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Glucocorticoid stimulation of metabolism and glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase activity in cultured heart cells
Author(s) -
Freerksen Deborah L.,
Hartzell Charles R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.1041260208
Subject(s) - corticosterone , medicine , endocrinology , glucocorticoid , dehydrogenase , metabolism , hydrocortisone , stimulation , biology , cell culture , glycerol , steroid hormone , hormone , chemistry , enzyme , biochemistry , genetics
The direct effects of the glucocorticoids hydrocortisone and corticosterone on myocardial metabolism were studied in cultured heart cells by assessing several parameters previously unreported. Hormone and growth factor concentrations were carefully controlled by using a serum‐free medium, which also allowed maintenance of cells in the absence of glucocorticoids. Heart cell beating rate, glucose uptake rate, and CO 2 evolution from radioactively labeled glucose were increased by the addition of 0.03 μM corticosterone to the medium of cells maintained in culture for 11 days. There were no further changes in these parameters as steroid concentration was increased to 14.43 μM. The activity of NAD‐linked sn ‐glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.8) was increased by both corticosteroids and was dose dependent between 0.06 and 1.44 μM corticosterone. The difference between glycerol‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase activity in cells maintained with hydrocortisone as compared to cells maintained without hydrocortisone increased with days in culture. The protein and DNA contents of dishes maintained with corticosteroid were depressed, demonstrating an inhibitory effect on cellular replication. Glucocorticoids have numerous direct effects on cardiac cell metabolism, and the nature of these effects suggests that secondary responses of the cell to chronic exposure are significant.