Wk. Isaacson et al., TESTOSTERONE, DIHYDROTESTOSTERONE, TRENBOLONE ACETATE, AND ZERANOL ALTER THE SYNTHESIS OF CORTISOL IN BOVINE ADRENOCORTICAL-CELLS, Journal of animal science, 71(7), 1993, pp. 1771-1777
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of anabolic ster
oids (testosterone, T; dihydrotestosterone, D; trenbolone acetate, B;
and zeranol, Z) on cortisol synthesis by cultured bovine adrenocortica
l cells. Adrenal glands were obtained from slaughter-aged steers (n =
4). Cortical cells were isolated and their steroidogenic capacity was
examined. They were plated in multiwell culture plates. At confluence,
cells were treated with T, D, B, or Z at 0, 10, 50, 125, or 500 ng/mL
(eight wells per treatment). Twenty-four hours after treatment, one-h
alf of each treatment concentration was stimulated with 10(-9) M ACTH.
After 8 h of incubation, cortisol concentration in the media was meas
ured using RIA. Cortical cells were removed from the plates using 1 mM
EDTA and analyzed for DNA content. Data were subjected to rank transf
ormation and analyzed by randomized complete block design. Adrenocorti
cotropic hormone stimulated (P < .01) the release of cortisol by more
than threefold. Cortisol synthesis was lower (P < .05) in the presence
of T, D, and B. Testosterone caused a greater (P < .05) suppression i
n cortisol production at 50 and 125 ng/mL than did D. The suppression
of cortisol synthesis did not differ between B and T or between B and
D. Cortisol synthesis was lowered (P < .05) by the presence of T, D, a
nd B in both ACTH-stimulated and nonstimulated cells but was only supp
ressed in ACTH-stimulated cells of Z-treated cells. These data suggest
that T, B, and D function to suppress the synthesis of cortisol in AC
TH and nonstimulated cells, but that Z only reduces cortisol in ACTH-s
timulated cells.