Albumin Binding

Serum albumin is the most abundant plasma protein and binds a wide range of hydrophobic small molecules and fatty acids. Reversible non-covalent binding to albumin creates a slowly-releasing plasma reservoir that dramatically extends the effective half-life of the bound molecule.

For acylated peptides such as Semaglutide, albumin binding through the fatty-di-acid side chain is the principal mechanism sustaining once-weekly plasma exposure.