Streptozotocin (STZ) is a naturally occurring nitrosoamide used extensively to produce diabetes in experimental animals. Our previous study has demonstrated that i.v. administraton of streptozotocin induces significant red blood cell hemolmysis in rats. Since it has been reported that the highest concentration of STZ is found in the liver, the effect of STZ in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes has been investigated. STZ treatment (10 mM) did not cause significant loss of viability throughout 4 hour incubation, while high dose of STZ (300 mM) to hepatocytes resulted in complete cell death within 3 hours. Addition of 40 mM glucose to incubation medium did not potentiate STZ-induced hepatotoxicity, suggesting that STZ-induced hyperglycemia in vivo did not affect its hepatotoxicity. To investigate the mechanixm of the toxicity, intracellular total glutathione level was determined. Tratment with 10 mM STZ which was not toxic to hepatocytes led to complete depletion of intracellular glutathione level within 1 hour incubation. These results suggest that STZ-induced hepatotoxicity may be independent on the intracellular glutathione depletion.