Estrous behavior and pituitary and brain cell nuclear retention of [3H]estradiol in chronically insulin-deficient female rats.

Chronic insulin deficiency, produced by administration of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin, leads to reduced estrous behavior and lower estradiol uptake in both whole homogenate and cell nuclear fractions of hypothalamus-preoptic area and pituitary gland in ovariectomized rats. High dietary fat intake produces an ameliorative effect on both lordosis behavior and estradiol uptake, relative to animals fed a standard, carbohydrate-rich diet. Plasma glucose levels are significantly correlated with estradiol uptake levels in brain and pituitary, and with plasma radioactivity levels. The data support the hypothesis that some of the reproductive dysfunctions manifest in female diabetic rats are the result of alterations in nuclear binding of estradiol by central nervous tissue, and that chronic fuel deprivation may represent an important correlate of disruptions in normal steroid action among diabetics.