Alteration in binding of dexamethasone to glucocorticoid receptors in regenerating rat liver after partial hepatectomy.

Changes in binding of dexamethasone (9 alpha-fluoro-11 beta, 17 alpha, 21-trihydroxy-16 alpha-methylpregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione) to its receptors in regenerating rat liver after 70% hepatectomy were examined. Specific receptors for dexamethasone in the liver remnants of adrenalectomized rats decreased significantly during the period of DNA synthesis after 70% hepatectomy; then, they increased to above the control values between Days 4 and 7 after partial hepatectomy and subsequently returned to the control values. During the period of DNA synthesis, decreased binding was observed in partially hepatectomized rats with or without adrenals, but later enhanced binding was not prominent in rats with adrenals.