title: A primary cell-culture system for physiological studies of adrenocortical function.
abstract: We used guinea-pig adrenal tissue to develop a primary culture, enriched with zona fasciculata (ZF) cells. In a continuous culture up to 2 weeks, the cells maintained the characteristic of glucocortical function by producing cortisol as the final steroidogenic product and secreting it into culture medium. When culture medium, which was replaced at 24-hr intervals, was assayed for cortisol, the basal steroidogenic function peaked on day 5 and then declined. In response to 24-hr treatment with the bioactive adrenocorticotropic hormones (ACTH) on day 4, production of cortisol was stimulated and prolonged, and also cells were morphologically hypertrophic. This in vitro system provides a convenient laboratory method which can be used for studying adrenocortical function under a possibly physiological condition.
authors.affiliation: Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taipei City, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Ho
mesh_terms: D000302:Adrenal Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology; D015383:Zona Fasciculata / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone