Induction of Type 2 Diabetes by low dose of streptozotocin and high-fat diet-fed in wistar rats

Abstract

The objective of the present experimental study is to develop an animal model of type 2 diabetes which mimics the natural and metabolic course of this disease in humans. Therefore, a high-fat diet (with approximately 60% of the calories from lipidis) was offered for 3 weeks, establishing an insulin resistant picture. After, the female rats were submitted to a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (35mg/kg of body mass) using citrate buffer (pH:4,4). After a week of the injection of STZ, the female rats were submitted to the glucose tolerance oral test, by oral administration of glucose (2g glucose/ kg of body mass). The data was compared between groups using the test t. The significance in all tests was on level of p<0,05. The control group kept the final average glucose concentration equals to the initial. After the ingestion of the high-fat diet an increase of 16,5% of the fasting glucose happened compared to the initial moment of the
experiment (P<0,0001) while the animals that received the control diet presented an increase of approximately 8,7%. One week after the intraperitoneal administration of STZ, the high-fat feed group showed an increase of about 194,2% of the average concentration of glucose, representing an increase of about 275,8% (P<0,0001) when compared to the control group. The present study shows that the combination of a high-fat diet and low dose of streptozotocin works as an alternative animal model for type 2 diabetes
simulating the disease in humans.