Glucocorticoid modulation of beta-adrenergic receptors of cultured rat arterial smooth muscle cells.

Since both glucocorticoids and catecholamines are involved in the regulation of normal blood pressure, we investigated the modulation of beta-adrenergic receptors of cultured rat arterial smooth muscle cells by glucocorticoids. The synthetic glucocorticoids dexamethasone and RU 28362, at 10(-8) M concentration, increased maximum beta-adrenergic binding but had no effect on the dissociation constant (Kd). Each steroid caused an increase in maximum [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding over the concentration range of 10(-8) to 10(-6) M, but not at 10(-9) M. The glucocorticoid effect on beta-adrenergic receptors of arterial smooth muscle cells required a minimum of 20 hours of incubation in the presence of the steroid and was significantly inhibited by cycloheximide (10 micrograms/ml), indicating that the glucocorticoid effect required protein synthesis. The effect of dexamethasone on [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding was significantly inhibited by the glucocorticoid antagonist RU 38486. Basal and agonist-stimulated cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) levels in arterial smooth muscle cells, before and after glucocorticoid treatment, were measured as an indicator of the physiological significance of the observed glucocorticoid-induced increase in beta-adrenergic receptor binding. While causing no change in the basal cAMP level, treatment of arterial smooth muscle cells with 10(-6) M dexamethasone for 24 hours increased the 10(-6) M isoproterenol-stimulated cAMP levels.