11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11betaHSD1) is a NADPH dependent oxidoreductase of the endoplasmic reticulum lumen which converts cortisone to cortisol and plays a role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The aim of our study was to investigate the correlation between the expression/activity of 11betaHSDI and obesity. Liver and adipose tissue microsomes of an obese (Zucker) and a non-obese (Goto-Kakizaki) type 2 diabetes model rat strains were used. 11betaHSDI expression was detected at mRNA, protein and activity level. The activity of 11betaHSD1 was increased in the adipose tissue and decreased in the liver of the obese Zucker rat, while its mRNA levels were significantly different only in the adipose tissue. In diabetic Goto-Kakizaki rat both the expression and the activity of 11betaHSD1 were elevated in liver, but not in adipose tissue. These results suggest that the prereceptorial glucocorticoid activation is different in the liver and adipose tissue of the two diabetes models. This phenomenon might be responsible for the obese and lean phenotypes in type 2 diabetes.