Enteric-coated medications are designed to protect against what?

Enteric-coated medications are specifically designed to dissolve in the alkaline environment of the intestines rather than in the acidic environment of the stomach. This coating serves to protect the active ingredients from degradation that could occur in gastric acid, thereby ensuring that the medication is released where it is intended to work.

This design is particularly important for medications that can be irritating to the stomach or that would be inactivated by the acidic pH. By delaying the release of the medication until it reaches the intestines, enteric coatings facilitate proper absorption and enhance bioavailability.

The other options presented do not pertain to the primary function of enteric coatings. For example, degradation by heat relates more to storage conditions than to the specific functionality of an enteric coating, while contamination by air is not relevant to the purpose of enteric coating. Lastly, absorption in the intestines is an outcome of the protective coating but not the reason it is used. Thus, the main focus of enteric coatings is indeed to prevent dissolution in acidic environments.