Salcaprozate sodium (SNAC) is an innovative oral absorption enhancer with the following mechanisms and applications:

1. Enhancing Oral Drug Absorption‌
（1）Lipophilicity Modulation‌: Forms non-covalent macromolecular complexes with drugs, significantly improving lipophilicity to promote passive transcellular permeation across intestinal epithelial cells.
（2）Macromolecular Drug Delivery‌: Particularly effective for peptides/proteins (e.g., heparin, insulin), overcoming low oral bioavailability limitations.
2. Drug Protection and Stability Enhancement‌
（1）Anti-degradation Effects‌: Creates localized high-pH microenvironments in the stomach to inhibit pepsin-mediated drug degradation.
（2）Structural Stabilization‌: Preserves drug conformation through intermolecular interactions, reducing enzymatic hydrolysis risks in the gastrointestinal tract.
3. Clinical Applications‌
（1）Octreotide Enteric-coated Capsules‌: Enables the first oral formulation for acromegaly treatment (Mycapssa®) through synergy with medium-chain fatty acids.
（2）Oral Semaglutide‌: Achieves comparable efficacy to injectable formulations via gastric mucosa-absorbing complexes.
4. Safety Advantages‌
（1）Non-covalent Binding‌: Physically enhances permeability without chemical interactions with drugs.
（2）Broad Applicability‌: Demonstrated efficacy in UVA/UVB absorption, extendable to topical formulations.

SNAC's molecular mechanism establishes it as a key technology for oral peptide drug delivery, driving innovations in chronic disease management (e.g., diabetes, obesity).