Effects of cholesterol and lipoproteins on aldosterone secretion by bovine zona glomerulosa cells

Freshly isolated bovine adrenocortical cells were pretreated with various concentrations of cholesterol and of high- (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fractions of known cholesterol content and then incubated in medium alone with and without angiotensin II. Preincubation with cholesterol (323 mumol/l) caused basal aldosterone synthesis to increase from 0.89 +/- 0.08 to 2.77 +/- 0.22 pmol/10(6) cells per hour (+/- S.E.M.) but did not significantly affect angiotensin-stimulated synthesis. Human HDL containing cholesterol at a final concentration of 129-647 mumol/l increased both basal and angiotensin-stimulated aldosterone synthesis. In HDL-treated cells, both the threshold response and responses to increasing concentrations of angiotensin were raised. Human LDL had no effect on basal or stimulated aldosterone synthesis nor did LDL alter the effects of HDL when cells were incubated with HDL and LDL in combination. Qualitatively similar results were obtained with bovine lipoproteins. These studies show that, in short-term incubations of fresh tissue, the supply of cholesterol may be a limiting factor in aldosterone synthesis and that HDL rather than LDL is the preferred source. These observations are discussed in relation first to the mechanisms by which cholesterol/HDL might augment steroid responses and secondly to other studies with cultured cells which have demonstrated a role for LDL.

Potassium-induced aldosterone biosynthesis in cultured rat zona glomerulosa cells

Rat adrenal zona glomerulosa cells lost their ability to produce aldosterone from either endogenous precursors or added deoxycorticosterone within 2 days of primary monolayer culture in a medium with a potassium concentration of 6.3 mmol/l. The lost corticosterone methyl oxidase I and II activities were totally regenerated when the ambient potassium concentrations was raised to 31 mmol/l. The conversions of deoxycorticosterone to 18-hydroxycorticosterone and aldosterone were completely restored by culture in a high-potassium medium also in zona glomerulosa cells of rats in which aldosterone biosynthesis had been suppressed by potassium restriction and sodium loading. However, these conversions were not induced in zona fasciculata-reticularis cells. The induction of aldosterone biosynthesis was associated with the appearance of a mitochondrial 49,000 protein cross-reacting with an antibody raised against bovine adrenal cytochrome P-450(11) beta. Thus primary cultures of zona glomerulosa cells are promising models for studying in vitro the molecular mechanisms of long-term adaptation of aldosterone biosynthesis to sodium and potassium intake.

[Role of cAMP in the regulation of adrenal mineralocorticoid function by potassium ions]

The role of cAMP in K+-dependent regulation of aldosterone output was studied. Guinea pig adrenal slices were incubated with various concentrations of K+ for 20 min. Aldosterone and cAMP output, protein synthesis and phosphorylation were increased with a rise in K+ concentration. The increase in the phosphorylation of the protein with apparent molecular weight of about 38 kD resulted from the increase in K+ concentration in the incubation medium. Proteins from adrenal slices preincubated with 3.0 and 11.0 mM K+ were separated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. No qualitative differences were revealed in autoradiograms of [14C]-prelabeled proteins; however, quantitative differences were present. These results suggest that the cAMP messenger system may be involved in the K+-dependent control of aldosterone biosynthesis.

Mechanism of action of serotonin on frog adrenal cortex

The mechanism of action of serotonin (5-HT) on frog adrenal cortex has been investigated in vitro using the perifusion system technique. The direct effect of 5-HT on corticosteroid secreting cells was demonstrated, using enzymatically dispersed adrenocortical cells. Melatonin and 5-HTP appeared to be less potent than 5-HT to enhance corticosteroid secretion. In contrast Trp and 5-HIAA were totally devoid of effect on steroid secretion. To investigate the type of receptor involved in the stimulatory effect of 5-HT on adrenocortical cells, adrenal slices were stimulated with 5-HT in absence or presence of various antagonists. We observed that classical antagonists of 5-HT1, 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 type receptors failed to block 5-HT-induced corticosteroid secretion in our model. These results show that 5-HT exerts a direct effect on corticosteroid-secreting cells. Our data also indicates that the type of receptor involved in the action of 5-HT in frog adrenal cortex differs from mammalian 5-HT receptors.

Adrenal renin: a possible local regulator of aldosterone production

Extrarenal renin has been identified in a number of tissues, including the brain, the submaxillary gland, uterus, ovary, vascular endothelium, testes, pituitary gland, and the adrenal cortex. In some tissues, including the adrenal cortex, all of the components of the renin-angiotensin system have been identified; however, no specific physiologic role has been clearly demonstrated for these extrarenal renin-angiotensin systems. We have studied the role of the renin-angiotensin system in the adrenal cortex of the rat and have found that renin is localized and synthesized in the zona glomerulosa cells. Its production can be influenced by alterations in electrolyte balance, as well as the genetic background of the rat. In adrenal capsular explant cultures, a converting enzyme inhibitor can lower angiotensin II production and reduce the stimulation of aldosterone by potassium, suggesting that this system is involved in the aldosterone response to potassium. In addition to rat adrenals, renin has been identified in human adrenal tissue and human adrenal tumors, including aldosteronomas, and a patient with hypertension has been reported to have an adrenal tumor that appeared to be secreting renin into the circulation.

Comparative dose-effect studies with four C-17-spirosteroidal mineralocorticoid synthesis inhibitors

Interference of three spirolactones and a spiro-oxazolidine with mineralocorticoid biosynthesis in the concentration range of 10(-4)-10(-10) M has been studied in isolated dispersed z. glomerulosa cells. Inhibitory effects on several enzyme activities involved in the late steps of aldosterone synthesis have been determined. Different patterns of enzyme inhibition could be observed for each inhibitor. The points of interference were mostly related to cytochrome P450-C11-activities (i.e. 11 beta-/18-hydroxylation and 18-OH-oxidation).

Magnesium ion: a possible physiological regulator of aldosterone production

We examined the direct effect of magnesium ion on aldosterone production by adrenal cells using collagenase-dispersed zona-glomerulosa cells in rats. The effects of magnesium on aldosterone production stimulated by angiotensin II or ACTH were also investigated. Both magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) (0 to 2 mM) decreased aldosterone production in a dose-dependent manner. In comparison with magnesium-free medium, 2 mM MgSO4 inhibited aldosterone production by 73% and MgCl2 by 65%. In addition, MgSO4 showed an inhibitory effect on aldosterone production stimulated by angiotensin II (10pM to 10nM), whereas it had no significant effect on aldosterone production due to ACTH stimulation (10pM to 10nM). These data suggest that magnesium has an inhibitory action on aldosterone production in vitro and may be a physiological regulator of aldosterone production.

Aromatase inhibition by R 76713: experimental and clinical pharmacology

R 76713 is a new non-steroidal compound which inhibits aromatase in vitro and in vivo with a potency of at least 1000-fold that of aminoglutethimide. In male cynomolgus monkeys peripheral conversion of labeled androstenedione to estrone is decreased by 85%, 4-5 h after a single intravenous dose of 0.003 mg/kg of R 76713, without altering steroid metabolic clearance rates. In rats fed a sodium-depleted diet for 3 weeks, plasma levels of aldosterone and plasma renin activity remain unchanged 2 h after a single oral dose of up to 20 mg/kg of R 76713. This confirms previous data on the selectivity of R 76713 for aromatase inhibition as compared to inhibition of other enzymes involved in steroid biosynthesis. In male volunteers, a single oral dose of 5 or 10 mg of R 76713 lowers median plasma estradiol levels from 70 pM to the detection limit of the assay (30 pM) 4 and 8 h after intake, whereas no important changes are detected after placebo administration. In 15 premenopausal female volunteers receiving a single oral dose of 20 mg of R 76713, mean plasma estradiol levels decrease from 415 pM (before) to 179, 149 and 185 pM respectively 4, 8 and 24 h after intake whereas they remain above 380 pM after placebo (n = 7).

Evidence that corticosterone is not an obligatory intermediate in aldosterone biosynthesis in the rat adrenal

CGS 16949A is a potent inhibitor of aromatase in vitro with an IC50 of 0.03 microM for the inhibition of LH-stimulated estrogen biosynthesis in hamster ovaries. In vivo, CGS 16949A leads to sequelae of estrogen deprivation (e.g. regression of DMBA-induced mammary tumors) without causing adrenal hypertrophy in adult rats. To complement these in vitro and in vivo findings, the effect of CGS 16949A on adrenal steroid biosynthesis in rats was investigated in vitro and in vivo. The surprising finding in vitro was that CGS 16949A inhibited aldosterone biosynthesis (IC50 = 1 microM) at concentrations 100 times lower than those for inhibition of corticosterone biosynthesis (IC50 = 100 microM). Moreover, deoxycorticosterone (DOC) concentrations were elevated at all concentrations of CGS 16949A which inhibited aldosterone synthesis. The classical biosynthetic pathway for aldosterone is DOC----corticosterone----18-OH-corticosterone----aldosterone. Thus inhibition of aldosterone biosynthesis, reflected in DOC accumulation, without affecting corticosterone concentrations, indicates that corticosterone is not an obligatory intermediate in the conversion of DOC to aldosterone in the rat. In vivo, CGS 16949A showed a suppression of plasma aldosterone in ACTH-stimulated male rats at doses which did not significantly affect plasma corticosterone. In conclusion, aldosterone measured both in vitro and in vivo must be derived primarily from a biosynthetic pathway in which corticosterone is not obligatory intermediate.

Changes in the adrenal steroidogenic responsiveness of the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) during early post-natal development

1. Plasma concentrations of corticosterone (B), aldosterone (Aldo) and deoxycorticosterone (DOC) were measured in mallard ducklings immediately before and after exposure to acute immobilization stress. 2. Except for transient declines in B and DOC between the 4th and 14th days after hatching, the resting concentration of each hormone did not change significantly during post-natal development. 3. The stress-induced in Aldo was maximal at hatching while maximal increases in B and DOC did not occur until one day later. 4. Thereafter the magnitude of the stress-induced increases in the concentrations of all of the hormones decreased steadily and on the 21st and 28th days after hatching only B increased significantly in response to stress.

Adaptation of aldosterone biosynthesis to sodium and potassium intake in the rat

The steroidogenic response of rat adrenal zona glomerulosa to stimulators is variable and depends on the activity of biosynthetic steps involved in the conversion of deoxycorticosterone (DOC) to aldosterone (Aldo). Corticosterone methyl oxidations (CMO) 1 and 2 are stimulated by sodium restriction and suppressed by potassium restriction. These slow alterations are accompanied by the appearance or disappearance of a specific zona glomerulosa mitochondrial protein with a molecular weight of 49,000. Induction of CMO 1 and 2 activities and the appearance of the 49 K protein can also be elicited in vitro by culture of rat zone glomerulosa cells in a medium with a high potassium concentration. The 49 K protein crossreacts with a monoclonal antibody raised against purified bovine adrenal cytochrome P-450(11 beta). The same antibody stains a protein with a molecular weight of 51,000 in rat zona fasciculata mitochondria and in zone glomerulosa mitochondria of rats in which CMO 1 and 2 activities have been suppressed by potassium restriction and sodium loading. The 51 K crossreactive protein was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by chromatography on octyl-sepharose. In a reconstituted enzyme system, it converted DOC to corticosterone (B) and to 18-hydroxy-11-deoxycorticosterone (18-OH-DOC) but not to 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH-B) or Aldo. A partially purified 49 K protein preparation from zona glomerulosa mitochondria of rats kept on a low-sodium, high-potassium regimen converted DOC to B, 18-OH-DOC, 18-OH-B and Aldo. According to these results, rat adrenal cytochrome P-450(11 beta) exists in two different forms, with both of them capable of hydroxylating DOC in either the 11 beta- of the 18-position, but with only the 49 K form capable of catalyzing CMO 1 and 2. The adaptation of aldosterone biosynthesis to sodium deficiency or potassium intake in rats is due to the appearance of the 49 K form of the enzyme in zona glomerulosa mitochondria.

Impaired aldosterone production by chronic intravenous infusion of atrial natriuretic factor in rabbits

This study assessed the effect of chronic infusions of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) on in vivo and in vitro production of aldosterone. Male New Zealand white rabbits were intravenously infused for 5 days with either vehicle (0.9% NaCl solution) or rat ANF (99-126) at 100 ng/kg per h. In ANF-infused rabbits plasma ANF levels increased 2.7-fold, plasma renin activity (PRA) was reduced and plasma aldosterone, but not blood pressure, responses to exogenous angiotensin II (Ang II) were attenuated. In adrenal capsular cells isolated from rabbits chronically infused with ANF, maximal aldosterone responses to adrenocorticotrophic hormone, Ang II and potassium were significantly reduced without any changes in sensitivity. These results suggest that chronic small increases in circulating ANF can blunt aldosterone responses to various aldosterone secretogogues without inhibiting the pressure response to Ang II.

The use of complementary peptides in the purification of an angiotensin II binding protein

We used the molecular recognition hypothesis, that peptide ligands and their receptor binding sites are encoded by complementary nucleotide sequences, to purify an angiotensin II (Ang II) binding protein. The complementary peptide IIA (Lys-Gly-Val-Asp-Val-Tyr-Ala-Val) specified by the RNA sequence complementary to the messenger (m)RNA sequence for rat Ang II was synthesized, purified and used to raise polyclonal antibodies. Complementary peptide IIA specifically inhibited the binding of 125I-Ang II to receptors on rat adrenal membranes, and anti-IIA immunoglobulin G (IgG) specifically inhibited the binding of 125I-Ang II to rat adrenal Ang II receptors and Ang II-dependent aldosterone secretion by cultured rat adrenal cells, suggesting that the antibody recognizes the Ang II receptor. Anti-IIA IgG was used for immuno-affinity purification, from a rat adrenal membrane preparation of an Ang II binding protein with a molecular weight of 66,000 +/- 2000 that bound 125I-Ang II specifically. This is the first report of purification of an Ang II receptor binding protein which retains its capacity to specifically bind 125I-Ang II.

Calcium stimulates steroidogenesis in permeabilized bovine adrenal cortical cells

The effect of Ca2+ on steroid production was examined in electropermeabilized bovine adrenal zona glomerulosa and fasciculata cells. The cells were superfused with a medium mimicking cytosolic ionic content but deprived of Ca2+. The permeabilized glomerulosa cells produced aldosterone at a low basal rate. Upon addition of NADP+ to the medium, a transient and concentration-dependent (EC50 = 6 microM) peak of aldosterone production occurred. When the superfusion medium was supplemented with buffered Ca2+ at submicromolar concentrations, a concentration-dependent and sustained increase of aldosterone output was observed. The maximal response (2-3 times the basal secretion rate) was achieved with 1-2 microM ambient free Ca2+, and the EC50 for Ca2+ was 0.5 microM. The continuous presence of NADP+ was found to be necessary for a Ca2+ effect. The Ca2+-induced aldosterone response was entirely blocked by ruthenium red (1 microM), an inhibitor of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake, and by W-7 (5 microM), a calmodulin inhibitor. Qualitatively and quantitatively similar results were obtained for corticosterone production in adrenal fasciculata cells. These results show that permeabilized adrenal cortical cells retain the ability to produce steroids. Moreover, Ca2+ influx into the mitochondria and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent reactions appear to be critical steps in the activation of steroidogenesis. These studies provide a further direct link between cytosolic free calcium concentration and biological responses induced by steroidogenic, calcium-mobilizing stimulators in the adrenal cortex.

An inherited defect in aldosterone biosynthesis caused by a mutation in or near the gene for steroid 11-hydroxylase

The final step in aldosterone biosynthesis, an oxidation at position 18 of 18-hydroxycorticosterone, is catalyzed by an enzymatic activity termed corticosterone methyl oxidase II (CMO II). This activity is mediated in vitro by P450c11 (steroid 11-hydroxylase), a cytochrome P-450 enzyme that also catalyzes the preceding two steps of 11-hydroxylation and 18-hydroxylation. CMO II deficiency, an inherited defect in the 18-oxidation step, impairs aldosterone biosynthesis and thus leads to a clinical syndrome of salt wasting. To test the hypothesis that CMO II deficiency results from a mutation affecting the structural gene for P450c11, we examined 11 affected and 21 unaffected members of six families with this disorder. After DNA samples were digested with the restriction endonuclease MspI (thereby cutting the DNA at specific sites) and hybridized with a P450c11 DNA probe, a unique DNA fragment in the P450c11 structural gene was detected in subjects with the deficiency. The DNA fragment and the disease trait were inherited together in each family, demonstrating that CMO II deficiency is caused by a mutation in or very near the structural gene for P450c11 on chromosome 8. We conclude that the metabolic diseases of CMO II and 11-hydroxylase deficiency, which have distinct clinical symptoms, may be caused by different mutations in the single gene for a multifunctional enzyme.

Effect of vasopressin on adrenal steroidogenesis

The direct effect of vasopressin on adrenal steroidogenesis and its effect on angiotensin II- and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-stimulated steroidogenesis was evaluated by using an isolated perfused canine adrenal gland preparation. Infusions of vasopressin alone (50, 100, or 250 pg/ml perfusate) had no significant effect on the secretion of either aldosterone or cortisol. Infusions of vasopressin at 75 or 250 pg/ml perfusate during stimulation of steroidogenesis by angiotensin II or by ACTH did not cause a consistent increase in aldosterone secretion. In contrast, infusion of 250 but not 75 pg vasopressin/ml perfusate caused a consistent enhancement of ACTH-stimulated cortisol secretion. The infusion of a vasopressin V1-receptor agonist, but not of either a vasopressin V2-receptor agonist or oxytocin, also caused a significant enhancement of ACTH-stimulated cortisol secretion. These results suggest that the sensitivity of fasciculata cells to vasopressin is greater than that of glomerulosa cells. Finally, levels of vasopressin reported to occur in plasma during severe hemorrhage appear to be capable of enhancing cortisol secretion by a direct action on the adrenal gland via a V1-receptor mechanism.

Inhibition of bovine adrenocortical mitochondrial cytochrome P-450(11)beta-mediated reactions by imidazole derivatives and mineralocorticoid analogs

The effects of several imidazole antimycotic agents, an imidazole and several mineralocorticoid analogs on the cytochrome P-450(11)beta-catalyzed 11 beta-hydroxylation of 11-deoxycorticosterone and aldosterone synthesis were examined. Ketoconazole, clotrimazole, miconazole and etomidate were found to be potent inhibitors of the reactions, causing 50% inhibition of the 11 beta-hydroxylase activity at concentrations between 10(-8) and 10(-7) M. The potency of etomidate as to the inhibition of aldosterone- and 18-hydroxycorticosterone-production was found to be almost equal to that in the case of 11 beta-hydroxylation. Spironolactone and other newly synthesized mineralocorticoid analogs were also found to inhibit the cytochrome P-450(11)beta-mediated reactions. The ID50 values of these drugs for inhibition of the 11 beta-hydroxylase activity were almost equal to those in the case of the aldosterone- and 18-hydroxycorticosterone-biosynthetic activities. The results of kinetical studies indicated that one of the mineralocorticoid analogs, Compound 23-0586, acts as a competitive inhibitor for the cytochrome P-450(11)beta-mediated reactions.

Effects of heparin treatments in vivo and in vitro on adrenal angiotensin II receptors and angiotensin II-induced aldosterone production in rats

To evaluate the heparin effects in vivo and in vitro on adrenal angiotensin II receptors and angiotensin II-induced aldosterone production, we examined the angiotensin II binding and the maximum angiotensin II-induced aldosterone production using adrenal glomerulosa cells from rats treated with a heparin preparation containing benzyl alcohol (1500 IU/kg, twice daily for 6 weeks) or cells to which heparin (300 IU/l) was directly added. Comparison was made using the cells from rats treated with vehicle or the cells to which vehicle was directly added. Specific binding of [125I]iodo-angiotensin II was decreased in the cells from heparin-treated rats or in the heparin-treated cells. Scatchard analysis showed that the decrease in binding was due to a decrease in both the number and the affinity of angiotensin II receptors in the cells from heparin-treated rats and a decrease in the number, but not the affinity, of the receptors in the heparin-treated cells. Heparin also caused a decrease in the maximum angiotensin II-induced production, but not the basal production, of aldosterone in the cells from heparin-treated rats and in the heparin-treated cells. These data suggest that heparin interacts with adrenal angiotensin II receptors to inhibit the angiotensin II-induced aldosterone production.

Effects of dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate, angiotensin II, and atrial natriuretic factor on phosphorylation of a 17,600-dalton protein in adrenal glomerulosa cells

Rat adrenal glomerulosa cells were incubated with [32P]phosphate and (Bu)2AMP (dbcAMP), angiotensin II, and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF). Incorporation of [32P]phosphate into cellular proteins was analyzed by one-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. dbAMP stimulated phosphorylation of a 17.6K protein, while angiotensin II did not stimulate it. ANF did not affect the protein phosphorylation, whether the cells were in the basal state or stimulated by dbcAMP or angiotensin II. On the other hand, ANF markedly inhibited angiotensin II-stimulated aldosterone production, but only slightly inhibited dbcAMP-stimulated aldosterone. These results suggest that in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells phosphorylation of the 17.6K protein may have a relationship with the stimulatory effect of cAMP on aldosterone production; however, neither angiotensin II nor ANF affected the phosphorylation of this protein, and phosphorylation of the 17.6K protein is not an obligatory step in the regulation of aldosterone production.

Effects of alpha-human atrial natriuretic polypeptide, sodium nitroprusside and dibutyryl cyclic GMP on aldosterone production in bovine zona glomerulosa cells

When bovine adrenal zona glomerulosa cells were incubated with alpha-human atrial natriuretic polypeptide (alpha-hANP), the basal aldosterone production in the cells was hardly affected, although the angiotensin II- or K+-stimulated production was completely inhibited. alpha-hANP was found to cause the generation of cyclic GMP in the cells. When the cells were incubated with sodium nitroprusside, the drug inhibited the angiotensin II- or K+-stimulated aldosterone production, and also generated cyclic GMP in the cells. In contrast, dibutyryl cyclic GMP was found to be a stimulator of the aldosterone response rather than an inhibitor. The results obtained in this study cast doubt on the role of cyclic GMP as an intracellular second messenger for the action of ANP on aldosterone secretion.

Adrenal renin: a possible local hormonal regulator of aldosterone production

The complete renin-angiotensin system is present in the adrenal cortex: prorenin, renin, angiotensinogen, angiotensin I and II, and converting enzyme. Most of the renin found is probably synthesized there since the renin concentration increases after nephrectomy, and the mRNA for renin is present. The renin-angiotensin system has the highest activity in the zona glomerulosa cells, the site of aldosterone formation. A low-sodium diet or a high-potassium diet, or nephrectomy markedly increases the adrenal renin concentration in the zona glomerulosa cells without any effect on the fasciculata-medullary cells. There is a close correlation between adrenal renin and aldosterone production. The adrenal renin angiotensin system may be a local regulator of aldosterone production.

Diacylglycerol provides arachidonic acid for lipoxygenase products that mediate angiotensin II-induced aldosterone synthesis

The lipoxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism have been shown to be important mediators of stimulus secretion coupling in various endocrine tissues. We have recently shown that the 12-lipoxygenase product, 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid plays a key role as a new specific mediator of angiotensin II-induced aldosterone secretion in the adrenal. In view of the several pathways by which cellular arachidonate can be generated and the important role of diacylglycerol in angiotensin II-responses, we studied the role of diacylglycerol as the source of arachidonic acid for 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic formation. Treatment of normal human adrenal glomerulosa cells with the selective diacylglycerol-lipase inhibitor, RHC 80267, resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of angiotensin II-induced aldosterone as well as 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic formation. These results suggest that AA derived from diacylglycerol is the precursor of 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic involved in angiotensin II-induced aldosterone secretion. These results reveal a new second messenger role for diacylglycerol in addition to activation of protein kinase C.

The reoxidation of cytochrome P-450 by paraquat inhibits aldosterone biosynthesis from 18-hydroxycorticosterone

Paraquat is an artificial electron carrier that captures electrons from reduced cytochrome P-450 instead of the natural acceptors, thus decreasing the concentration of reduced mitochondrial cytochrome P-450. In the present study, paraquat inhibited the biosynthesis of aldosterone from 18-hydroxycorticosterone by mitochondria from duck adult adrenal gland, under aerobic conditions. Since paraquat did not induce any change in the absorption spectrum of highly purified cytochrome P-450 11 beta, the possibility of a displacement of steroid by the drug is ruled out. Moreover, paraquat did not affect oxidative phosphorylating chain nor did it alter by itself the chemical structure of 18-hydroxycorticosterone. In our conditions, the inhibitory role of paraquat seems restricted to a capture of electrons from reduced cytochrome P-450. Under the same conditions metopirone and spironolactone, known to bind cytochrome P-450 11 beta at the steroid binding site, also inhibited the reaction. Altogether these results show that for aldosterone synthesis from 18-hydroxycorticosterone to take place, the steroid binding site on cytochrome P-450 must be accessible to 18-hydroxycorticosterone and that the cytochrome P-450 must be the direct donor of reducing equivalents. Hence, cytochrome P-450 appears as the final linking point between 18-hydroxycorticosterone and the reducing equivalents provided by NADPH.

Effect of angiotensin II and arginine vasopressin on aldosterone production and phosphoinositide turnover in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells: a comparative study

We have previously shown that arginine vasopressin (AVP) stimulates the production of aldosterone in isolated superfused adrenal glomerulosa cells by a mechanism that involves an increased turnover of phosphoinositides. In the present study we compared the characteristics of AVP- and angiotensin II (AII)-induced changes in phosphoinositide turnover and aldosterone production in the rat. Selected concentrations of the two peptides, which were equipotent in terms of the magnitude of changes induced in phosphoinositide turnover, stimulated aldosterone production to the same extent only in the initial phase of the stimulation. A sustained aldosterone response was only observed in AII-stimulated cells. On the other hand, the AVP-induced increase in incorporation of [32P]phosphate into phosphatidylinositol and the stimulation of inositol phosphate production were maintained during incubation. Preincubation of the cells with AVP failed to modify the effects of AII on phosphoinositide breakdown or aldosterone production. These results indicate that desensitization at the level of the receptor or at a post-receptor site is not responsible for the transient character of AVP-induced aldosterone production. Delayed activation of an inhibitory mechanism by AVP can also be excluded. Additivity of the stimulation of the phosphoinositide turnover observed at submaximally, but not maximally, effective concentrations of AII indicates that the two agonists act on the same phosphoinositide pool. We suggest that the sustained steroidogenic effect of AII involves an as yet unidentified mechanism, which is absent when the cells are stimulated with AVP.