Human recombinant activin-A modulates the steroidogenesis of cultured bovine adrenocortical cells.
The effect of human recombinant activin-A on adrenal steroidogenesis was studied in cultured bovine adrenocortical cells. Activin-A significantly reduced cortisol output from ACTH (10nmol/l)-stimulated adrenocortical cells incubated for 24 hours in a dose-dependent manner (10, 100 and 500ng activin-A/ml suppressed cortisol secretion by 19, 33 and 40%), although no significant effect was observed in the case of 3 h incubation. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) secretion from ACTH-stimulated adrenocortical cells incubated for 24 h was also decreased by the addition of activin-A in a dose-dependent manner. (10, 100 and 500ng activin-A/ml suppressed DHEA secretion by 22, 56 and 58%). These inhibitory effects of activin-A (100ng/ml) on cortisol and DHEA secretion were partially blocked by the addition of follistatin/FSH-Suppressing Protein (200ng/ml). In contrast, activin-A treatment resulted in no significant decrease in aldosterone secretion. There were no significant effects of activin-A on basal secretions of cortisol, DHEA or aldosterone from adrenocortical cells. These results suggest that activin-A has a direct inhibitory effect on ACTH-stimulated bovine adrenocortical steroidogenesis.
Nishi
Y
Y
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Haji
M
M
Tanaka
S
S
Yanase
T
T
Takayanagi
R
R
Etoh
Y
Y
Nawata
H
H
D028341:Activins; D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000378:metabolism; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007265:Inhibins / Q000502:physiology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000502:physiology
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D028341:Activins; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D000450:Aldosterone; D007265:Inhibins; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone