L-alanyl-L-tyrosine has a unique mechanism of action as a drug carrier, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
·Improving drug solubility: Many drugs have the problem of poor water solubility, which limits their clinical applications. L-alanyl-L-tyrosine can encapsulate drug molecules within its molecular structure by forming hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, or hydrophobic interactions with the drug molecules, thereby increasing the solubility of the drugs in water. For example, for some poorly soluble anti-tumor drugs, L-alanyl-L-tyrosine can dissolve them in an aqueous medium, improving the bioavailability of the drugs.
·Enhancing drug stability: Certain drugs are prone to degradation, oxidation and other reactions during storage or in the in vivo environment, leading to a decrease in their pharmacological effects. L-alanyl-L-tyrosine can act as a protective agent to isolate the drug molecules from the external environment, reducing the contact of the drugs with air, moisture, enzymes, etc., and thus enhancing the stability of the drugs. For instance, some protein drugs are easily degraded by proteases. L-alanyl-L-tyrosine can encapsulate these drugs to prevent the action of proteases on them, prolonging the shelf life of the drugs and their action time in the body.
·Targeted drug delivery: By modifying L-alanyl-L-tyrosine, it can be endued with the ability to target specific tissues or cells. For example, by attaching specific targeting groups to its molecule, such as tumor cell-specific antibodies, cell-penetrating peptides, etc., these modified carriers can recognize and bind to specific receptors on the surface of target cells, and then enter the cells through means such as endocytosis, achieving targeted delivery of drugs. In this way, the concentration of drugs at the lesion site can be increased, the damage to normal tissues can be reduced, and the therapeutic effect of the drugs can be improved.
·Controlling drug release: L-alanyl-L-tyrosine can control the release of drugs according to different physiological environments or external stimuli. For example, under different conditions such as pH value, temperature, and enzyme concentration, the interaction between it and the drugs will change, resulting in a change in the drug release rate. In tumor tissues, since the microenvironment is usually acidic, the L-alanyl-L-tyrosine-drug complex may undergo structural changes under acidic conditions, accelerating the release of the drug and achieving the specific release of the drug at the lesion site.
