Effect of Adrenaline on Steroidogenesis in Primary Cultured Bovine Adrenocortical Cells

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Abstract
In primary 2-day cultured bovine adrenocortical cells, adrenaline [epinephrine] stimulated the steroidogenesis, while the effect of adrenaline did not appear in the freshly isolated cells. Thus the primary 2-day cultured cells were used to study the effect or adrenaline or steroidogenesis. Adrenaline showed the steroidogenesis-stimulating effect at concentrations higher than 10-9 M; the maximum effect was obtained between 10-6 M and 10-5 M in the primary 2-day cultured cells. The maximum effect of adrenaline was 50-70% of that of ACTH. Noradrenaline [norepinephrine] isoproterenol and phenylephrine also stimulated the steroidogenesis. However, the order of the potency was isoproterenol .mchgt. adrenaline = noradrenaline >>> phenylephrine. Propranolol and alprenolol inhibited the effect of adrenaline, but phenoxybenzamine and phentolamine did not. Moreover, adrenaline stimulated the cAMP production dose-dependently at concentrations higher than 10-8 M. There evidently are steroidogenesis-linked adrenergic receptors in primary 2-day cultured bovine adrenocortical cell membrane. The steroidogenesis-stimulating effect of adrenaline occurs through the .beta.-adrenergic receptor.