Primary cultures of rat hepatocytes produce tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) and plasminogen activator-inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1). Incubation of hepatocytes with 50 microM 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)cAMP (CPT-cAMP) results in a 4-fold increase in tPA activity, whereas the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone (1 microM) causes a more than 90% decrease. In combination, dexamethasone completely overcomes the CPT-cAMP effect and markedly decreases PA activity. PAI-1 is induced by both CPT-cAMP and dexamethasone, and the effects of these agents are additive. Accumulation of tPA mRNA is increased more than 4-fold by CPT-cAMP and is greatly decreased by incubation with dexamethasone. Dexamethasone in combination with CPT-cAMP totally blocks this cAMP effect. The protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide does not prevent either the dexamethasone-induced decrease or the CPT-cAMP-induced increase in tPA message and, in fact, augments the cAMP-induced increase in tPA mRNA. Hepatocyte PAI-1 mRNA levels are increased 2-fold by incubation with either CPT-cAMP or dexamethasone; in combination, these effectors cause a 4-fold increase in PAI-1 mRNA. Cycloheximide alone causes a marked increase in PAI-1 mRNA, but does not block the induction by either CPT-cAMP or dexamethasone. We conclude that incubation of hepatocytes with CPT-cAMP induces tPA activity by increasing tPA mRNA accumulation and that dexamethasone causes a decrease in tPA activity by both decreasing tPA mRNA and increasing PAI-1 mRNA and activity. Concomitant protein synthesis is not required for the regulation of tPA or PAI-1 mRNA by either CPT-cAMP or dexamethasone, indicating a primary effect of these agents on gene transcription or mRNA stability.