Effect of insulin on the rate of hydrogen peroxide generation in mitochondria.

We studied the effect of insulin on H2O2 generation by mitochondria in rat liver and heart. Insulin markedly increased the rate of H2O2 generation, which was realized via short-term activation of mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase. In terms of the Michaelis-Menten equation describing the dependence of H2O2 generation by mitochondria on succinate concentration (succinate dehydrogenase substrate), insulin decreased the Michaelis-Menten constant and increased the maximum rate of H2O2 generation compared to the control.