Diabete Induced Obesity rat model

Muscle Adipose tissue Liver Macrophage
A nutritional rat model dedicated to obesity studies

Key Benefits

  • To mimic gradual body weight gain, and especially visceral fat hypertrophy, as observed in western populations.
  • To select the best drug candidate in a very reproducible model, suitable for screening.
  • To test the efficacy of compounds in a model with sensitivity to all reference compounds tested close to clinical setting.

Animal Model

  • Background Strain: Sprague Dawley (SD) rat
  • Gender/Weight: Male/250-300g
  • Diet: High fat - high carbohydrate
  • Time on diet: 4-10 weeks (depending on required severity)
  • Positive reference compounds: rimonabant and dexfenfluramine

 

Pathophysiological features

  • Obesity (visceral fat hypertrophy)
  • Glucose intolerance
  • Hyperinsulinemia
  • Insulin resistance
  • Decrease in plasma adiponectin
  • Hyperleptinemia
DIO rat graph 1
DIO rat graph 2

Scientific & pharmacological relevance

Reference compounds: rimonabant and dexfenfluramine

  • Treatments: chronic
  • Duration: 4 weeks
  • Concentration: 10 mg/kg
  • Dexfenfluramine and rimonabant reduce body weight and food intake, as in the clinical setting
  • Rimonabant improves adiponectin levels
  • Dexfenfluramine reduces both subcutaneous and visceral fat, whereas rimonabant mainly reduces epididymal fat
DIO rat graph 3
DIO rat graph 4

References and publications

Prunet-Marcassus B, Desbazeille M, Bros A, Louche K, Delagrange P, Renard P, Casteilla L, Pénicaud L.
Melatonin reduces body weight gain in Sprague Dawley rats with diet-induced obesity.
Endocrinology. 2003 Dec;144(12):5347-52.

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