Quantitative and Comparative Analysis of Urinary Steroid Levels Upon Treatment of an Anti-Diabetic Drug, CKD-501 Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Abstract

Urinary steroid levels were investigated in the treatment of CKD-501, a new anti-diabetic drug candidate. CKD-501 was administered orally at the dosage of 1, 2, 4 mg/day for 7 days to normal men (n=18). Urine was collected before, during and after stopping the drug administration and the urinary level of androgen, estrogen, progestin and corticoids were quantified using GC-MS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry). Only urinary corticosteroid and an androgen,DHEA levels among all the analyzed steroids, have been found to increase progressively, reaching significant levels on the last day of drug treatment and later declined after the drug treatment is withdrawn. Therefore, it was thought that an increase in the urinary corticoid and DHEA levels could be a characteristic of CKD-501, since it prominently acts on the glucose sensitivity and suppresses the triglyceride levels. In conclusion, it was found that CKD-501, an anti-diabetic drug candidate, affects the glucocorticoid and DHEA levels and it plays a crucial role in glucose homeostasis.