An enteric coating is a barrier applied to oral medication that controls the location in the digestive system where it is absorbed. Oral medication A medication is any drug taken to cure or reduce the symptoms of an illness or ongoing medical condition. ... For the Physics term GUT, please refer to Grand unification theory The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and...

Most enteric coatings work by presenting a surface that is stable at acidic pH, but breaks down rapidly at higher pH. For example, they will not dissolve in the acidic juices of the stomach, but they will dissolve in the higher pH (above pH 5.5) of the small intestine. In anatomy, the stomach is a bean-shaped hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication. ... The correct title of this article is . ... In biology the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) between the stomach and the large intestine. ...

Drugs such as aspirin, which have an irritant effect on the stomach, can be coated with a substance that will only dissolve in the small intestine. Aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid (acetosal) is a drug in the family of salicylates, often used as an analgesic (against minor pains and aches), antipyretic (against fever), and anti-inflammatory. ...

Enteric refers to the small intestine, therefore enteric coatings prevent release of medication before it reaches the small intestine.

Examples

• Cellulose acetate phthalate is used as an enteric coating on capsules or tablets so that they will not dissolve until they reach the small intestine.

• Serrapeptase capsules have enteric coatings because the effectiveness of the drug will be reduced by stomach acids or enzymes if left unprotected.

• Hypromellose Phthalate (HPMCP) is a cellulose derivative introduced in 1971. The rate of disintegration of HPMCP can be controlled by varying the phthalyl content.