Dexamethasone 21-sulfate sodium : A potential colon-specific prodrug of dexamethasone.

Corticosteroids have been used most frequently for inflammatory bowel disease. They are well absorbed and only a limited fraction of the dose is delivered to the inflammatory site in the colon. To reduce side effects by the systemic absorption. colon-specific delivery is highly desirable. We designed dexamethasone 21-sulfate sodium (DS) as a cOlon-specific prodrug of dexamethasone (D) expecting that it might be stable and non absorbable in the upper intestine and dissociate in the colon by the sulfatase, an enzyme solely found in the colon. (omitted)