Chemically, YK-11 is known as methyl (2E)-2-(8R,9S,10R,13S,14S,17S)-2'-methoxy-2',13-dimethyl-3-oxospiro[1,2,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15,16-dodecahydrocyclopenta[a]phenanthrene-17,5'-1,3-dioxolane]-4'-ylidene]acetate. It has a molecular formula of C₂₅H₃₄O₆ and a molar mass of approximately 430.54 g/mol[.

In biochemical assays, YK-11 has been observed to modulate gene expression by influencing the activity of the androgen receptor in a gene-selective manner. It also appears to upregulate the express