Time course of the effect of streptozotocin on serum concentration of glucose and triglycerides and on hepatic drug metabolism in the male rat.

Streptozotocin (STZ) causes a rise in serum glucose, triglycerides and ketones and a fall in insulin and also leads to changes in drug metabolism. Results from rats left for 20 days indicate that there is no correlation between the effects of STZ on hepatic and serum parameters. The present study investigated the time course of the effect of STZ on hepatic drug metabolism, protein and cytochrome P-450 content and serum glucose and triglyceride concentration. STZ caused the induction of diabetes by 2 h which disappeared at 8 h and reappeared at 24 h. Drug metabolism was reduced after 1 h, returned to control levels at 2 h and remained there until 24 h. Liver protein was increased at 1 and 72 h but cytochrome P-450 was unaffected. The initial increase in serum parameters was not accompanied by changes in hepatic parameters and, thus, the two effects of streptozotocin may not be related.