In vitro activity: Tolbutamide belongs to a class of medications called sulfonylureas. Tolbutamide lowers blood sugar by causing the pancreas to produce insulin (a natural substance that is needed to break down sugar in the body) and helping the body use insulin efficiently. This medication will only help lower blood sugar in people whose bodies produce insulin naturally. Tolbutamide is not used to treat type 1 diabetes (condition in which the body does not produce insulin and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood) or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious condition that may occur if high blood sugar is not treated). Tolbutamide inhibits both the basal and the cyclic AMP-stimulated protein kinase activities and the IC50 of Tolbutamide is 4 mM. Similar Tolbutamide concentrations are required for half maximal inhibition of in vitro lipolysis induced by hormones (norepinephrine and ACTH) or by dibutyryl cyclic AMP plus theophylline. Tolbutamide also inhibits both soluble and membrane-bound protein kinase from canine heart. The Tolbutamide inhibition of adipose tissue cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase is one possible explanation for the antilipolytic effects of this drug. Tolbutamide inhibits C6-glioma cell proliferation by increasing Cx43, which correlates with a reduction in pRb phosphorylation due to the up-regulation of the Cdk inhibitors p21 and p27. Cytosolic nucelotides enhance the Tolbutamide sensitivity of the ATP-dependent K+ channel in mouse pancreatic B cells by their combined actions at inhibitory and stimulatory receptors.

Kinase Assay: Diced epididymal fat pads from fed Wistar rats (175-225 gm) are obtained after decapitation and incubated at 37 °C for two hours in Krebs-bicarbonate buffer containing 1.27 mM CaCl2. When added, Tolbutamide is present only during the incubation. After incubation fat pads are rinsed and sonicated in cold Krebs-bicarbonate buffer. The aqueous supematants from centrifugation at 50,000 × g for 30 minutes at 4 °C contained 0.75 to 1.25 mg protein per mL and are assayed for cyclic AMP-stimulated protein kinase activity. The assay is performed in 0.2 mL with these additions, 10 μmoles sodium glycerofiosphate pH 7.0, 2 μmoles sodium fluoride, 0.4 μmoles theophylline, 0.1 μmoles ethylene glyool bis (β-aminoethyl ether)-N, N'-tetraaoetic acid, 3 μmoles magnesium chloride, 0.3 mg mixed histone, 2 nmoles (γ- 32P) ATP, 1 nmoles cyclic AMP when indicated, and 0.05 ml of supernatant. 

Cell Assay: C6 glioma cells are incubated in serum-free DMEM at 37 °C for at least 24 hours before each experiment. Tolbutamide (400 μM) is incubated for 24 hours in serum-free medium. Incubations are performed at 37 °C in an atmosphere of 95% air/5% CO2 with 90–95% humidity.