Decay of succinate dehydrogenase activity in rat skeletal muscle following streptozotocin injection.

Succinate dehydrogenase activities of 4 skeletal muscles with widely divergent fiber compositions were determined in rats that recieved either 70 or 80 mg streptozotocin per kg body wt at various time intervals following injection. Enzyme activities in all muscles declined to a lower final level and exhibited a more rapid decay in animals receiving the larger dosage. White gastrocnemius muscle, which contains no slow-twitch fibers, experienced the greatest relative loss of activity, and soleus muscle, possessing the highest proportion of slow-twitch fibers, the smallest loss. The findings indicate that extrapancreatic effects of the drug may have been partially responsible for the differential effects of the 2 dosages on the muscles.