Previous report has suggested that the albumin levels were reduced in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and consequently oxidative stress was elevated in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats as albumin is the predominant antioxidant in plasma. In this study, we suggest that the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokine such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) were increased by approximately 3.4 and 2.9fold, respectively, in the serum of STZ-diabetic rats, compared to those of normal rat. In addition to the cytokines, the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were also about 3.6-fold higher, indicating that STZ induced a pro-inflammatory response in rat blood. However, when purified rat albumin was externally co-administrated with STZ through the tail vein, the serum levels of IL-6, TNF-, and CRP were markedly reduced, although the values were still higher than those of normal (non-diabetic) rats. Albumin administration also decreased STZ-induced oxidative stress in serum and PBMCs. Moreover, the decrease in cytokine and CRP levels was dependent on the dose of injected albumin. These results suggest that STZ-induced pro-inflammation and oxidative stress in rat blood might be attenuated by treatment with exogenous albumin.