Effect of volatile anesthetics on steroidogenesis in isolated bovine adrenocortical fasciculata cells

To examine effects of volatile anesthetics (VAs) on steroidogenesis, cell suspensions of isolated bovine adrenocortical cells were incubated with several steroidogenic agents in the presence or absence of halothane and sevoflurane. The adrenocortical cells were dispersed by trypsin digestion of bovine adrenal cortex. The cortisol level was measured fluorometrically. VAs inhibited adrenocorticotropic hormone-, acetylcholine-, angiotensin-II-, and KCl-stimulated steroidogenesis in a concentration-dependent manner with extracellular Ca²⁺. However, dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate-stimulated steroidogenesis was not inhibited by VAs. These results suggest that VAs inhibit steroidogenesis by blocking Ca²⁺-influx from the extracellular space without influencing the action of intracellular cyclic nucleotides.