Effects of dexamethasone on the fluorescence polarization of diphenylhexatriene in HeLa cells

Treatment of HeLa cells for 24 h with dexamethasone resulted in lower steady-state polarization values of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene in both intact cells and dispersions of whole cell lipid extracts. Dexamethasone also reduced the polarization values in isolated membrane fractions from treated cells. These effects are similar to the effect of 25-hydroxycholesterol, a potent inhibitor of cellular sterol synthesis.