Glucose tolerance, insulin binding to erythrocytes, insulinaemia, plasma total cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, weight of fat pads, food consumption and body weight changes were studied in genetically hypertensive lean Koletsky rats. Long-term treatment with dopaminergic agonist terguride (0.2 mg/kg/day) normalized glucose tolerance and increased the percentage of bound insulin to erythrocytes in both sexes. Terguride decreased insulinaemia, cholesterolaemia, fat pads and body weight only in female rats. Food consumption was not influenced by terguride over the injection period.