Significance of 17-hydroxycorticosteroid glucuronide in urine as an index of salicylamide glucuronidation in guinea pigs.

The glucuronidation of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS) and its effectiveness as an index of salicylamide (SAM) glucuronidation were examined in guinea pigs, the same cortisol type animals as man, treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), D-galactosamine, phenobarbital, D,L-ethionine and alloxan. There was not a statistically significant correlation between the plasma clearance of SAM glucuronidation (CLglu) and the urinary excretion ratio of 17-OHCS glucuronide to total 17-OHCS in the intact, and CCl4, D-galactosamine, alloxan and D,L-ethionine treated guinea pigs (r = 0.158). However, there was a statistically significant correlation between the CLglu and the clearance of 17-OHCS glucuronidation obtained as urinary 17-OHCS glucuronide/plasma cortisol concentration (r = 0.738, p less than 0.1). It was proposed that the clearance of 17-OHCS glucuronide metabolized from endogenous cortisol could be used as an index to assess the drug glucuronidation activity.