Influence of the adrenal gland on uptake, retention, metabolism and binding to cytoplasmic proteins of [3H] cortisol by the rat liver.

The effects of adrenalectomy on uptake, retention, metabolism and in vivo binding to cytoplasmic proteins of [3H]cortisol in the rat liver were studied. The same amount of radioactivity was accumulated in the different subcellular fractions of liver of adrenalectomized and normal male rats 30 min after intraperitoneal injection of a biologically active dose of [3H]-cortisol. However, the accumulated radioactivity, with exception of microsomes, was lost more rapidly from all subcellular fractions of normal than of adrenalectomized animals. The pattern of non-conjugated metabolites present in the cytosol also showed differences between adrenalectomized and normal rats. Analysis of the hormone-protein complexes formed in vivo after application of a biologically active dose of [3H]cortisol, revealed that the amount of hormone-protein complexes was lower in cytosol of adrenalectomized animals than in normal rats. Analysis of the individual hormone-protein complexes formed in vivo revealed that DE-1b, DE-2 and DE-3 were less prominent in adrenalectomized than in normal rats, whereas the level of DE-1 was found to be essentially independent from the adrenal state.