2-aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid

2-Aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid (commonly abbreviated as BCH) is a non-metabolizable, leucine-like bicyclic amino acid that acts as a classical competitive inhibitor of system L amino acid transporters, primarily L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1/SLC7A5) and LAT2 (SLC7A8). By blocking the cellular uptake of neutral essential amino acids such as leucine, BCH suppresses mTOR signaling, induces cell-cycle arrest, and triggers apoptosis in various cancer models. Additionally, BCH serves as an allosteric activator of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), mimicking the physiological effects of leucine to stimulate insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells. It is widely utilized as a research reagent to study cancer metabolism, amino acid transport, and insulin resistance, but has not been developed for clinical use in humans.

Other names

2-amino-2-carboxy-bicyclo-2,2,1-heptane2-amino-2-norbornanecarboxylic acid2-amino-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid2-aminobicyclo-(2,2,1)-heptane-2-carboxylic acid2-aminonorbornane-2-carboxylic acidBCHLAT1-IN-1LAT-1-IN-1LAT 1-IN-1b-BCHbeta-2-aminobicyclo[2.2.1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid