ACTH-induced prostaglandin biosynthesis from 3H-arachidonic acid by adrenocortical cells

Prostaglandins biosynthesized from ³H-arachidonic acid by trypsin-dispersed cat adrenocortical cells were isolated by silicic acid and thin layer chromatography. PGE, PGF, and a third component with mobility properties indistinguishable from either PGA or PGB were identified both in cortical cell homogenates and incubation medium. Concentrations of ACTH (125–250 μU) which stimulate steroidogenesis enhanced the conversion of labeled precursor to all three of these prostaglandins. These findings provide further evidence for the proposal that prostaglandins function as a critical link in ACTH-induced steroidogenesis.