L-alanine's cancer-suppressing properties.

Alanine supplementation exploits glutamine dependency induced by SMARCA4/2-loss

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-38594-3

" At a clinically relevant dose, alanine supplementation synergizes with OXPHOS inhibition or conventional chemotherapy, eliciting marked antitumor activity in patient-derived xenografts. Our findings reveal multiple druggable vulnerabilities of SMARCA4/2-loss exploiting a GLUT1/SLC38A2-mediated metabolic shift. Unlike dietary deprivation approaches, alanine supplementation can be readily applied to current regimens for better treatment of these aggressive cancers."

Inhibition of glutamine synthesis induces glutamate dehydrogenase-dependent ammonia fixation into alanine in co-cultures of astrocytes and neurons

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019701861100101X

Alanine is suggested as a critical ammonia-scavenging molecule.

T-cell activation depends on extracellular alanine

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6934407/

Hepatoprotective

In animal models, supplementation with L-alanine has been shown to protect the liver from damage caused by toxins, drugs, and oxidative stress. For example, some studies have reported that L-alanine improved liver function and reduced liver enzyme levels (e.g., ALT, AST) in cases of induced liver injury, suggesting a hepatoprotective role.

Maezono K, Kajiwara K, Mawatari K, Shinkai A, Torii K, Maki T. Alanine protects liver from injury caused by F-galactosamine and CCl4. Hepatology. 1996 Jul;24(1):185-91. doi: 10.1002/hep.510240130. PMID: 8707260.

Ishizaki-Koizumi S, Sonaka I, Fujitani S, Nishiguchi S. Mechanisms of the protective effect of L-alanine to D-galactosamine-induced hepatocellular injury: comparative studies of L-alanine and pyruvate. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2002 Mar 8;291(4):738-43. doi: 10.1006/bbrc.2002.6508. PMID: 11866426.