Development of New Animal Models for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Pharmacological Screening

1. Srinivasan et al., (2005) developed a new rat model that replicates the natural history and metabolic characteristics of human type 2 diabetes and is also suitable for pharmacological screening. They used the high-fat diet and streptozotocin as diabetic inducers. They also studied the effect of two different combinations such as normal pellet diet + STZ and high fat diet + STZ and found that the HFD fed rats are more prone to be obese and produces insulin resistance as well as diabetes. Hyperinsulinemia together with reduced glucose disappearance rate (K-value) suggested that the feeding of HFD-induced insulin resistance in rats. They validated the model for further pharmaceutical testing, by pioglitazone (an insulin sensitizer) and glipizide (an insulin secretogogue).