THE STEROIDOGENIC RESPONSE OF ADULT RAT ADRENOCORTICAL CELLS IN MONOLAYER CULTURE

Abstract

SUMMARY Quantitative aspects of corticosteroidogenesis were examined in monolayer cultures of cells from the zona fasciculata and zona reticularis of the adult rat adrenal cortex, maintained for up to 4 months. Corticosterone secretion continued at a steady rate in cultures maintained with corticotrophin (ACTH), the output of maximally stimulated cultures being approximately 12 μg/106 adrenocortical cells/day. In the absence of ACTH, a small amount of 20α-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, but no detectable corticosterone, was secreted, resulting in a fluorogenic steroid output 1/125 th of that of maximally stimulated cultures. Restimulation with ACTH of cultures maintained for up to 2 months in its absence resulted in maximum levels of corticosterone secretion after 4–5 days of continuous ACTH treatment. The levels of corticosterone secretion attained on restimulation were similar to those observed in cultures maintained with ACTH from the out set. Withdrawal of ACTH resulted in a fall in steroid output which took 10 days to reach final unstimulated levels. Trophic stimulation of corticosteroidogenesis with a similar time-course was obtained with both cyclic AMP and dibutyryl cyclic AMP, the latter being the more effective.