Insulin status differentially affects energy transduction in cerebral mitochondria from male and female rats

Effects of STZ diabetes and treatment with insulin on cerebral mitochondrial metabolism in the male and female rats were examined. Diabetic state resulted in generalized decrease in the state 3 respiration rates in the males with practically all the substrates except glutamate where the opposite effect was seen. Diabetic state had no adverse effect on the respiratory activity in the females. Insulin treatment had no restorative effect in the males. By contrast in the females, adverse effects were noted. The cytochromes contents decreased in STZ diabetes with the effect being more pronounced in the males; treatment with 1 unit of insulin restored the cytochromes contents. STZ diabetes also resulted in decreased dehydrogenases activities with the effect being more pronounced in the females: insulin treatment resulted in hyper-stimulation of glutamate dehydrogenase and succinate DCIP reductase activities; restoration of malate dehydrogenase activity was only partial. The results point out that STZ diabetes and insulin treatments differentially affect cerebral mitochondrial energy metabolism in the male and female rats.