title: Ouabain is a potent inhibitor of aldosterone secretion and angiotensin action in the human adrenal.
abstract: Digitalis glycosides and a putative ouabain-like substance act by inhibiting Na,K-adenosine triphosphatases and could regulate aldosterone secretion. We studied the effects of ouabain on basal and angiotensin II (AII)-induced aldosterone in rat and human adrenal glomerulosa cells. In the rat, ouabain at doses as high as 10(-4) mol/L had no effect on basal aldosterone secretion, but caused a dose-related inhibition of AII and ACTH secretion. In human glomerulosa cells, ouabain was 1000 times more potent on both basal and AII stimulation, with action at 10(-8) mol/L. The effect of ACTH was also blunted by 10(-8)-10(-7) mol/L ouabain. However, the effect of potassium (8.7 mmol/L) on aldosterone was not altered by these doses of ouabain. These results suggest that nanomolar levels of ouabain can reduce aldosterone secretion from human zona glomerulosa cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Antonipillai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schick
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Horton
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D000450:Aldosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010042:Ouabain / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015384:Zona Glomerulosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D000804:Angiotensin II; D000450:Aldosterone; D010042:Ouabain; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011188:Potassium