Adrenal cortex mitochondria isolated from mongrel dogs were incubated with cholesterol in the presence and absence of adriamycin (ADM). The capacity for cholesterol side chain cleavage was assessed by determining the pregnenolone yield. ADM behaves as an inhibitor of pregnenolone biosynthesis with a calculated IC50 of 110 microM. The inhibitory effect follows a dose-response relationship depending upon ADM concentration.
