Influence of streptozocin-induced diabetes on reductive metabolism of acetohexamide in rat liver.

Streptozocin-induced diabetes significantly decreased acetohexamide reductase activity of 10,000 g supernatant of liver homogenates from both male and female rats. However, the decrease in activity from female rats was smaller than that from male rats, thereby eliminating the sex difference in the activity of the 10,000 g supernatant. In male rats, the diabetes markedly decreased acetohexamide reductase activity only in the microsomal fraction of liver homogenate, whereas in female rats, it decreased the activity only in the cytosolic fraction. These results indicate that the mechanism for the decreasing effect of the diabetes on reductive metabolism of acetohexamide in 10,000 g supernatant differs between male and female rats.