3…)
• Indications: 1 condition
• Clinical trials: 7
• Chemistry: 147.13 Da · C5H9NO4

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL575060
Name	Glutamic Acid
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	3
FDA approved	yes
PubChem CID	33032
ChEBI	CHEBI:16015
Molecular formula	C5H9NO4
Molecular weight	147.13
InChIKey	WHUUTDBJXJRKMK-VKHMYHEASA-N

SMILES: C(CC(=O)O)[C@@H](C(=O)O)N

IUPAC name: (2S)-2-aminopentanedioic acid

ChEBI definition: An optically active form of glutamic acid having L-configuration.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): neurotransmitter, nutraceutical, micronutrient, ferroptosis inducer.

Other ChEBI roles (chemical / environmental): Escherichia coli metabolite, mouse metabolite.

Also known as: Acide glutamique, Acido glutamico, E 620, E-620, E620, FEMA NO. 3285, Glutamic acid, l-, Glutamidex, INS NO.620, INS-620, L-alpha-aminoglutaric acid

Patent coverage: 311,604 distinct patent families (929,756 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 2 matched compound structure(s). One matched structure accounts for 929,755 (100%) of the total. Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Primary targets (GtoPdb curated mechanism): the Cancer dependency column is the DepMap CRISPR fitness signal (% of screened cell lines dependent on the target).

Gene	Target	Action	pAffinity	Cancer dependency	UniProt
GRM1	mGlu1 receptor	Agonist	5	0.2%	Q13255
GRM2	mGlu2 receptor	Agonist	5.4	0.6%	Q14416
GRM3	mGlu3 receptor	Agonist	5.4	0.1%	Q14832
GRM4	mGlu4 receptor	Agonist	5.5	0%	Q14833
GRM5	mGlu5 receptor	Agonist	5.5	0.2%	P41594
GRM6	mGlu6 receptor	Agonist	4.8	0.2%	O15303
GRM7	mGlu7 receptor	Agonist	3	0%	Q14831
GRM8	mGlu8 receptor	Agonist	5.6	0%	O00222

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 50 (assay-derived). Sample: 4’-phosphopantetheinyl transferase ffp, Glutamate NMDA receptor, Glutamate receptor ionotropic, kainate 1, Glutamate receptor 1, Glutamate receptor ionotropic, AMPA, Glutamate receptor ionotropic, kainate, Glutamate [NMDA] receptor, Glutamate NMDA receptor; Grin1/Grin2b, Glutamate receptor ionotropic AMPA, Glutamate NMDA receptor; Grin1/Grin2a.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 191 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 297 total. Top 30 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
GRM8	8.24	IC50	5.7	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1434487
P47743	7.66	EC50	22	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1127541
SLC1A1	7.29	Ki	51	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2460119
GRM3	7.24	Ki	57.54	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_14930527
P31422	7.24	EC50	57.54	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_16526524
GRM3	7.22	EC50	60	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_14930558
P31422	7.22	EC50	60	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_16526525
P22756	7.2	Ki	63	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_581653
GRIN2D	7.16	IC50	70	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_12165745
P35439	7.16	IC50	69	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2436783
GRIN2D	7.16	IC50	70	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_24958627
P35439	7.16	IC50	70	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_710133
P35439	7.1	IC50	80	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_729792
P35439	6.92	EC50	120	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1004046
P22756	6.92	IC50	120	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_729790
P22756	6.86	Ki	138	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2450132
P22756	6.86	Ki	138	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3284462
P22756	6.85	Ki	140	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_12629937
P22756	6.85	Ki	140	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2374422
P22756	6.85	Ki	140	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2450131
P22756	6.85	Ki	140	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3284457
P19490	6.82	IC50	150	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_729791
P19490	6.77	Ki	169	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2374361
P35439	6.77	IC50	171	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_417025
P35439	6.76	IC50	172	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1004045
P35439	6.7	Ki	200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_12629966
P35439	6.7	Ki	200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_14926414
P35439	6.7	Ki	200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_16413094
P35439	6.7	Ki	200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_19037635
P35439	6.7	Ki	200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1921132

Target pathways

Aggregated over 8 target gene(s): GRM1, GRM2, GRM3, GRM4, GRM5, GRM6, GRM7, GRM8.

Top Reactome pathways

5 total, by targets touching each:

Pathway	Targets	Genes
Class C/3 (Metabotropic glutamate/pheromone receptors)	8	GRM1, GRM2, GRM3, GRM4, GRM5, GRM6, GRM7, GRM8
G alpha (i) signalling events	6	GRM2, GRM3, GRM4, GRM6, GRM7, GRM8
G alpha (q) signalling events	2	GRM1, GRM5
Neurexins and neuroligins	2	GRM1, GRM5
Sensory perception of sweet, bitter, and umami (glutamate) taste	2	GRM1, GRM4

Dominant GO biological processes

GO term	Targets
G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway	8
G protein-coupled glutamate receptor signaling pathway	8
regulation of synaptic transmission, glutamatergic	8
signal transduction	8
adenylate cyclase-inhibiting G protein-coupled glutamate receptor signaling pathway	8
chemical synaptic transmission	7
adenylate cyclase-inhibiting G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway	5
locomotory behavior	3
positive regulation of MAPK cascade	3
gene expression	3
phospholipase C-activating G protein-coupled glutamate receptor signaling pathway	2
regulation of postsynaptic membrane potential	2
regulation of postsynaptic cytosolic calcium ion concentration	2
negative regulation of adenylate cyclase activity	2
cellular response to stress	2

Indications & clinical

Indications

1 indication (0 at ChEMBL trial phase 4). Phase below is the highest clinical-trial phase recorded for this drug against each disease — not the molecule’s overall approval status (that is in the Summary).

Indication	Trial phase	MONDO	EFO
sleep disorder	3	MONDO:0100081	EFO:0008568

Clinical trials

Total trials: 7.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
Not specified	4
PHASE3	3

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT00369564	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Glutamic Acid in Reducing Nerve Damage Caused by Vincristine in Young Patients With Cancer
NCT00489827	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Glutamate for Metabolic Intervention in Coronary Surgery
NCT02592824	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Glutamate for Metabolic Intervention in Coronary Surgery II
NCT00980408	Not specified	COMPLETED	The Influence of Glutamate on Memory in Humans
NCT02523703	Not specified	COMPLETED	Excitotoxicity Markers and the Clinical-radiological Progression After a Demyelinating Event: a Prospective Pilot Study
NCT03180775	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Effects of Dietary Amino Acids on Serum and Macrophage Atherogenicity
NCT04086108	Not specified	COMPLETED	Relative Oral Bioavailability of GABA From Tomatoes

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No CPIC/DPWG dosing guideline or drug-level clinical/variant annotations in PharmGKB for this molecule.

Related molecules

Related molecules

Molecules sharing ≥1 of this drug’s curated primary targets, merged from two biobtree sources and ranked by shared-target count, then clinical phase: ChEMBL clinical-stage candidates (development phase ≥2) and PubChem drug-class bioactivity (approved / known drugs acting on the target). Deduplicated by drug name; the drug’s own salt forms are excluded. Note: for a drug with few primary targets a shared-target match can reflect off-target / promiscuous binding rather than the same therapeutic mechanism — the phase ordering surfaces bona-fide therapeutics first.

12 molecules share ≥1 primary target. Top 12 by shared-target count:

Molecule	Source	Status	Shared targets
EGLUMETAD	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM2, GRM3, GRM6, GRM8
FENOBAM	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM1, GRM5
MICONAZOLE	ChEMBL + PubChem	Phase 4 (approved)	GRM6
BASIMGLURANT	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM5
DEXFOSFOSERINE	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM4
DIPRAGLURANT	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM5
FOLIGLURAX	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM4
JNJ-40411813	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM2
KAINIC ACID	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM5
MAVOGLURANT	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM5
QUINPIROLE	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM5
RASEGLURANT	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GRM5