Collagen production has been shown to be decreased in costal cartilage from nondiabetic animals after incubation with diabetic rat serum. Since collagen was decreased to a similar degree in tissues from diabetic animals, we questioned whether altered collagen production in vivo could be related to altered production induced in vitro. Collagen and noncollagen protein production in articular cartilage from diabetic animals (production in vivo) was compared to protein production in dermal fibroblasts from non-diabetic rats exposed to serum from the same diabetic rats (production in vitro). Diabetes was induced by intravenous administration of 90 mg/kg of streptozotocin into male Sprague-Dawley rats. Cartilage was removed and incubated with [3H]-proline for 2 hours at 37 degrees C (in vivo), while fibroblasts were exposed to experimental serum from individual animals for 24 hours with addition of 5 microCi of [5-3H]-proline for the final 6 hours (in vitro). Collagen and noncollagen protein production were quantitated using purified bacterial collagenase. Collagen production in cartilage decreased to 46% (p less than .01) and noncollagen to 68% (p less than .05) of levels in control animals. Fibroblasts exposed to 2.5% diabetic serum decreased collagen and noncollagen protein production to levels of 30% (p less than .01) and 54% (p less than .05) of production in cells incubated in 2.5% normal rat serum. Correlation between defective collagen production in cartilage from individual rats and the effects of their own serum on collagen production in fibroblasts was significant (r = 0.84, p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)