title: Susceptibility of glucocorticoids to colonic metabolism and pharmacologic intervention in the metabolism: implication for therapeutic activity of colon-specific glucocorticoid 21-sulfate sodium at the target site.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The systemic side effects of glucocorticoids have prevented their long-term use for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Colon-specific delivery of glucocorticoids has been adopted as a strategy to circumvent the toxicological trouble. Glucocorticoids delivered to the large intestine might undergo metabolisms by colonic microflora, which should affect therapeutic availability at the target site. It was investigated whether the susceptibility of glucocorticoids to the colonic metabolisms and pharmacologic intervention in the metabolism could modulate the therapeutic availability of colon-targeted glucocorticoids.
  
  
  METHODS
  Various glucocorticoids and their derivatives, glucocorticoid 21-sulfate sodium compounds, were incubated in the cecal contents in the presence or absence of reduction inhibitors and the change in the levels of the drugs was monitored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The accumulation profiles of the corresponding glucocorticoids liberated from glucocorticoid 21-sulfate sodium compounds vary, depending on the metabolic susceptibility of glucocorticoids. Reduction inhibitors prevented the cecal metabolisms of glucocorticoids, which was most prominent for prednisolone (PD) and methylprednisolone (MP). Moreover, reduction inhibitors increased the accumulated amount of MP and PD released from PD- and MP-21-sulfate sodium in the cecal contents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data provide information useful for selection of a glucocorticoid and a pharmacologic strategy for the design of an efficient colon-specific glucocorticoid prodrug.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biomedicinal/Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyesik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Yonghyun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyunjeong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sungchae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Dae-Duk
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Yunjin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Young Mi
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002229:Carbenoxolone / Q000494:pharmacology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007408:Intestinal Absorption; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D019695:Glycyrrhizic Acid; D002229:Carbenoxolone