Phenylalanine

Summary

Phenylalanine (CHEMBL301523) is an approved small-molecule EC 3.1.3.1 (alkaline phosphatase) inhibitor targeting GPR139; indicated across 1 condition including central nervous system neoplasm.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• Targets: 1 (GPR139)
• Indications: 1 condition
• Clinical trials: 8
• Chemistry: 165.19 Da · C9H11NO2

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL301523
Name	Phenylalanine
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	3
FDA approved	yes
PubChem CID	6140
ChEBI	CHEBI:17295
Molecular formula	C9H11NO2
Molecular weight	165.19
InChIKey	COLNVLDHVKWLRT-QMMMGPOBSA-N

SMILES: C1=CC=C(C=C1)C[C@@H](C(=O)O)N

IUPAC name: (2S)-2-amino-3-phenylpropanoic acid

ChEBI definition: The L-enantiomer of phenylalanine.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): nutraceutical, micronutrient, EC 3.1.3.1 (alkaline phosphatase) inhibitor.

Other ChEBI roles (chemical / environmental): Escherichia coli metabolite, Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite, plant metabolite, algal metabolite, mouse metabolite, human xenobiotic metabolite.

Also known as: FEMA NO. 3585, Fenilalanina, L-phenylalanine, Laevo-phenyl alanine, NSC-79477, Phenylalanine, L-phe, L-Phe, L-Phenylalanine, SID4252550, SID26753740, PHENYLALANINE

Patent coverage: 180,473 distinct patent families (530,828 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 1 matched compound structure(s). Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Primary targets (GtoPdb curated mechanism): the Cancer dependency column is the DepMap CRISPR fitness signal (% of screened cell lines dependent on the target).

Gene	Target	Action	pAffinity	Cancer dependency	UniProt
GPR139	GPR139	Agonist	3.06	0.3%	Q6DWJ6

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 8 (assay-derived). Sample: Pyruvate kinase PKM, Prostaglandin G/H synthase 1, Large neutral amino acids transporter small subunit 1, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase XIAP, Large neutral amino acids transporter small subunit 1, Voltage-dependent calcium channel subunit alpha-2/delta-1, Intestinal-type alkaline phosphatase, Intestinal-type alkaline phosphatase.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 3 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 12 total. Top 100 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
PKM	10.26	IC50	0.06	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_25932701
O08532	6.01	Ki	980	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1685995
O08532	6.01	Ki	977.2	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1685996

Target pathways

Aggregated over 1 target gene(s): GPR139.

Dominant GO biological processes

GO term	Targets
G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway	1
phospholipase C-activating G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway	1
signal transduction	1
neuropeptide signaling pathway	1

Indications & clinical

Indications

1 disease in clinical trials (phase 1–3, investigational — not approved indications). Highest ChEMBL trial phase per disease; a non-cancer approved use is occasionally logged at phase 3 here.

Disease (in trials)	Phase	MONDO	EFO
central nervous system neoplasm	1	MONDO:0006130	EFO:1000158

Clinical trials

Total trials: 8.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
Not specified	6
PHASE4	1
PHASE1	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT03788343	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Phenylalanine and Its Impact on Cognition
NCT01233492	PHASE1	TERMINATED	Boron Phenylalanine With or Without Mannitol in Treating Patients With Glioblastoma Multiforme
NCT04144907	Not specified	RECRUITING	Protein Needs Study
NCT07220265	Not specified	RECRUITING	Impact of Phenylalanine Elevations on Brain and Cognition in Adult PKU Carriers
NCT02669381	Not specified	COMPLETED	Phenylalanine Requirements in Healthy Pregnant Women
NCT02971059	Not specified	COMPLETED	Phenylalanine Requirement of Adults >65 Years.
NCT05958784	Not specified	COMPLETED	PKU Carriers Trial (Pilot Study): Impact on Cognition, Mental Health, Blood Pressure and Metabolism
NCT06119048	Not specified	COMPLETED	Phe for Me? The Effects of L-Phe on PKU Carriers and Non-carriers

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No CPIC/DPWG dosing guideline, but PharmGKB curates 7 clinical and 8 variant annotation(s) for this drug (gene-keyed; see PharmGKB).

Related molecules

Related molecules

Molecules sharing ≥1 of this drug’s curated primary targets, merged from two biobtree sources and ranked by shared-target count, then clinical phase: ChEMBL clinical-stage candidates (development phase ≥2) and PubChem drug-class bioactivity (approved / known drugs acting on the target). Deduplicated by drug name; the drug’s own salt forms are excluded. Note: for a drug with few primary targets a shared-target match can reflect off-target / promiscuous binding rather than the same therapeutic mechanism — the phase ordering surfaces bona-fide therapeutics first.

3 molecules share ≥1 primary target. Top 3 by shared-target count:

Molecule	Source	Status	Shared targets
INTERMEDINE	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GPR139
ZELATRIAZIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	GPR139
tryptophan	PubChem	Approved	GPR139