The influence of membrane lipid composition on the beta-adrenergic stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation in rat prostatic epithelial cells was assessed after treating the cells with cholesteryl hemisuccinate (ChH). 2. ChH treatment resulted in a 40% inhibition of the beta-adrenergic response after 30 min of lipid preincubation at 37 degrees C. 3. The inhibitory effect of ChH was dose-dependent and was accompanied by an increase of microviscosity as measured by a fluorescence polarization technique with the probe diphenylhexatriene. 4. Experiments with increasing concentrations of isoproterenol indicated that the efficiency, but not the potency, of the beta-adrenergic response was affected by the increasing of the cholesterol content in the cell membrane.
