A rat model of restrictive bariatric surgery with gastric banding.

BACKGROUND Gastric banding is a well established weight reduction operation that is effective in the treatment of severe obesity. Its metabolic and endocrine mechanisms of action, however, remain unclear. The aim of this study was to establish a rat model of gastric banding that would replicate the procedure performed in human obese patients. METHODS Male Wistar rats were submitted either to gastric banding (n=5) or sham gastric banding (n=4), and were followed for 21 days. Detailed description on how to perform gastric banding in rats are herein described. RESULTS The Wistar rats submitted to gastric banding showed a decrease in weight gain and food intake when compared to sham-operated rats. The cumulative weight gain during the 21 days after the surgical procedure was 143+/-2.58 g for the gastric banded rats and 162+/-2.48 g for the sham-operated animals (P=0.001). The cumulative food intake was 329+/-0.53 g for the gastric banded rats and 380+/-15.22 g for the sham-operated animals, also statistically significant (P=0.025). CONCLUSION A rat model to study gastric banding is described. This model can now be used for experimental investigation of biochemical and molecular mechanisms of weight loss resulting from this type of surgery.