The relationship between the pre-stimulus glucose level and immunoreactive insulin responses to a glucose challenge (20-g IV) was studied in normal subjects. When the steady-state pre-stimulus glucose concentration was lowered by a 0.33 mU.kg-1.min-1 insulin infusion or raised by a 900 mg/min glucose infusion, no effect on first phase insulin secretion (mean delta 3-5 min insulin level) was observed. In contrast, the second phase response (10-60 min insulin area after glucose pulse) to intravenous glucose fell during insulin infusion and increased during the glucose infusion. Overall, a linear relationship was found between the change of pre-stimulus glucose or level from the control to that during the insulin or glucose infusion and the change in second phase response (r = 0.65, n = 14, p less than 0.02). The effect of tolbutamide infusion (7 mg.m-2.min-1) when compared with saline control was to increase both first phase (+54 +/- 13 mU/l, n = 8, p less than 0.001, mean +/- SEM) and second phase (+972 +/- 256 mU. min-1.l-1, p less than 0.01) insulin secretion. It is concluded that the first phase response to a glucose pulse is independent of the steady-state pre-stimulus glucose concentration and is directly enhanced by tolbutamide; in contrast, second phase is related to both the steady-state pre-stimulus glucose level and tolbutamide. These findings suggest that changes in basal or pre-stimulus plasma glucose during therapy with sulphonylurea drugs may be expected to influence the second phase insulin responses to glucose challenge.