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Haao (3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4-dioxygenase), also known as 3HAO, is a biosynthetic enzyme of quinolinic acid (QUIN). QUIN, a natural brain constituent, is a structural analogue of neurotransmitters such as L-glutamate and L-aspartate, and acts as an excitotoxin through NMDA receptors in neuron of central nervous system. The level of 3HAO expression and QUIN are high in the brain of the El mice which are established animal model for human epilepsy, and the increased production of QUIN is secondary to an increased activity of 3-hydroxyanthranilate 3,4-dioxygenase (3-HAO) in the brain of these mice. In human, the activity of 3HAO is higher in the brains of patients with Huntington chorea than in control brains. |