Animal models for type 2 diabetes: A review

Diabetes mellitus is a potentially morbid condition with high prevalence worldwide thus the disease constitutes a major health concern. The search for compounds with novel properties to deal with the disease condition is still in progress. This makes the use of experimental models for the disease imperative. Appropriate experimental models are considered as an essential tool for understanding the pathogenesis, complications, and genetic influences that increase the risks of type 2 diabetes. In recent years, large numbers of new genetically modified animal models including transgenic, generalized knock-out and tissue-specific knockout mice have been engineered for the study of diabetes. In this review our efforts have been devoted to gather the animal models of type 2 diabetes with reference to their characteristic features, underlying causes or mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages to the investigators in diabetes research.