Potential involvement of the proton-coupled amino acid transporter PAT1 (SLC36A1) in the delivery of pharmaceutical agents

The proton-coupled amino acid transporter PAT1 (SLC36A1) is an intestinal carrier of L-proline, L-alanine and glycine. PAT1 has also been shown to transport pharmacologically active substances such as GABA, vigabatrin, δ-aminolevulinic acid and gaboxadol. The present review will discuss if the proton-coupled amino acid transporter PAT1 (SLC36A1) may be a relevant transporter for pharmaceutical exploitation. Research investigating this from both in vitro and in vivo perspectives will be highlighted. Furthermore we’ll review the current knowledge about the structure-translocation relationship for PAT1 and provide an overview of pharmacological active substances, which are substrates for PAT1 along with examples of formulation strategies aimed at exploiting the transport activity of PAT1.