Semaglutide was approved by the US FDA in December 2017 "for blood sugar control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes", and in 2020 it was further approved "for use in adult patients with type 2 diabetes with cardiovascular disease to reduce the risk of related diseases."
Semaglutide is marketed as a weight-loss drug in the UK, the United States, Japan and other countries. Judging from foreign clinical data, it does have a weight-loss effect. According to analysis, it is expected to become one of the best-selling drugs.
Salcaprozate Sodium (SNAC) is an oral absorption enhancer with potential as a delivery agent for oral forms of insulin. Salcaprozate sodium increases passive transcellular penetration of small intestinal epithelial cells by increasing lipophilicity caused by non-covalent macromolecular complexation.
When semaglutide enters the stomach through oral administration, Salcaprozate Sodium will increase the local pH value of the stomach through buffering, neutralize local gastric acid, and reduce the degradation of semaglutide by pepsin.
Then it comes to the gastric mucus layer. With the help of local high concentration gradient, semaglutide can penetrate the blockade of the mucus layer and reach the gastric epithelial cells.
The high lipophilicity of SNAC makes it very easy to bind to the lipid membrane of gastric cells, allowing semaglutide molecules to smoothly enter gastric cells and achieve transcellular transport.
In addition, SNAC can also promote the monomerization of semaglutide, further enhance the permeability, and ultimately achieve smooth entry into the bloodstream from the oral cavity.
